I installed some New aftermarket slotted rotors that are OEM size and I have New Hawk HPS pads for my '04 STI... after installing them, I was going to take my car out for a drive but when i started backing out my car, the front brakes are almost fully clamping the rotor. I bled all four calipers correctly by using the pressure bleeding method.

If it helps, when I was putting the caliper back on, I had to use a mallet in order to get the damn caliper on the rotor. It's almost like the rotor or even the pads were too thick for each other.... so that you guys know, the pistons WERE completely compressed.

Can you please help me figure out what to do, some people told me to machine the rotors, others told me to get some kind of sander for the pads... i dunno... but I"M GOING CRAZY!!!

Please help...

 

stoptech bbk lol
idk good luck

 

Way to F up a brake job. Pat yourself on the back. Didn't you think something was funny when you compressed the piston all the way and you had to smash the caliper on the rotor with a hammer. Freakin hopeless. Advice... Take your car to Midas.

 

So what the hell do i do... i wanna handle this Sh*t myself.... where can i take the brake pads to get them worn down a little bit?

 

Errrr, mmmm

 

Is there any way to wear down the brake pads just a little bit so that i can slide them on freely? what can i do this with??

 

There is something wrong with the parts - either the rotor thickness is greater than OEM or the pads are the wrong application. If the caliper pistons were compressed all the way, the new pads should be able to slip in easily by hand, with the clearance taken up when the brakes are bled.

Do not bother to try to reduce the thickness of the pads manually. Figure out why the parts don't fit in the first place before you have an accident or ruin your brakes.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

GOOD NEWS!!

What I decided to do was to get my old rotors turned, and put the new pads on. Since the old rotors were thinner, the calipers slipped on like a glove. SO, my plans in order to be able to use the new rotors, is to let the new pads wear down for like maybe a month or so, and then by that time, I'll just put the new rotors on and everything should be dandy.

Thanks a lot guys for talkin **** to me tho... I thought this place was supposed to be for subaru fanatics not HATERS LIKE ALL OF YOU

 

I'm glad you got everything working again.

Since your earlier post stated that you did indeed compress the caliper pistons back into the caliper body before fitting it over the new rotors, that was a clear indication that you didn't have the proper parts to begin with. I think someone messed up when they shipped them to you. What was the brand rotor and the part number they sent to you for your STi?

I'm using aftermarket DBA one-piece slotted front rotors with Axxis Ultimate pads, first with the stock '02 WRX calipers and now with the factory 4-pot front calipers. Even when the DBAs were brand new, the new pads slipped in by hand once I pushed the pistons back into the caliper.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

id say you should have had them cut your new rotors instead, some shops actually cut new rotors before installing them on their customer's brake jobs.

just an fyi, every time you change your pads, rotors need to be cut, and everytime you change your rotor, pads must be changed as well. this way, both the pads and rotors will have a fresh surface to break in to. the pads must stay with the original rotor they were broken into. doing this will ensure proper contact between the rotor and pad.

did you do a break in?? manufacturers specify the procedure of breaking their pads in, for example, the 30, 30, 30 method. drive up to 30mph, lightly brake to a stop, cool the brakes for 30 seconds, do this 30 times. this break in is a must! this will also ensure a good contact surface, and prevent glazing the pads.

i normally dont see this info posted, but this is what im learning in school right now...

 

StopTech has a bunch of technical papers written on the subject of performance brakes. Here are just some of the topics covered:

Brake Bias and Performance: Why Brake Balance Matters
Rear Brake Upgrades, Is Bigger Really Better?
The "Warped" Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking System
Pad and Rotor Bed-In Theory, Definitions and Procedures NEW
Bleeding ABS, is it really as hard as it sounds?

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

hey cool, thanks for the good info!

 

yea thanks for the info