I looked at the manifesto but the how to's always mention removing the caliper. Usually when I do brake pad jobs on my other cars I leave the caliper on. I just remove one bolt and then swing the caliper up. Is there any reason I would have to remove the caliper to change the pads on my M Roadster?
Last edited by Kram71; 09-15-2017 at 04:53 PM.
…'cause it cannot be done any other way…?
…and this is not any other ordinary car…
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Last edited by bluptgm3; 09-15-2017 at 07:03 PM.
I believe you can do as described, but the Allen socket in the caliper pin is easily damaged so most remove two caliper mounting bolts and swap the pads that way. This avoids a lot of problems.
And if you are using brass bushings the damn lube gets every where trying to get that pin out.
Just don't accidentally drop the caliper while swapping and damage the flex brake line. Ask me how I know. Sent myself home early (200 miles) with that little paddock mistake.
Dan "PbFut" Rose
The inner pad is clipped to the caliper puck. It comes out with the caliper, so the assembly must come straight out. It will not pivot, the pad won't allow it.
/.randy
Thanks guys. I appreciate the insight. My brakes work fine but I was thinking of swapping the front pads for some less dusty ceramic pads so my recently painted wheels do not get damaged. I have done several brake jobs over the years but I only removed the full caliper once while doing any of them.
If the caliper is removed does that mean the brakes will have to be bled?
You only need to unbolt and move the caliper off the rotor enough to swap pads, not remove it entirely from the car. The brake line is not being disconnected, so no need to bleed the brakes.
Even as someone that does pads once or twice a year [keep an eye on 3-4 Z's], doing both sides - front or rear - including swapping rotors is maybe an 45 minute job... the fact that you have to pull two more bolts to get the calipers free is not something to worry about or discourage you from doing it - probably one of the easiest job on our cars. ... though if you're going to ceramic pads, it sounds like you're planning on using the old rotors: then plan on very green brakes for a good couple hundred miles... short of that start with fresh rotors and pads, then it'll be stopping at 95% within a couple miles. ... I've done the pads only swap quite a few times... and those first couple stops are pretty spooky, and am grateful to finally have them mated fully. You might consider such: new rotors aren't terribly expensive - needing 100% of your brakes and not having them for those first miles could be much more expensive. YMMV.
I don't know so much about that. I put ceramic pads on a couple of years ago, and they brake just as well as the OE pads in every way that I can tell, and have no--zero--dust. I certainly haven't noticed any lack of braking power. I don't track my car, and that's a totally different question, but for street use they are the same. I couldn't be happier with them--no--zero--dust. I went with Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors with their street warrior ceramic pads. I know the drilling and slotting is just for looks--I think it looks pretty good.
Akebono european ceramic pads delivered this week. Removal of calipers was impossible with my longest 1/2” drive breaker bar, so the pad change is scheduled for tomorrow at the dealership. Looking forward to minimal dust on the wheels. OEM stopping power is superb, but I could still be happier by having clean wheels after every outing.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
They are holding up really well btw (of course I only put a couple thousand miles a year on them), still no dust and plenty of brake. I have two ///M Roadsters--a '98 supercharged with the ceramic Powerstops and a '99 bone stock with OE brakes (very dusty). No difference in braking to me.
It’s one of the easiest jobs to do. Remove the two guide pins (allen head) and the caliper lifts off the carrier as long as the rotors don’t have a heavy lip. I went through two sets of OE pads on my first roadster and switched to ceramic. I’ll never go back.
Sitting at the dealership right now while they do the installation. Too bad I couldn’t break the caliper bolts loose at home.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Success. Driving on new Akebono European ceramic pads. Hard and soft braking feels identical to the oems. Looking forward to clean wheels. They had a fresh thin carbon film from my 45 minute drive to the dealership. Wiped them down and they were still clean when I arrived home. Two different crazy SUVs almost ran me off the road for staying approx 100 feet back at 15-20 mpg over the speed limit. One actually was blowing his horn and shaking his fist at me. The slow lane was full and I was pacing the traffic in front of me, but not tailgating, so I’m the jerk. Glad I’m retired. Uff!
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Y’all have convinced me. Bought the Akebono set. Cant wait to get them in and give them a spin.
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