Shims On Brake Pads

[siksII]

I removed the calipers and pads tonight.

There is two shims on each pad, one which covers the whole rear of the pad, and has holes in it.

The second shim only covers half the pad and has no holes. This is the one sits on top of the other shim.

Is this normal?

It does not seem right to me, as that means the piston has uneven contact with the shims, as one half is higher than the other.

[BHDave]

I think someone hase chopped it on you. Mine has the slotted bit that covers the whole pad and a solid one that sits behind it as you describe but they are both the same size.

If the shim is so short that it is only sitting half way down the piston i think you should be looking for a new set. if it makes it past the pistons then there's nothing to worry about

[cowie165]

The outer shims on my rears have started to corrode.

Any ideas on price guys? It's nothing too bad, only 2mm in from the edge, at worst.

siksII, Dave is right on the money. They should be full length. That said, I've read about guys not using the shims at all? Apparently having them in reduces brake squeal? I'm not after the 10/10ths performance or whatever reason they take them out for so I'll keep mine in!

[Beer Baron]

i would say they will be about $3 each from nissan.

[Bl4cK32]

I bought a caliper rebuild kit from Nissan. (see thread - http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...c=86394&hl=shim )

It has the chopped down shim that you are talking about. It is the correct shim for the pad you are using. Dont forget to put the copper grease in when you reassemble.

I did and havent had any squealing probs from my new rotors and rb74 pads

Edited December 10, 2005 by Bl4cK32

[cowie165]

Good to hear. I have RB74's going on tomorrow (or whenever I pull my finger out) and heard they squeal a lot if bedded incorrectly.

Black32 did you have any dramas mating new pads to new rotors?

Cheers for the guess Richard

[Bl4cK32]

No dramas at all. I had my calipers rebuilt too before i put them in (upgraded to 32gtr items in my gtst)

I used the factory shims, and copper grease. After i bled the system, i went around a few streets doing the 80 to 30 stops and got them smoking.

Never had any squeels, or dramas (once the last few air bubbles worked their way out). They are so good now i can lock the fronts (rear does anyway due to my 2 way diff) so my tyres are my only downfall with the setup im running. No need for brembos at all

[cowie165]

Sounds great dude. I'm halfway through overhauling them. I have a tube of CRC orange anti-squeal. This is for a little squirt between the shims right? Having not done this before, I'm not sure how much is too much....

I've heard a few guys say that Brembos are a little bit of wank factor - purely because braided lines, overhauled calipers, good pads and rotors on fresh fluid and you can't go wrong with the GTR calipers. I guess the Brembos are good for the track guys chasing 10/10ths but I'm really looking forward to stopping! My 93 Mazda pulls up better than the GTR does...

Lets see if I can get the ABS to work as well!

[Bl4cK32]

With the copper grease you smear the back of the new pad, and the two shims (except the side that the piston is on ) Don't make it too thick, just cover it about 1mm or so thick (barely covered).

I guess it'd be the same for the anti-squeal stuff....

[cowie165]

Done!

Thank you mate.

[siksII]

well the rear shim only comes to halfway down the piston, so the piston pushes the bottom/top shim at a slight angle, not straight.

Bl4cK32, thanks for clearing it up, it just must be the way they are. they are not simply chopped down because they are all the exact same shape.

I never had squeeling problems before with no grease etc applied.

I gave the whole lot a clean up when putting the brakes back together and on the car today, including cleaning the shims and piston surfaces, applied no grease etc at all, and the brakes are perfectly silent, no noise at all, so i dont understand what causes the bad noise some others experience.

I guess ill count myself lucky!