Cadillac CTS-V - Installed Brakemotive rotors and pads tonight...

Wow! Huge difference! My stock pads look to still have quite a bit of meat on them and the stock rotors weren't in bad shape. I took the car out after we installed them tonight to bed the pads. At first while making my way throught the neighborhood slowly, they felt kind of abrasive under light braking and i could feel it a bit in the pedal. Once i made it out to the feeder road, we did a 100-20 mash and a few more 80-20's to get the pads good and bedded to the rotors and take all of that new surface finish off both the rotors and the pads. These things BITE way better than the stockers! Im impressed!! Nice and smooth but the bite is 100 times better than stock rotors and pads!!

I left my little stock low pad indicator plates off the new pads. I didn't want to risk it rattling or squeaking against the metal plate thats already on the back of the pads and I like to visually check my pads anyway. Just one less thing to worry about making noise IMO.

Anyway, anyone considering the upgrade... DO IT! Can't beat the performance for the price IMO!

Thanks Brakemotive!! :cheers:

You sure that that wasn't simply the effect of getting the pads into their proper operating temperature range?

When you pulled the old pads off, were they the Ferodo HP1000, or had the previous owner replaced them with something else?

I'm not sure.

Old pads were some fairly new duralast golds

I had the same experience with these brakes too, Never Satisfied......I dig em!

Yeah bro, they feel so much better than stock! I thought my stock brakes were fairly decent before but now they feel the way they should have felt from the factory IMO. Lol Like some real high performance brakes. Not to mention they look sexy now too! Lol

They do look pretty hawt.

Sexy time!

Mine was opposite. I had the Ferodos. Initial bite is not near as strong. Once they have a little heat they grab just as hard and don't fade as fast. Pedal feel is the same, just takes more of it.

Trying to think of a good way to word it. Feels like a track pad - like the pads are slick when cold.

Mine didn't seem to take long to heat up. I could tell upon initial stomp the first time, it wasn't quite as grabby until I started slowing down and I guess they started to get warm. I just attributed that to the pads and rotors being brand new.

My assumptions follow Gabbiabi's experience. I expect that the Brakemotive compound is intended for casual street use and probably doesn't grip as well as the Ferodo HP1000 compound (let alone the Hawk HP+) under aggressive street conditions.

The GS3000 metallurgy of those rotors worry me. I've been considering buying a set of DRT premium slotted rotors (GS3500) with black powdercoated hats, but my stock Brembo rotors only have 24k miles on them and seem to be holding up fine.

Do you see any reason to replace pads at the same time as rotors?

I had 90k on mine (pads probably had been replaced) and it was all in good shape still. I kept them in a box on the shelf they look like new.

Reason I would replace them at the same time is just because you have to pull the caliper off to get the rotor off.

I'm sure for basic street use and the odd trip to the drag strip, i think these rotors are prob fine. It's a daily driver so it's not like I'm beating the crap out of them at the track all day. Besides, I'm pretty sure brakemotive has a lifetime warranty on the rotors. If they warp or crack I believe they are replaced for free... Or so I was told.

I'm sure for basic street use and the odd trip to the drag strip, i think these rotors are prob fine. It's a daily driver so it's not like I'm beating the crap out of them at the track all day. Besides, I'm pretty sure brakemotive has a lifetime warranty on the rotors. If they warp or crack I believe they are replaced for free... Or so I was told.

Ya, I'm not tracking my car on a twisty track, so these are just fine.

I started to develop a vibration on my Brakemotive setupp in the last few weeks. High speed braking makes the steering wheel go crazy. Doesn't do anything to how the car tracks, but looks like the steering wheel is having a seizure.

I started to develop a vibration on my Brakemotive setupp in the last few weeks. High speed braking makes the steering wheel go crazy. Doesn't do anything to how the car tracks, but looks like the steering wheel is having a seizure.

Warped rotor?

Warped rotor?

Definitely.

So far I like mine... Not a fan of the harder pads, but it sure beats brake dust after two days of driving

So far I like mine... Not a fan of the harder pads, but it sure beats brake dust after two days of driving

I agree. Hardly any dust so far even after bedding them hard last night and no vibration in the wheel. That vibration is def a warped rotor. They still feel much more grabby than my stockers after the second day of driving on them. I'm happy.

Laygo... Contact brakemotive about that warped rotor and see what they say. I bet they'd either warranty it out or cut you a deal on a replacement pair for the front. It was my understanding these are under warranty anyway.

They still feel much more grabby than my stockers after the second day of driving on them. I'm happy.

When my Hawk HP+ pads get hot and you stomp on the brakes, my car turns into the vomit comet of braking doom. Granted, I have to clean the brake dust out of the wheels every three days and carefully apply anti-squeal lubricant every month, but the power is worth it.

Lol! Thats legit but for my car being a street car, i think the brakemotive kit is just fine for what i'll be using it for.

I kept my Hawk pads just in case I didn't like the power stops... I love the feel, but can't stand brown wheels after a few days

Yeah, my buddy ordered a brake kit from some other site. Came with performance pads and zinc coated black rotors. They do look nice but they were twice the price at $500. Biggest turn off to me is that when he details his car, just a short trip around the block and his wheels are dusted to hell again. I will admit his brake prob bite a little harder then mine due to the performance pads but I'll take my pads anyway over those on the street if they'll keep the dust down and still perform well.

When my Hawk HP+ pads get hot and you stomp on the brakes, my car turns into the vomit comet of braking doom. Granted, I have to clean the brake dust out of the wheels every three days and carefully apply anti-squeal lubricant every month, but the power is worth it.

Which stuff are u using i have squeeling problems no matter what I do with my brakes. I have uses the CRC/permatex stuff or whatever with no luck

Which stuff are u using i have squeeling problems no matter what I do with my brakes. I have uses the CRC/permatex stuff or whatever with no luck

I use the spray version of the CRC disc brake quiet product, which is sold at just about every AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts in the country. Assuming you install your pads with the titanium shims that came with your car and you have your retainer clips in nice and even (just trying to eliminate possible sources of error, here), almost any brake quiet product should do the job. That said, here's what I do:


Remove your brake pads and separate the titanium shims from the pads.

Use brake cleaner fluid (CRC makes a good product) to thoroughly remove all foreign contaminants from the back of the pads and both sides of the shims. Take this opportunity to clean out the slot between the halves of the pad with a flat-blade screwdriver and check to ensure that you don't have any foreign objects embedded in the pad surface.

Lay the freshly cleaned pads and shims on a disposable surface (cardboard box / paper towels). Gently spray a nice, thick coat of disc brake quiet to the back of the calipers and the mating surface of the shims. Allow to set for about 5 minutes. The fluid should congeal and no longer run off the pad/shim if you tilt it. It should be a nice, dark, bloody red. If it's not, add a second layer and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Place shims on the back of the brake calipers. They should stick together easily and will be hard to slide or separate. Apply another nice, thick coat of disc brake quiet to the back of the shims as they rest on the pads. Allow to set for 5 minutes before installing pads/shims back in your calipers.


Try to remember that if you clean your wheels (and more specifically your calipers) with a harsh solvent, it'll dissolve the brake quiet pretty quickly.

Or just pull those titanium shims off since the pads come with a metal plate on the rear anyway. On purpose those shims serve is to show when your pads are low by squealing on the low pad indicator pins. Other than that... They are just potential noise makers.

Never no shims on it just the metal plate on the pads that came with them...

I will give that a shot fuzzy. Hopefully that will help me out a little and quiet them down

Yes sir. Those little plate shims are useless. Hey are super thin and cause a rattle if u don't grease them up good enough. No thanks. I'll check my pads visually. That's the best way to do it anyway.

If you don't like the brake dust, Armor all makes a spray that keeps the brake dust off the wheels really good.

Yes sir. Those little plate shims are useless. Hey are super thin and cause a rattle if u don't grease them up good enough. No thanks. I'll check my pads visually. That's the best way to do it anyway.

The purpose of brake shims are to prevent brakes from squealing, and help prevent heat transfer from the pads from the pistons. This prolongs the life of your calipers by keeping the O-rings from melting, and keeps you from boiling or burning your brake fluid.

Bottom line: if your brakes are squealing and you threw away the excellent shims that came with the car, you're on your own. It'll cost you about $350 to replace them.

http://wtfbangkok.com/wp-content/uploads/WTF-card-stamp-art2.jpg

I am about to do this very thing. I saw the write up on how to remove the pads on cadillacfaq but is there a write up on the rotors as well? Is there anything else I may need besides the pads and rotors?

Just some brake lubricant for the back of the pads as described above. You'll also need brake fluid to top off after bleeding the air out. It might be a good idea to flush all the old fluid out at that point anyway.

Fuzzy these pads came with new shims on them and I have switched to using those shims instead however I do still have my old shims. I tried running both sets of shims with no luck I could try switching to the old shims instead of the new ones but i feel like that wouldnt help.

Fuzzy these pads came with new shims on them and I have switched to using those shims instead however I do still have my old shims. I tried running both sets of shims with no luck I could try switching to the old shims instead of the new ones but i feel like that wouldnt help.

What kind of pads are you running?

As I understand it, squeal is caused by vibration between the metal pad backing in contact with the metal caliper pistons, or in some cases, the pad compound in contact with the iron rotor.

In my case, the Hawk HP+ brakes always squeal when they're cold, and become silent as they heat up. If I continue to get squealing after the first couple of brake applications, then I know that it's time to start thinking about cleaning the shims and refreshing the anti-squeal lubricant.

The purpose of brake shims are to prevent brakes from squealing, and help prevent heat transfer from the pads from the pistons. This prolongs the life of your calipers by keeping the O-rings from melting, and keeps you from boiling or burning your brake fluid.

Bottom line: if your brakes are squealing and you threw away the excellent shims that came with the car, you're on your own. It'll cost you about $350 to replace them.

http://wtfbangkok.com/wp-content/uploads/WTF-card-stamp-art2.jpg

Although that seems like a good theory, metal conducts heat so i highly doubt a sliver of it used as a shim behind the larger and much more solid plate like piece permanently connected to the pad would do anything for heat protection. And as far as the rattle, i haven't heard a single sound since i took them off. :drive:

I put these on like a year ago. But I'll second the opinion that they have better initial bite than the factory pads. They also dust 1000x less than the factory pads.

That said, I would not try to use these pads on the track, whereas the stockers were great at V-day last year.

I also get a bit of steering wheel shimmy at higher speed moderate braking (nothing through the pedal though). It's pretty annoying because the rotors have had a pretty easy life. They've also mostly always done that. But for 1/4 the price of other rotors, I guess what do you expect? I am still pleased with the package overall.

Although that seems like a good theory, metal conducts heat so i highly doubt a sliver of it used as a shim behind the larger and much more solid plate like piece permanently connected to the pad would do anything for heat protection. And as far as the rattle, i haven't heard a single sound since i took them off. :drive:

While you are right metals conduct heat. Not all metal are created equal, not all metals conduct heat the same. Titanium for example has very low thermal conductivity (21.9 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)) relative to the steel (starts at 31W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) but ranges up to 53.6) backing plate I'm sure the brake pad uses. SO tianium will slow the heating process down (slow down temperature rise on brake pistons and fluid) relative to a steel backing plate.

While you are right metals conduct heat. Not all metal are created equal, not all metals conduct heat the same. Titanium for example has very low thermal conductivity (21.9 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)) relative to the steel (starts at 31W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) but ranges up to 53.6) backing plate I'm sure the brake pad uses. SO tianium will slow the heating process down (slow down temperature rise on brake pistons and fluid) relative to a steel backing plate.

Makes sense. I just don't know if it would make a big enough difference to even notice it. On a track car that's riding the brakes non-stop until they're blazing, its probably beneficial to have them but I don't see temps getting high enough on the street to harm a mildly driven daily driver.

Makes sense. I just don't know if it would make a big enough difference to even notice it. On a track car that's riding the brakes non-stop until they're blazing, its probably beneficial to have them but I don't see temps getting high enough on the street to harm a mildly driven daily driver.

On a average street car the benefits would be negligible

While you are right metals conduct heat. Not all metal are created equal, not all metals conduct heat the same. Titanium for example has very low thermal conductivity (21.9 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)) relative to the steel (starts at 31W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) but ranges up to 53.6) backing plate I'm sure the brake pad uses. SO tianium will slow the heating process down (slow down temperature rise on brake pistons and fluid) relative to a steel backing plate.

Good to see another person with a good practical knowledge of material science. Couple of thermal conductivity data points:

Copper: 401 W/mK
Aluminum: 237 W/mK
Cast Iron: 55 W/mK
Carbon Steel: 36-54 W/mK (process dependent)
Titanium Alloy: 5.8 W/mK
Air: 0.025 W/mK

http://ls1tech.com/forums/cadillac-cts-v/1441365-question-pad-replacement.html

That thread discusses those shims a bit. They are pretty thin, I can't imagine it's a huge difference one way or the other. I ended up reusing them though. I got some Ti shims later for the front, which I'll put in if I ever put some track pads on the car (fingers crossed on another V-day).

Good to see another person with a good practical knowledge of material science. Couple of thermal conductivity data points:

Copper: 401 W/mK
Aluminum: 237 W/mK
Cast Iron: 55 W/mK
Carbon Steel: 36-54 W/mK (process dependent)
Titanium Alloy: 5.8 W/mK
Air: 0.025 W/mK

I'm a materials engineer... sometimes helps with these things :thumb:

Aurora so you are using those shims as well as the shims that came on the pads from brakemotive or are you using just those OEM shims?

I don't think the brakemotive kit comes with shims at all. Mine just had the pads which had the usual thick plate attached to them.