Cadillac STS Forum - 2005 through 2010Forum for discussions regarding the new Sigma-based STS model. Not for Cadillac "Seville" discussions (2004 and older).
I'm looking into changing my brake pads soon and was wondering what you guys have experience with or reccomend? My rotors look in good condition but I'm starting to hear some grinding noises. Should I stick with oem pads? Hawk pads? Bendix? I have 17" wheels and the brake package is the JE5 code if thats going to make a difference.... I would like to cut down on the dust if at all possible too...
Thanks in advance..
i don't know what the je5 package consists of, but for all around performance and ease of cleaning i would stick with the stock, oem pads...they're amazing, imo...i have the stock brake system and there is absolutely no brake drust and they stop on the provebial dime.
i don't know what the je5 package consists of, but for all around performance and ease of cleaning i would stick with the stock, oem pads...they're amazing, imo...i have the stock brake system and there is absolutely no brake dust and they stop on the provebial dime.
jackg
06 sts6
OMG - Do you what brake dust looks like? My JE5 brakes are supurb when applying them in a heavy stop, but through normal driving, from one wash to the next my wheels turn black and blacker daily.
i do not have brake dust on my rims...both my previous caddy (a 90 seville 4.5) which had semi-metallic pads from thefactory and my current caddy are dust free on the wheels.
i did my research before i purchased my sts and knew that the "performance" brakes had the softer pads and thus, plenty of brake dust. this was the case with the previous generation (fwd) sts/sls. i also knew that the stock brakes were just fine for me.
one thing i did to the wheels the day i bought the car was to apply two coats of nufinish to the rims. this obviously doesn't cut down on the accumulation (which i do not have.....) of brake dust, but it does make it easier to clean the wheels.
one last point, if you're always standing on the brakes, you're gonna get dust real fast, especially with the softer pads and you're going to go thru pads real fast.
I'm going to have to side with "lifer" on the brake dust.. Mine has excessive dust mostly on the front rims, two days after washing you can already see it starting to build up. But I do also feel these brakes are awsome! They can stop this car on a dime!! I'm just curious if some aftermarket pads like the ones I've listed or others would be better/worse performance with more or less dust as compaired to the oems...I haven't decided which direction I'll go yet though, thats why I was asking for some reviews of other brand pads...
generally, softer pads will yield shorter braking distances and a shorter life re wear. that's why you see the german cars with plenty of brake dust; they come standard with the softer pads. as i said before, the style of driving and the type of driving plays a big role in how quickly you go through a set of pads and thus, accumulate more brake dust over a shorter period of time.
i just washed the sts last night and the only grime/dust on the wheels was crap thrown up from the road....no brake dust.
one other point, in some cases when a car has been purchased used the new owner isn't sure exactly what brake system they have: the standard or the high performance version...in most cases that i have seen posted on these boards, it's the owner's of the upgraded brake system that have the issues with excessive brake dust.
if you do go with a harder pad, remember that it will take longer for the pads and the rotors to heat up and deliver decent braking...you will also have greater pedal pressure with harder pads.
not to get too obsessive over brake pads: if you do replace the pads make sure that the dealer (they generally do it as a rule of thumb) or the shop you use beds the pads into the rotors. if this procedure is not done you are a likely candidate for warped rotors after a short period of time.
do a google on "bedding in brake pads" and you will be amazed. this procedure was a direct result of the numerous problems in the 80's and 90's when most everyone was dring fwd cars and the severe loads put on the front brakes and the fact that the brake systems were in some cases barely large enough to handle the weight of the vehicle, led to many problems with warped rotors.
bed your pads in and have some piece of mind that the brakes will last the life of the pads without warping the rotors.
