[drrrop8]

Good morning all!

I am getting the supplies gathered up to replace my front pads and rotors this weekend.
I’m looking for any insights/warnings/etc you guys have for me.

any special tools needed?

2001 Cadillac Seville SLS

many thanks!

 

[Submariner409]

Basic front disc brake rocket science with special torques and wheel sensor/pad wear sensor checks and maybe replacements.

Use the online subscription to www.alldatadiy.com for your car and its service manuals. You'll need it.

Make very sure the wheel hub, disc, and wheel mounting surfaces are surgically clean and smooth. Lug nuts are torqued to 100 lb/ft in an increasing star sequence.

cadillac forums 2001 seville front brake replacement - Google Search

www.google.com

The rear brakes are very different. . . . . . .

 

[CUlater]

I replaced brake pads all around, and swapped in drilled and slotted front rotors, on my 03 SLS in Dec 2019 and don't remember anything unusual or difficult. Been very happy with the Powerstop Z23 pads and Powerstop ar82103xl and ar82103xl front rotors from Rockauto, IIRC it was less than $200 total. Clean everything thoroughly and don't be shy on using the high temp synthetic brake lube! Also, make sure you follow any instructions with the pads on properly bedding them after the install - ceramics have some special recommendations.

 

[Yaemish]

First thing you'll want to do is listen to Sub.

My option for what it's worth, don't do ceramics up front. I've been driving some form of a Northstar powered Cadillac as my daily driver for almost 20 years, with 16 of those years in an 02 Seville like yours. During this time I've also had some European cars. I'm sure this comment is going to not be taken well, but GM skimped on the brakes in the Seville. My DeVille, SRX, and Eldorado always seemed to stop better and never had pulsating problems.

My memory is fuzzy, but I think the DeVille and Eldorado had similar brakes to the Seville. The main difference for me was that insisted on ceramic with my Seville, I just hate brake dust. I let my OCD get the best of me one weekend and replaced all my calipers, pads, and master cylinder. Despite my best efforts, the car didn't stop like any of my European cars.

I think where I'm going with this is that they could have put larger discs up front and maybe designed the caliper with more than one piston. Because of this shortcoming, a semi-metallic pad should be used because it should have more bite than a ceramic.

My recent tests haven't exactly been scientific, but I replaced my VW pads with Akibono ceramics and the pads on my mother's Mercedes with ceramic. On both cars, they really need to be heated up to have any bite. They have been the best ceramics that I've tried, but still don't do as well as the OE pads on those cars which are both semi-metallic. I also tried to put some ceramic pads on my 6000 lb Audi and it was terrifying. I removed them the following weekend to be replaced with the cheaper OE pads.

A lot of the guys here will say they are happy with their ceramic pads and that's fine. I've just done some extensive comparison over the last year or so and thought that I would share.

 

[Submariner409]

I'll second the greater pedal effort required with a switch to ceramic pads. BUT once they warm up they give me great braking with little or no fade. And no dust after correct, painful, noisy break-in.

The LAST thing you want to do is install hard so-called "track" or "race" ceramic pads for a daily driver. Sure, they work just fine - when they're smoking hot.

I've had good luck with EBC brake parts from www.placeforbrakes.com. The Redstuff pads are the hardest you want to go for a daily driver.

For ANY brake work on these FWD Northstar cars use the GM/Cadillac/Helm service manuals. Some of it IS rocket science. Especially wheel speed sensors, rear brake calipers. and break-in.

Hot brakes -

red hot disc brake images - Google Search

www.google.com

No, hot brakes don't "warp". That's why they're machined from cast iron.

 

[vincentm]

My R1 drilled and slotted rotors i got through a discount here, have been fine, even got em resurfaced, just put new ceramics up front.

 

[Ranger]

I'm with Yeamish. I won't touch ceramics. Never had a problem stopping with semi-metallics.

 

[Yaemish]

I always do as Sub says, I went with the Red Stuff pads twice. I think they are better than the other ceramics I have tried, they bite more when cold. I have a theory though...

Submariner drives the car like he stole it, I'm gentle on the brakes and they kept giving me hot spots on the pads. In all honesty though, I think the problem that I had with the EBC pads was that I live in an area of Upstate, NY that is all hills. When I do most of my driving in town, it is for short runs and there are always hills involved. The pads probably never heat up to where they are supposed to. I have nothing but good things to say about the EBC Customer service people, it seems like a great company.

One thing to note having been lurking in some of the European car forums; there are a bunch of people that are on a mission to find a low dust pad that stops the car. They like the EBC, but I've seen them complain about the deposits that the "Red Stuff" leaves. It really must have something to do with driving style or getting/not getting the pads up to temp. Who knows.

 

[Submariner409]

Submariner drives the car like he stole it, . . . . .

Don't read me wrong - I do use the car and its equipment but I don't abuse it. There's a big difference between incorrectly beating on a car and driving it to maximum performance levels.