550 brakes squealing | FerrariChat

550 brakes squealing

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by henrus, Aug 17, 2004.

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  1. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    I'm about to close on a 2000 550 which looks to be in great shape. It's going through PPI now. The only things I've noticed have been

    1) The side mirror control circle on the center island seemed physically recessed a bit to the right. If you press the right arrow, it depresses farther down than it seems like it should, and if you press the left arrow, it hardly depresses at all. Seems like this part needs to be re-aligned or replaced. Hopefully not a sign of a larger problem.

    2) The brakes squeal a lot, especially when lightly pressing them in city driving.

    Is this common for 550's or F cars in general? Any fixes that seem to stick? (the dealer said that you could try a couple things but most likely it will come back and that F cars are notorious for squealing.)

    Thanks in advance

    H
     
  2. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    they squeal like stuck pigs!

    especially with light braking around town. hard braking is silent.

    it's a "feature" :)

    you can tweak your rotors or replace your pads.

    the fiorano handling package brakes are apparently even noisier than the stock brakes, fwiw.

    doody.
     
  3. Bart

    Bart Formula 3

    Nov 1, 2003
    1,522
    Orange County, Calif
    Full Name:
    Bart
    I had a brake job and still they sound as if I need a brake job. Oh, well.
     
  4. coolestkidever

    coolestkidever F1 Veteran

    Feb 28, 2004
    5,538
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Patrick
    STOP CRYING AND DRIVE IT!!!

    lol couldnt tell ya ne thing b/c i dont have one.
     
  5. Chuck550

    Chuck550 Karting

    May 15, 2001
    210
    Mechanicsburg, PA
    Squealing/squeaky brakes on a Maranello is just something you have to live with. Mine squeaked like crazy this morning. I think it's humidity related (among a thousand other theories....)
     
  6. maranelloman

    maranelloman Guest

    Here is a way I have learned to get rid of it (besides picking better brake pads--the OEM pads S--U--C--K):

    When you wash the car & dry it, note that the rotors will rust up. Start the car after completely drying it, then put it into reverse & do several semi-hard stops in reverse (I am lucky--my driveway slopes up to the street, so I drive up in forward, then coast back down & apply the brakes). Do not lock a wheel, etc. Do this 4-5 times in succession, and your squealing problem will go away.
     
  7. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    wow, i thought you were joking about the reverse thing, but i guess you're serious. what pads would you recommend if the stock ones suck?
     
  8. Schultzois

    Schultzois Formula Junior

    Jun 22, 2004
    879
    the braking noise is normal - at least that's what i've been told when i asked.

    as for the mirror control, it's probably a simple matter of the control unit pulling out of the plastic clamp around it underneath the console. this will happen as the clamp loosens over time, especially if the control button gets pushed harder than necessary.

    what you can do is unscrew the ashtray assembly behind it (first pull out the thing that looks like a change holder inside the ashtray). then reach in underneath and push up on the bottom of the mirror control. it should pop back into place. then just put the ashtray back together and try not to push too hard when adjusting the mirror. happened to mine once or twice but everything still works fine.
     
  9. maranelloman

    maranelloman Guest

    Ferodo DS2500's are superb, IMO: excellent for street AND track; superb heat resistance, extremely low dust, very easy on rotors; last a LONG time.

    Just be sure to put in a racing brake fluid if you ever track the car with these or any other pads. The stock Ferrari brake fluid is *****.
     
  10. twatson

    twatson Karting

    Feb 3, 2004
    70
    I think I have finally found something to quite the brakes on my 550. It is distributed by NAPA Autoparts (I don' have the bottle handy but I think it is CRC Disc Brake Quiet)and you smear the orange stuff on the back side of the brake pads. I have however only put about 60 miles on the car since I did it but it is much better. Since my car has the Fiorano Handling Package I am told that it is worse than the standard brakes with regard to noise so I guess I should be extra happy about it. I will try to update my results as I put more miles on the car (but the way I drive it that could be awhile).
     
  11. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    awesome. thanks everyone for replying. will post pics as soon as i get the car. i'm hoping to close this weekend! :>

    h
     
  12. speedball

    speedball Formula Junior

    Mar 29, 2004
    268
    Pasadena Area
    Full Name:
    Scot Anderson
    I own a 2000, 550 with 11k miles. Someone said in a posting above they squealed like pigs ...... I felt like mine made my car sound like a beater Pinto. I experienced the exact brake issues as you. I replaced them with Porterfield R4s pads ($ 280 all around), put some red anti-squeal compound on the back of each pad, and champered the edges. Have over 3,000 on these and rarely a peep out of them. 99% improvement over factory pads. These pads also reduced dusting by 90% and as for braking power ..... they work great.

    Yes... it's possible to have a 550 without squealing brakes.
     
  13. Thatsmytoy

    Thatsmytoy Karting

    Nov 5, 2003
    228
    San Diego, CA
    Full Name:
    Bill
    My Ferodo pads just arrived and when my Cargraphic exhausts get here next week, my 550 will be the happiest 550 in San Diego!
     
  14. maranelloman

    maranelloman Guest


    Excellent choice on both, Bill!!
     

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