Squeaky front brakes on 308

It is NOT normal for them to squeak/squeal, but it's usually a pads issue. Putting on new pads won't necessarily get rid of it UNTIL you re-bed the new pad/rotor combination, since there is a "deposit" of the old pad material on the surface of the rotors. "Bed-in" refers to heat cycling the rotors with the brake pads to deposit a thin, even layer of the brake pad material (transfer layer) onto the rotor's rubbing surface. This makes the pads function as designed, and grab better than just against the plain metal of a new rotor, or against the surface of an old rotor that had been used with a different pad compound.

There is an excellent write-up at www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

All that being said, if you want a low-squeal, low-dust pad on your stock 308 braking system, I really recommend the Porterfield R4-S pads; they're fantastic, and I used them on my stock 308 brake system, as well as use them with my new Brembo big front brake kit. You can order them from FChat sponsor www.************. The manufacturer website is www.porterfield-brakes.com

 

My mistake, I hadn't seen that your rotors were turned when you changed the pads. You *still* need to properly bed the pads, and that will likely fix the problem. The squeal can be caused by a vibration behind the pads in the calipers and it is set up under braking... if bedding doesn't fix that and you don't want to go to an anti-squeal pad like the Porterfields, then you can buy an anti-squeal "insert" or "gel" at Autozone or Advance Auto that goes behind the pads to lessen that vibration.

Before I changed to the R4-S pads and voiced this same problem, one guy just told me to stop being a wimp and to stomp the brakes harder -- and of course he's right, they tend to squeal under less than max braking force.

 

Yes, it's not difficult, not much different than any other disc brake car.

 

I bought the Porterfield pads and will be installing them this weekend on my 328, but have a question. I'm a little rusty on this procedure and was under the understanding there would be instructions in the box but there weren't.

Anyone wanna give me a quick list of what to do?

Thanks!
Wes

 

Real quick and easy fix for brake pad squeal.

remove brake pads and smear a little high temp silicone rubber sealant to the back of the pads. My local repair shop does this on ALL brake pad replacement. It works

Thanks Paul 308 for the how does the window fix work.

Charles

 

Darn! Ain't nobody gonna help me?

 

Hi Wes, if I remmember correctly, you accelerate to 30 miles an hour and apply the brakes firmly until the car stops( you don't stand on the brakes) Do this 10 times. This info was included with my Brembo rotors.

Charles

 

More or less:
Work the brakes a little to get some heat into them & then do 10 hard stops from 50-60 mph. Stand on the brakes till the car almost stops & then take off again upto 50mph - don't actually stop.

Once you;ve done it then drive around for a few miles using the brakes as little/gently as possible to let them cool down again.

Aside from that, unless a stone gets in there brake squeal has nothing to do with the contact between rotor & pad, what it is is a resonance setting up between the back of the pad & the caliper. Basically some sets of pads will squeal & others won't - depends on how they sit/fit in the caliper.

To cure it you either change the pads to a set that fits better (no guarantees you'll succeed) or you apply some anti squeal grease wherever the pad meets the caliper ie around the back of the pad & also around the "ears". You don't need much.

I've also seen it recommended that you should take a centre punch to the pad - have a look at this thread:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kosmase/ECS_FixiClank.mht

Its based around VW stuff but the ATE calipers are very similar.

I.

 

Thanks guys, but I guess I was wondering about actually installing the pads.
I did it this morning, so I guess there's nothing to it. No hydraulics, etc..

I did wonder though what that White wire was for on the original pads.
The replacement pads didn't have it.

Do you know? Wear indicator?

New pads are Porterfield and seem quiet thus far.

Wes

 

UPDATE

Well having driven on the Porterfields for a week or so now I can't say I'm thrilled. It seems they squeek almost as bad as the pads I had, only at different pressures and with slightly less intensity.

We'll see how it goes, but I'm not thrilled.

 

As above, the cause is the pads resonating in the caliper. Best you can do is to strip down, clean up & carefully de-burr the calipers wherever the pads touch them (metal to metal contact) with small round files & treat with Anti squeal grease as I described. The other thing you can do is to chamfer off the edge of the pads with a flat file - just a few mm top & bottom.

Have a play around & see how much vertical movement there is in the pads & if necessary take a centre punch to the thing as described in that link in my previous post. You can fix sqealing brakes - the brakes on my 328 used to squeal like a pig. It took a few attempts but they are now silent & I didn't change the pads.

I.

 

Thanks very much for those tips. I will start down the path you laid out.
I wish I didn't have to, but I do, and so I appreciate your comments and link.

 

I'll say straight away I'm no expert on Ferraris or brakes but I had something similar on my 308, and like you did the pads and skimmed the discs to no avail. Even installed new pistons assuming they might be sticky. No wasn't that either. Turned out to be the front hose had collapsed internally.So the brakes went on OK but never fully released. You can check if its this by driving with the squeak for a few miles and stop and feel the wheel temperature at the hub. If the squeaky side is hot (relative to the other side)you know its more serious than just bedding in.

 

This may sound nuts but it has worked over 100 times.

Remove the pads, remove any anti-squeal plates from the pads, carefully clean the back of the pad. Go get your Duct tape and tear off a strip slightly longer than the brake pad is wide. Place tape sticky side up on a table, place pad on the tape (back of pad to tape). Cut around the pad with a razor blade or exacto knife, reinstall the anti-squeal plate, reinstall the pads.

The duct tape dampens the vibration on the pad that causes the squeal in the same way the silicone sealant mentioned earlier does.

Disclaimer;
I have never tried this on a Ferrari, however I have done it on well over 100 Triumph’s, MG’s, Jaguar’s, Fiat’s and Alfa's.