can anyone explain to me how the brake system works? I have been wondering this since no one was able to give me a direct answer but only assumptions. Do both the front and back brakes lock on when you stop or somewhere along the lines of 60/40. For example the front brakes lock first, then the back brakes come on afterward. I always thought the front brakes were the only brakes that worked but recently I have been seeing plenty of owners swapping out their rear pads. On top of that, I know that AWD cars use the 60/40 ratio but is it the same for our car?

 

when you replace he brake pads for the first time do you have to get the rotors turned or re-surfaced???

 

Not necessarily. You'd have to use your judgement on that I think. If you notice a lot of pitting or grooving - you might want to. If they seem pretty smooth overall - skip it. Just be sure to follow proper bed-in instructions for your pads.

 

Is there a method to bed-in your brakes? I know I read somewhere that you should do it when there is little traffic(usually in the early morning) and that you have to go around 60mph and stop abruptly.

Anyone know the actual method?

 

The manufacturer's actually have varying recommendations on this. Here is a list of the most common names and their procedures:

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/....jsp?techid=85

One of the key things here is that you do NOT come to a COMPLETE stop while bedding these in. Generally it is a few hard braking stints from 50-5mph or 60-10 or something like that. But definitely read through those above and you'll get a good idea.

 

someone drove my tc on ebrake for a few miles...might need to do this

 

awesome

 

-can't wait to do this tommorow! again-

 

As malloy points out, this write-up ain't detailed. Step one is to safely lift the wheel ... blocks, ramps, whatevr backup keeps the car from falling on any1 while it's worked on. When done replacing brakes, start the car, pump the pedal a few times before driving, and stop soon to check the fluid. Drive slowly and carefully at first, in case the brakes are messed up.

With floating calipers, it is important to (clean, replace or) at least grease both pins. It is ill advised to touch the rotor with your bare hands, because any grease/oils can create stopping issues. Lastly, most good brake kits come with new backing plates, and anti-squeak; which is not grease. I have had best results from the spray on stuff, to quiet noise; and wiping up dust helps, too.

Re. what Domo said about f/r balance- Brakes have a check valve that typically varies the amount of pressure/force applied between front and rear. Not sure 100% if this is true for tC 'cause they actually have separate master cylinders. A manually adjustable system is often installed/used by racers.

As mentioned, it is a good idea to remove some brake fluid from the resevoir before pressing the piston, due to its very corrosive nature to paint. Brakes can gather water (and dust) over time, and it's a good idea to bleed/replace fluid; to get out any dirt, air or water. Kits are easy to find (even make). Make sure your at the right level before you call it a day.

A ghetto way of changing much of the fluid is to use a syringe/baster to pull out as much as possible from the resevoir, but not all the way so as to introduce air in. It's important to not touch the pedal during this and dispose of used fluid with a recycling facility! You can't expect to get it all clean, you get what you pay for.

ReticulatingPigeon- driving with the e-brake won't ruin your rears. the e-brake is an inner drum-style, that's separate from the disc setup. Your e-brake may be worn tho'

 

my pad platess are all rusted into pieces. Where can i get those plates? i don't remember if new pads come with them.

 

i would get the factory ones. its called a shim kit. comes with all the shims and screechers for the pads. don't know the part number off the top of my head

 

i saw these pads on advance auto part's site. it said they come with shim.
Does that mean i don't need the stock ones?

 

i found a extra set of new Akebono pads for my dad's Camry. They have shim on them. So i don't think i will need to buy new factory shims.
Thanks again TC-Guy

 

(we have floating calipers, lube the guide pins.)
(With floating calipers, it is important to (clean, replace or) at least grease both pins.)

Anyone have a picture of the guide pins? and what type of grease.

I replaced the pads already. I should have read all the post before I put everything back together.

It was easy enough with this tutorial that I want to take it apart to grease the pins.

Thanks for the help. Saved me $$.

 

Thanks for the write-up just did this myself, saved me a couple bucks :-D..

 

Referred to this thread more than once. Thanks. I think I got it now.

 

Reviving an old thread...
I am going to change front pads/rotors on a friend's '06 tC next weekend. The car sees 100% casual street driving so there is no desire to put high performance parts on the car. The pads will come from Autozone or OEM from trdsparks.com.
My question is about rotors...where do you guys usually buy them? Right now it is likely that I will get them from Autozone or NAPA. Are there any potential issues with rotors from these stores? Should I stick with OEM for the rotors?