Well, I finally got around to changing my brake pads and rotors today. I got one side done and had to leave the other side for tomorrow, too much going on at one time at home.
I used some Carbon Metallic pads and Duralast Gold Rotors I picked up at AutoZone a few days ago. My CEL came on again and I had them check the codes. It was still 1401, non-descript EGR problem, I'll have to sort that out later.
The entire process was very easy, except for getting the lug nuts loose and getting the caliper mount off. Wal-Mart had torqued the crap out of the lugs, and I finally got them off with the help of a little Liquid Wrench (as teh Bob had suggested :notworthy: ). I thought I was going to snap a couple of them right off at one point, but they finally broke loose. The caliper mount was a PITA, I assume because of all of the brake dust and whatnot.
The new pads and rotor went back on without incident. I did manage a few mods while I had the opportunity. I painted the caliper and the caliper mount black using Rustolium [sic] high-temp black paint. I'm not too happy with the dull finish, but its better than stock, I think (no pics yet, the wheel is all nasty and needs to be cleaned up, plus I don't own a digital camera. I'll try to get a shot of it).
I also took out my intake silencer while I was on that side, as a break from cursing at the caliper mount bolts. Haven't had a chance to drive it, since my other side still has the bad brakes. I did notice a slight sound difference. Hey, its my first performance mod. :banana:
On a side note, I also got to use my new torque wrench to properly set the torque for the brake assembly bolts. I don't know why that's exciting, but it just is to me
The brakes were in pretty bad shape, particularly the inner most pad. The rotor was badly warped and and worn unevenly. I torqued the lugs to spec, and I'll check them once a day for the next week to make sure they stay in spec.
Not really sure why I thought anyone would be interested in reading this, but there it is. A maintenance item taken care of, an aesthetic mod, and a performance mod all on the same day. Can't beat that. I'll get some pics of the new calipers when I can.
I used some Carbon Metallic pads and Duralast Gold Rotors I picked up at AutoZone a few days ago. My CEL came on again and I had them check the codes. It was still 1401, non-descript EGR problem, I'll have to sort that out later.
The entire process was very easy, except for getting the lug nuts loose and getting the caliper mount off. Wal-Mart had torqued the crap out of the lugs, and I finally got them off with the help of a little Liquid Wrench (as teh Bob had suggested :notworthy: ). I thought I was going to snap a couple of them right off at one point, but they finally broke loose. The caliper mount was a PITA, I assume because of all of the brake dust and whatnot.
The new pads and rotor went back on without incident. I did manage a few mods while I had the opportunity. I painted the caliper and the caliper mount black using Rustolium [sic] high-temp black paint. I'm not too happy with the dull finish, but its better than stock, I think (no pics yet, the wheel is all nasty and needs to be cleaned up, plus I don't own a digital camera. I'll try to get a shot of it).
I also took out my intake silencer while I was on that side, as a break from cursing at the caliper mount bolts. Haven't had a chance to drive it, since my other side still has the bad brakes. I did notice a slight sound difference. Hey, its my first performance mod. :banana:
On a side note, I also got to use my new torque wrench to properly set the torque for the brake assembly bolts. I don't know why that's exciting, but it just is to me
The brakes were in pretty bad shape, particularly the inner most pad. The rotor was badly warped and and worn unevenly. I torqued the lugs to spec, and I'll check them once a day for the next week to make sure they stay in spec.
Not really sure why I thought anyone would be interested in reading this, but there it is. A maintenance item taken care of, an aesthetic mod, and a performance mod all on the same day. Can't beat that. I'll get some pics of the new calipers when I can.
