Brake Squeal

Subject: Brake Squeal
From: "Carl Buckland" <buckland@domain.elided>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 19:16:53 +0000
Chris Pawlowicz recently wrote....

There is also some goop that you can buy to put on the back of the
brake pads ( NOT the side that touches the rotors ! ) to damp out any
vibration between the pads and the calipers.

Chris is quite right.  The "goop" is called CRC Disk Brake Quiet.  
Bob Tunnell advised me recently  (when I was complaining that my Hawk 
Y-5 pads were not only screeching-worse than squealing--but were also 
rattling, due to their lack of centering clips):

>.  Before leaving I applied a thick coat (maybe 1/8") of
> CRC Disk Brake Quiet to the back of each pad and let it dry for
> about 36 hours.  The CRC stuff is bright orange, thick, and never
> really sets up completely hard.  It sort of firms up like a heavy
> putty.  I installed the pads again when I got to Michigan and ran
> them at the Pro Solo there.  No rattles and very little screaching!
> The car has since been driven to Atlanta, ran the Pro there, and
> back to Denver without any of the rattling or horrible screaching I
> suffered through before.  They'll still squeal a bit when hot, but
> they're 90% better than before.  You've got to try this stuff.  I
> bought it at a NAPA auto store -- just be sure to get the CRC brand
> and let it set up for at least 24-36 hours before installation.

It really worked!  No more screech, no more rattle.  The stuff has 
held up for nearly 6 weeks, and now, after a lot of really hard use 
and sustained heat, the pads are finally starting to make noise 
again.  BE SURE to let it set up before installing the brake pads.

BTW, if you use Y-5 pads for autocross, know that they are not 
intended for ANYTHING else.  I left them on for the Solo Trials (a 
combination of autocross and road racing) and they behaved very 
badly.  Overheated within 2 laps, quit working, and made the car 
shudder violently.  I thought that I had warped the rotors, but once 
the pads cooled off, the shudder went away.  Also, they are "ok" for 
the street, but they are a bit dirty, and become noisy after a while 
(see above).  For autocross, however, they are fantastic, and stop 
the car NOW.  I use Hawk Y-5's for autocross, Hawk Blues for the 
track (only!  cold, they will eat your rotors alive), and PBR Deluxes 
for the street (cheap, clean, quiet, work better than stock).

regards,

Carl

Carl Buckland
1000 Boston Bldg
Nine Exchange Place
Salt Lake City, Utah  84111
801-531-6686
Fax 531-6690
E Mail buckland@domain.elided