dastallion951

ive done a brake job on my rx8 last week, pretty easy if u have the right tools at disposal, now when u take everythin off its easy, however when ur puttin it back together, another story, first u wanna put some high temp grease on back of brake pad thats gonna be pushed by the caliper piston, next u should try n get a hold of a caliper piston tool, to PROPERLY, push the piston back in, if u dont, u could possibly rip or tear the piston seal, n there fore be covered in brake fluid if ur reservoir is full, also after u pushed the piston in, especially on the rear brakes, make sure u line the piston groove with the brake pad, or u could cause the brake pad to slip when its not bein applied......n yes i do know what im talkin about im goin to UTI, u dont necessarily have to change the brake fluid or bleed the system, DEPENDS on how many miles r on ur car mine had about 15k, didnt have to worry about contaminatin the master cylinder, however if u have a lot more, open the bleeder screws, to allow fluid to seep out, now REMEMBER, to get the air out of the lines once the brake pads r replaced n put on, easiest way to bleed the system, with bleeder screws closed, refill master cylinder with brake fluid, top it off to full, attempt to get ur hands on a bleeder brake manual, theres a specific bleedin procedure for the RX8, so basically then u open the bleeder screw a bit, n u will be forcin air out of the lines,n then some fluid will come out n then close that screw, repeat with the other 3 times n ur good......any problems pm me n ill help u out

ltrx8

Thanks! Great thread .. replacing pads in just a bit...

BaronVonBigmeat

Well I just got done installing RacingBrake slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads. This was my first ever brake job, heh. A few random comments:

* There are two big fat screws that hold each rotor on. They seem to be made of Play-doh. I strongly recommend having your dealer order spares for you, just in case, they're cheap. And/or having an impact screwdriver is probably a good idea too. From the factory, they are stuck in pretty good. I had the two on my passenger side strip out.

* You also might want to have a gear puller on hand. I got a 6" one from O'Reilley's for $15 bucks, it was just barely big enough. Soak the rotor face front and back with penetrating oil, attach the gear puller and tighten, and then tap the center of the rotor with a mallet. Warning: it will pop off and fly off your hub a couple feet!

(Keep in mind here, I was getting new rotors, I don't know if it's bad to get WD-40 on a rotor face, and I'm sure it isn't good to let a rotor fly off and hit the ground like that. But I wasn't re-using the old rotors.)

* I cleaned up the three metal shims or whatever that go with the pad, but they do not appear to fit on the Hawk pads. In fact the Hawks have some sort of similar metal backing built-in. Sooo...I left the factory ones out. I assume this is okay? There's no squealing or anything. Obviously there was no need for the anti-squeal grease either.

* The pads just sort of neatly snap into those little metal tabs on the bracket. For some reason I had thought they snapped into the caliper. My question is, when you're driving, what keeps the pads from dragging on the face of the rotor? Those clips act as springs, I assume?

* Besides the stuck rotors and stuck screws, things went smoothly. The pads bedded in just like they said, and the last stop let off a little puff of smoke. After letting them cool off, they seem to work perfectly. The feel is more "linear" I guess. In other words, if you apply 25% more pedal pressure, it feels like 25% faster stopping, whereas the stock pads might feel more like 40%. I doubt I'm stopping faster, but it feels like I am. It feels more controllable.

staticlag

all pads naturally have some drag when your just driving around

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

I just replaced my OE pads with EBC Red Stuff pads. As I was playing with my OE pads (I was stacking them like blocks) I noticed the shims. Does anyone have any definitive answer as to their necessity? Their functionality? Should I put them on? I suppose I will try to put them on next time I have my wheels off.

Also anyone else try the Red Stuff pads?

staticlag

I have red stuff. They are wearing my rotors down but they stop on a time.

The shims are so you can put grease between them. Redstuff have the synthetic anti-vibration pads so I didn't use and lube or the shims.

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm. Increased rotor wear, spongey feel, squeek like OE, and have dust. Why did I buy these?

wankelrolfo

Hi there,
tried to change the rear but it didn't work with a clamp How many clockway's turn since 1/2" missing to get the caliper back? The OEM's were totally worn out after 7k miles, front and rear.Hard braking track days

expo1

You turn in the rear pistons till the pads fit, they will adjust if you turn them in too much. You also should not use a clamp on the rear's. There are cheap tools like the one in this thread https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/tool-push-rear-brake-caliper-cylinders-72878/ you can use.

CRX Millennium

iTrader: (1)

All that need to be said are mentioned already, so I will just add my recommendation while replacing front brake pad:

Loosen 17mm nuts, both top and bottom on the mounting support early on while the car is relatively new, and preferably once a year. The Mazda guerilla probably did those two nuts after finishing off the oil filter at the factory. Those 2 nuts need to be removed when you do rotor replacement. I still can't get mine loosened up with WD-40 soaking and 100ft/lb torque wrench in loosening direction. Had the nuts on really good for two years, without ever touching them. They are easily seized up since initial torque is high (~70ft/lb)

HIX8

Replacing the front brake pads was a child's job, literally.
My daughters did one wheel each.

...EXCEPT... for those four nasty 17mm bolts. Those required an impact wrench. Since I don't have one, I took my heaviest hammer to the the handle of my socket wrench and pounded away. I sent the girls inside and they watched cartoons until the job was back to their level again. It took well over one hundred hammer blows on three of the bolts. One of the four gave relatively easily (Mazda must not have welded that one). After lots of my sweating and cursing over those bolts, the girls were back in business. It was a piece of cake from there.

The left side was somewhat easier because the hammer blows were downward. On the right side you don't have gravity helping you pound on the wrench handle. The only other asymmetry of the job is that squeal tab on the right. Like others have stated, there isn't one on the left side. I was sure to reuse mine on the new pads. I'm not sure how smart it is to rely only on inspections.


Ok, next brake pad change the kids can do by themselves!

zojas

should I just buy some brake pads from the dealer if I'm not looking for anything fancy? (I've had zero trouble with the oem pads). thanks

expo1

Check with the two dealers in the vendors area first. Might be cheaper even with shipping.

tuj

Hawk HPS are good pads that are a little better than stock without any of the trade-offs of a track-specific pad.

rcpilotp51

does anyone know good brands for a rotor and caliper set (red/slotted)...and cost-effective.
Thanks
Keith

wankelrx8

I have around 60k miles on my 2004 and the low pad indicator started squeeling a couple of weeks ago. I figured it was time to change them, so I ordered a set of Hawk ceramic pads. I have read they don't grab as well as the OE pad, but that's ok, as long as they're close, with a good, linear feel. I also expect to get a LOT less brake dust than those filthy OE pads that spew corroding dust all over the wheels. Well, now that I already have 60k on the car, that dust has done its job and pitted the wheels, so I guess only a repainting job would make them look better. At least I won't have to clean them as often with the Hawks.

Lots of helpful pointers on this thread. I will start the job in the morning, after going to the store to pick up some of the things I will need, based on reading this entire thread. If I come up with any other pointers, I'll post them.

Also, Hawk recommends sanding the rotors with 130 grit if you're not going to turn the rotors. I don't plan on turning my rotors, so I expect to spend some time hand sanding the rotors before installing and bedding in the new pads according to Hawk's instructions.

Cheers!

scsi

that master cylinder cap idea is brilliant why didnt i think of that haha

Zoomie

Pulled the front pads @ 25Kmi because of squealing, and I only had one of these clips on the bottom of the passenger side pad. Any way these things can rattle off? Didn't look like it from what I examined. This was the first time the pads have been looked at since new. I would estimate 75% of the pad to be intact. Took the pads I had ordered from O'Reilly back because A) didn't need them based on observed wear, and B) they were rear pads and I had ordered front (go figure). Did put anti-rattle grease on the backs of the pads and shoes, but still some squeal. Wondering if its the lack of these clips contirbuting to it.

shaunv74

I'm planning on changing the brake fluid when I do my pads this weekend. Any recommendations on how much fluid I should have on hand? I bought a liter of DOT4.

The manual doesn't say how much is in the system and I didn't find any information on that when I searchec (hence why I'm asking here instead of starting a new thread.)

Also I saw dannobre say that the bleeder for the clutch line is up under the oil filter. Any pics of that?

shaunv74

I did the pads and changed the fluid this weekend. Even was able to get to the clutch bleeder behind the oil filter (thanks dannobre). The pads were easy thanks to you guys. One addition I would make. When turning the piston on the back brakes to back them in to the caliper, make sure you press in. Otherwise you'll be sit there all day turning and grinning like an idiot while the piston doesn't go anywhere.

RotorChase

so how do you get the rotors off if they are not coming off, and whats the 2 big phillips screw heads for thats on the rotors?

expo1

Get a Impact Screwdriver If its too late and you stripped the screw you can drill it out.

RotorChase

will hitting the back of the rotor with a rubber mallet work?

expo1

Only if you drilled out the screws.

RotorChase

thanks ill give it a shot