Ok went to get my pads replaced a couple months back (wanted to replace the front 2 pads but the guy told me to change the rear). Only 2 pads because im 17 and spent most of the money i made from working all of highschool to pay for the down payment on the car and now pay the monthly payments, gas, insurance from pay check to pay check so not much money to spare (just wanna say i know im young and i have an rx8 but im not the kid that got it cuz it looked cool. My brother had an rx7 and i loved the rotary engine and how it worked. I also wanted a car that i had to baby and could be fun to work on.) Anyways this is why i changed the pads and what happened.
1) I would brake and feel the car slow down only if i pushed pretty far down until it felt like the pedal couldnt go any farther unless i used a lot of power.
2) The car would feel like it stopped slowly because it felt like the brakes would hit the rotor then wouldnt then would hit again (all while the pedal is down) everytime the tire rotated (uneven tire wear?)
3) I tried braking with my hand off the wheel to see if it turn the wheel and it didnt so idk.
4) Told the guy to replace the front pads only; he says ok; i leave while its being done.
5) He calls saying "the front pads are almost completely worn out but you still have a few weeks on them but the rear pads are down to the metal. I think you should replace the rear ones before the front ones 'man". I say "I thought the front brakes are used when i brake and the rears are only used when i use the handbrake, are all 4 used when i brake?" he says "yeah so do you want me to replace those now instead?" i wanted to fix the problem so i said ok and thats the end of it
6) When i got the car and drove around it felt exactly the same, so i think i was right about how the brakes work.
7) i think he told me to replace the rear instead of front pads because 1) I got the car used and the pads could have been worn and 2) my mom hadnt drove a stick since she sold her 84 vette in 1990 so she took my car out (without tellin me ) She forgot a few basics but remembered how to drive she told me, then she told me about how she thought the tire was rubbing the wheel well when she went to back out the driveway but then realized the handbrake wasnt down. (hahaha we all went) so maybe that completely wore out the brakes too.
8) So the braking feels the same after getting the rear pads replaced. Only difference is that i hear the metal squeal when i brake, but only as a start breaking for .5-1 second then it stops. I think im right about the front wheels breaking when driving and the rears for handbrake.


Now im thinking of changing the pads, rotors and breaklines on the front brakes for performance hawk pads, some rotors i saw on the forum that were 120 for the two front rotors(ill find it, they were dimpled and slotted)and ss brake lines.. Is this gonna make breaking feel awkward (if the guy is right about all 4 brakes being used) or will it not matter and i just get better braking (if im right)
10)
Im sorry if this thread is stupid because its about how breaks work -.- but since i got the car (when i got it i couldnt even wire an led strip inside) i learned a lot. I hooked up my sound system (subs and amp) on my own and installed a turboand exhaust on my friends prelude and many other things on my car. Yes im 17 with an RX8 and many ppl on the forum think its bad because we (younger guys) would abuse it but i do everything by the book and i read up on the rx8 for months before i got it, it wasny like i went to the dealership and said "oh that looks cool" and got it.


edit: sorry about the long thread, i just wanted ppl to know every detail so it would be easier to help me
and sorry about the being 17 rant, dont want ppl caring more about that than about the question
also the rotors i was talking about were from rotarypros.net

 

First read the Brake FAQ sticky above https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/brake-faq-167264/ which will fill in some gaps in your brake knowledge. Second, all 4 wheels brake when you hit the brake pedal, however only the rear wheels brake when you apply the emergency brake. The brake pedal works on hydraulics, the e-brake works manually by a cable to the rear wheel calipers.

Likely the mechanic was being honest that you needed pads first on the rear as they were worn out, and you still had a little meat left on the fronts. However the fronts will need replacing soon as well. Front brakes do about 60-70% of the braking because of load shift during heavy braking (more so on FWD cars), but on a well balanced car like the RX8 the rears are still an important part of braking. The fronts pads may have been replaced before and the rears may be the original.

Your soft pedal and long pedal travel which makes you nervous about braking may be due to air in the hydraulic system. Get a book and a friend and bleed your brakes, the pedal feel should improve. Don't spend your limited money on brake lines or dimpled rotors. If your rotors are above minimum thickness there is nothing to be gained by replacing them. Most of us who track our cars use blank OEM type rotors. Even if the rear pads were worn down to the metal, the rotors can be turned at the machine shop for about $25 a rotor which is less than half the price of a new rotor. The machinist will confirm whether the rotors have enough thickness left. People worry way too much about their rotors.

Once you get new pads on all 4 wheels and the hydraulics bled free of air, go out and bed your new pads in as per the instructions in the Brake FAQ.

 

Thanks a bunch for the info man
I thought the fronts did most so they mattered more but I get it. Thanks a lot again
Any chance you can give me some info about my other thread "different brand tires"