I installed some brembo rotors (from TurboTechRacing) and Hawk HPS pads (just on the rear so far), at it feels like my brakes are stuck on. I took the car for a short drive (less than half a mile) and came back with my rear brakes smoking!

What are my options? Are the pads too thick? Did iI miss something during the install?

Any help is appreciated.

 

ummm...is the E brake stuck on

 

pads too big? dont know if that makes sense.

 

did you turn the pistons in on the rear calipers??? the rear caliper pistons dont just push back in like the fronts, you must screw them in to reset them.

 

i have never done brakes on the SS yet, but i know with most other cars you need to push in the caliper piston so the pads dont ride the rotors

 

Maybe they where smoking because there so hot.

 

sounds like some **** that would happen to me. . . .


cant give anymore advice other than whats already said.

 

Yeah, they may not have been screwed back in entirely.

I'll give it a whirl tomorrow afternoon and see what happens.

Thanks for all the prompt responses.

 

Screwed in and indexed. The pads have small "****" on them that should match up with the slot in the caliper piston.

 

#1 check the caliper make sure it was completely reset and the index marks on the pad lines up with the holes in the piston.

#2 during brake in, some brake pads will create smoke especially if you are using new rotors.
its just a combination of the pad and rotor burning off any excess oil that may have found its way onto the pad or rotor.

 

I'm betting that the caliper wasn't completely reset. I'll know for sure in a couple hours. I don't believe that it was just "regular break-in" because it felt like I was driving around with my parking brake on.

Speaking of which ...
As mentioned, I only drove 1/4 of a mile ... could I have done serious damage to the rotors or pads in that distance ... like warpage? I assume the pads are glazed, but beyond that I'm thinking I'll be okay. Thoughts?

 

Rotors, when bought brand new, are coated with a rust inhibitor so the rotors DO not rust on the shelf.

When replacing rotors you are supposed to wash them off with HOT water and soap, normal soap this removes the coating.

The coating is probably what is smoking, because it is burning off, not a huge deal


Now if it feels like its hanging up.. lift your car up front and back, and spin the wheels. if they spin freely your crazy . if they don't spin freely, go from there

 

The rear wheels were not spinning freely. They'd move, but "freely" is not how I would describe it .
I ended up disassembling the rears and noticed that the notch in the caliper piston was not lined up with the "bumps" on the brake pad correctly. A small turn of the piston and everything went in nice and smooth.

Thanks again for the feedback all.