Re 2003 XK8

After a recent oil change, shop recommended I needed rear brake pads and rotors. Assume they pulled the wheel and inspected the pads. I have hearing aids so don't hear anything, but my wife says she can hear a noise from the right rear wheel area. Unfortunately it is a noise when I do NOT have the brakes on. It is highly likely they are correct as it appears to be 82,000 miles and no record of rear pad replacement. This is just the opposite of what should happen when rivets are rubbing agent the rotor when brakes are applied.

I am getting a second opinion as it may be wheel bearing etc.

also according to my manual this vehicle is not quipped with any sort of pad wear indicator. Correct?

Randy

 

I am not aware of any factory brake pad wear indicators on these cars....

 

Since you are in the market for new pads / new rotors let me make a suggestion: Don’t settle for OEM pads or OEM types such as the Hawk or Raybestos brands. These pads may have been just OK when there was nothing better. But now there are premium pads that will substantially improve your braking performance, ie a greatly improved shorter stopping distance .

one such pad that I’ve used is the ebc redstuff pad. I’ve used them on many different cars. Without exception the braking distances have gotten much shorter, making the car much much safer. You can’t really put a price tag on that.

Z

 

thanks for tip. i’ll look into the premium fo

 

i’ll look into the EBC pads. car is driven about 3k a year

 

My 2002 XKR is a daily driver, so a lot more miles are put on it . But if I only drove it occasionally t would still want the pads that enabled a shorter stopping distance.

We never know when those fewer feet can keep us from disaster, or worse, like hitting a kid on a bike that appears from nowhere.

with the better friction coefficient one would expect to have poor rotor life, but that has not been the case with my car. I’m on my second set of ebc redstuff pads and the rotors still look like new. I’m getting about 60,000 miles from a set of pads. But I’m likely changing them before I have to out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.ebcbrakes.com/products/ebc-redstuff-ceramic-brake-pads/

https://www.ebcbrakes.com/ebc-brake-pad-selector-tool/

I usually find the best prices on Amazon, but the internet can vary widely on prices, so some googling can be advantageous.

Z

PS: these are a low dust pad, if that matters to you.

 

Have you used these with the OEM rotors?
I had bad luck at one point (with another vehicle) putting premium ceramic pads on stock rotors, which warped within just a few thousand miles after switching. Had them replaced and it happened again, within a year. Had them replaced AGAIN, under warranty this time, and went back to OEM pads. No issues after that.

 

am using the OEM type rotors, nothing fancy.

where you using the ebc pads ? Or some other make ? ebc’s are very well engineered across their whole product line. Been using them for 20+ years in a variety of classic and modern vehicles. Have not heard of any issues with rotor compatibility.

as mentioned previously, the ebc redstuff pads are very easy on the rotors. Surprisingly so.

Z

 

I looked up the order of the ones I tried, "Carquest Wearever Platinum Professional Ceramic". I read good reviews about them, but I do not recommend trying them on a Toyota Tundra

Sounds good, I'll get the EBCs for the XKR when the time comes.
Thanks!

 

How are the EBC Redstuff pads for dusting?
My unknown front wheels dust badly! 😡 While the rear wheels remain comparatively clean.

 

I think ones tolerance to dust is subjective.

but ebc calls the redstuff pad compound a “low dust” pad. I suppose they would know. My wheels are usually dirty, but that’s not something that can be blamed on the pads, it’s the nature of driving in a rural setting.

PS: post #6 has a couple of links that may have more info about the dust / low dust properties

Z