[CP911]

Good news is I got my car back today from Fall Line Motorsports in Buffalo Grove, IL. M Performance limited-slip differential installed and I'm thrilled with the results! Car behaves like it should have from the start. It no longer strays from my lane or snakes from side to side under hard throttle application.

Bad news is I got Pagid RSL29 brake pads installed for my HPDE next weekend, and the calipers are now making a loud creaking/crunching/popping noise when I press on the brake pedal. I noticed this immediately the first time I pressed the brake pedal to back out of their garage.

On the ~90 mile drive home, I noticed the noises were intermittent. It seemed to happen most frequently when I did not use the brakes for a few minutes and then needed to apply brakes to slow down for the traffic jams, sudden braking, etc. However, after a moderate brake application, a quick follow-up press of the pedal was usually trouble-free and didn't make the noises. It's mainly when the brakes weren't being used like when I stopped at a gas station and then got back in my car. First press of the brake pedal before I got going would result in a loud creak/pop noise. It's coming directly from the left and right front calipers and to a lesser degree from the right-rear caliper. I don't recall hearing anything from the left-rear.

The car stops great and the pads seem to be installed properly and doing their job. They squeal like a dying seagull (to be expected with a track pad), but no abnormal rotor wear or damage. My guess is the calipers were either not mounted back up properly or not mounted tightly enough. If they are shifting around even a little bit under load, I imagine it would result in these strange noises.

Anyone experience this before? Any ideas on what I can do to correct this problem? I need to get this sorted ASAP before next weekend. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by CP911

Good news is I got my car back today from Fall Line Motorsports in Buffalo Grove, IL. M Performance limited-slip differential installed and I'm thrilled with the results! Car behaves like it should have from the start. It no longer strays from my lane or snakes from side to side under hard throttle application.

Bad news is I got Pagid RSL29 brake pads installed for my HPDE next weekend, and the calipers are now making a loud creaking/crunching/popping noise when I press on the brake pedal. I noticed this immediately the first time I pressed the brake pedal to back out of their garage.

On the ~90 mile drive home, I noticed the noises were intermittent. It seemed to happen most frequently when I did not use the brakes for a few minutes and then needed to apply brakes to slow down for the traffic jams, sudden braking, etc. However, after a moderate brake application, a quick follow-up press of the pedal was usually trouble-free and didn't make the noises. It's mainly when the brakes weren't being used like when I stopped at a gas station and then got back in my car. First press of the brake pedal before I got going would result in a loud creak/pop noise. It's coming directly from the left and right front calipers and to a lesser degree from the right-rear caliper. I don't recall hearing anything from the left-rear.

The car stops great and the pads seem to be installed properly and doing their job. They squeal like a dying seagull (to be expected with a track pad), but no abnormal rotor wear or damage. My guess is the calipers were either not mounted back up properly or not mounted tightly enough. If they are shifting around even a little bit under load, I imagine it would result in these strange noises.

Anyone experience this before? Any ideas on what I can do to correct this problem? I need to get this sorted ASAP before next weekend. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

you don't need to remove the calipers to switch pads... unless they replaced rotors too

what might happen is that the pads move and clunk a bit, this will usually happen when you go from reverse and then back to to forward applying the brakes in between....like go in reverse, brake, go forward, brake

[CP911]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

you don't need to remove the calipers to switch pads... unless they replaced rotors too

what might happen is that the pads move and clunk a bit, this will usually happen when you go from reverse and then back to to forward applying the brakes in between....like go in reverse, brake, go forward, brake

Thanks. Rotors were not replaced. Just pads and fluid flush/replace. Why would the pads be moving around though? Are they not manufactured with close enough tolerances to keep this from happening? If it is the pads actually shifting around, I'm a little disappointed by the idea of this happening with $600 brake pads. Can this be mitigated by using some kind of anti-squeal or anti-seize compound behind the pads?

[CP911]

Got a quick reply from JP @ Fall Line Motorsports. He said they do not have "anti-rattle" plates like OEM pads since they are track pads. Hmmm, had no idea this was a thing.

He's going to contact Pagid and ask if anything can be done to mitigate the noises.

I have to say I'm VERY impressed with Fall Line Motorsport's customer service and professionalism thus far! They have been extremely helpful and efficient in dealing with my needs up to this point. Can't recommend them highly enough for anyone needing track-related work done to their car. They are true masters of their craft!

[overcoil]

my 2015 m235 oem replacement pads didn't have separate anti-rattle backing plates. though the oem pads have a pretty thick back plate which I guess is a 'silencer sheet'.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

my 2015 m235 oem replacement pads didn't have separate anti-rattle backing plates. though the oem pads have a pretty thick back plate which I guess is a 'silencer sheet'.

my EBC yellows have the plate and still shift around a bit

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by CP911

Thanks. Rotors were not replaced. Just pads and fluid flush/replace. Why would the pads be moving around though? Are they not manufactured with close enough tolerances to keep this from happening? If it is the pads actually shifting around, I'm a little disappointed by the idea of this happening with $600 brake pads. Can this be mitigated by using some kind of anti-squeal or anti-seize compound behind the pads?

The squeal sometimes can be diminished by paste but not the clunk...

If you get a track pad you have to be prepared for squealing and clunking....else don't get a track pad....
or get a hybrid pad that can do track and street but will never be as good as a dedicated track pad

other options is swapping the pads for track and street... in these cars you can swap all pads in 1hour

[CP911]

I can live with it if it's considered normal. I can always swap back to OEM between track days. Just want to make sure I'm not damaging the load bearing surfaces inside the calipers where the pads are inserted.

I've spent at least the last hour reading various posts online from BMW, Lotus, Golf, etc. owners. Turns out this is caused by the backing plate on aftermarket pads being of smaller dimensions than the stock pads. The pad is literally shifting inside the caliper and making clunking noises. It's supposedly to allow for thermal expansion during track use and also to make removal/installation of the pads a bit easier since they won't bind to the caliper. A lot of people have come up with temporary or permanent DIY solutions, but it seems it might also be possible to simply re-use the stock anti-rattle clips that go on the ears of the stock pads. I have the OEM pads sitting in the empty Pagid boxes, so tomorrow I plan on looking at everything to see what my options are.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by CP911

I can live with it if it's considered normal. I can always swap back to OEM between track days. Just want to make sure I'm not damaging the load bearing surfaces inside the calipers where the pads are inserted.

I've spent at least the last hour reading various posts online from BMW, Lotus, Golf, etc. owners. Turns out this is caused by the backing plate on aftermarket pads being of smaller dimensions than the stock pads. The pad is literally shifting inside the caliper and making clunking noises. It's supposedly to allow for thermal expansion during track use and also to make removal/installation of the pads a bit easier since they won't bind to the caliper. A lot of people have come up with temporary or permanent DIY solutions, but it seems it might also be possible to simply re-use the stock anti-rattle clips that go on the ears of the stock pads. I have the OEM pads sitting in the empty Pagid boxes, so tomorrow I plan on looking at everything to see what my options are.

I'm pretty sure is normal.... the EBC yellow even clunk a bit and they have a backing plate...

[caltrinity]

My factory OEM brakes on M240i do the same clink when you first activate the brakes at beginning of every startup.

[CP911]

Originally Posted by caltrinity

My factory OEM brakes on M240i do the same clink when you first activate the brakes at beginning of every startup.

Not a big deal I guess, but if it were my car, I'd go get that fixed. The OEM pads should not be making any noise whatsoever. Any clunking or squealing likely means something wasn't installed properly.