New brake pads???

[aka1004]

It seems like there is plenty pad life left but that metal retainer seems too close to the rotor.
What do you think?
Thank you in advance.

[Brad0414]

It seems like there is plenty pad life left but that metal retainer seems too close to the rotor.
What do you think?
Thank you in advance.

thats not plenty of nothing time for brakes

[Peter Aawen]

:agree: I'd say those pads are getting pretty close to worn so badly that you might also need new discs!! :shocked:

Worth bearing in mind that the pad material is very much involved in keeping the brakes cool enough to work properly, so once the pad thickness gets down to as little as 3mm gap left ANYWHERE between the pad backing metal & the disc metal, or less than 3mm of pad material thickness itself, then it's time to replace those pads!! :lecturef_smilie:

Sure, you might get away with wearing them down a little more/less thickness, saaay, down to 2mm thickness or so, but if you do they very likely won't resist brake fade anywhere near as well as they should; so that possibly as few as 2 reasonably firm brake applications within a few minutes could see brakes with pads worn that much rapidly over-heating &/or just NOT WORKING anywhere near as well as they should when you REALLY need them to!! :yikes:

And besides, since you need to be absolutely sure that the pads have worn evenly, which is quite difficult to do without removing them, especially once they get worn down that much! What looks like saayyy 1 or more mm of pad thickness remaining where you can see it could well be scraping pad backing metal on disc metal further in or on a leading/trailing edge where you can't so easily see &/or measure it!! So wearing them that thin is really NOT a great idea, even if you might get away with it once or twice! :rolleyes:

All of which boils down to the fact that in YOUR safety's sake & the safety of any other road users around you, it's looking like it's well past time to replace those pads! :thumbup:

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

It seems like there is plenty pad life left but that metal retainer seems too close to the rotor.
What do you think?
Thank you in advance.
Time to change them. They're worn out. Once you pull them off and look at them you may find the pad gone completely in places. Surely you're not confusing the backing plate with pad, are you?

[Possible]

Both pads rarely wear completely evenly, so it's possible that the other pad is in worse shape than that one. Which is way past
replacement time. Pads are cheap compared to rotors.

[aka1004]

This question was from a person that never checked or changed a brake pad before so what’s obvious to you may not be so for me.:)
I asked bajaron first since I will be getting new pads from him but got conflicting answer from in house mechanic(replace right away).

[aka1004]

Time to change them. They're worn out. Once you pull them off and look at them you may find the pad gone completely in places. Surely you're not confusing the backing plate with pad, are you?

Quite possible that I don’t know the difference between actual pad from backing plate.

[RICZ]

I'd say, get new brake pads or tell your wife to up your life insurance. If not previously mentioned, Bajaron sells excellent EBC HH pads that are better than OEM. I have them and so do many here.

[aka1004]

Even for person like me that metal retainer seemed too close to rotor but I wasn’t sure.
I guess it was the backing plate??? What i thought was the brake pad...

Emailing Ron for invoice for new pads

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Quite possible that I don’t know the difference between actual pad from backing plate.
When you referred to the retainer being close but plenty of pad that's when I began to wonder. The backing plate is the part that is very visible in your photo and it's thickness is close to the length of the retainer. The pad, which is nearly impossible to see in your photo, is in the space between the backing plate and rotor.

Do a search for replacing brake pads here on the forum. You'll find lots of tips and suggestions on doing it. The rear brake particularly can befuddle you if you don't know what to expect. Be aware you have to turn the rear brake piston to retract it. Fronts you can push back in. Follow the videos and suggestions here and you'll do alright in changing them.

[Possible]

Please, I don't want to ruffle anyone's feathers, or impugn the mechanical ability of the OP. BUT the OP appears to know very little
about the mechanics, and parts that make up the brake system. I think advising him to watch a few videos when it comes to something
as serious and potentially dangerous as his braking system, may not be in his best interest.

Like I said, I don't want to insult anyone, and really, some people have no interest in DIY for some things. A helper to guide him through
the technical stuff might be for the best. Granted it isn't rocket science, but it is possibly life threatening.

[Lew L]

I'll assume ( I hate to do that) BUT if that the front wheel, which I think it is, he should also do the rear brakes also while he is at it. Might even want to consider flushing that old grungy brake fluid for some fresh. Mr 1004, You will really like the EBC HH sintered pads. View some you tube, read Rons instructions well. Ask here if you feel a bit concerned. It really isn't a hard job, BUT---- it is a Spyder.

Lew L

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I think advising him to watch a few videos when it comes to something as serious and potentially dangerous as his braking system, may not be in his best interest.
You have a valid point. This once again shows the shortcoming of written posts that are kept too brief. Look at post #6. The OP is ordering brake pads from Baja Ron. I took that to mean he was planning to change them himself, but he doesn't say that does he? He mentions in house mechanic, so maybe he's ordering them but the mechanic will install them. Another example of why the slang interpretation of ASSUME came to be! And of course we have no idea of the expertise level of the mechanic, so maybe a suggestion to review videos is, in the end, a good suggestion after all. :dontknow:

[Possible]

,,, And of course we have no idea of the expertise level of the mechanic, so maybe a suggestion to review videos is, in the end, a good suggestion after all. :dontknow:

Good point.

[Little Blue]

:coffee: From what I see (in your pictures) the pads need to be replaced. If you have the skills to do the work, do it.
If not, have your Spyder Dealer make the necessary repairs.

Brakes are a very important Safety Issue.

Good Luck on Your Mission. .....:thumbup:

[Motorcycledave]

It seems like there is plenty pad life left but that metal retainer seems too close to the rotor.
What do you think?
Thank you in advance.

You better replace those pads NOW or you will end up with an expensive brake repair..
If one of those tabs hit the brake rotor that will be it, metal to metal.... ouch

[aka1004]

Thank you.
Pads from Ron will be here on Tuesday!

[remus]

I change my brake pads with every tire change. Like mentioned above pads are cheap. I have yet to have a brake problem with any bike I have owned. I also inspect the rotors and have them turned or replaced as necessary.

[RICZ]

Thanks for that post remus. It's good to know I have a kindred spirit. I will not let pads wear more than halfway. Cheap life insurance.

[BajaRon]

The problem here is mistaking the anti-squeal backing plate as a retainer for the brake pad friction material. The red that you see in the picture is not friction material. It is the steel portion of the brake pad itself. The friction material which is bonded to the steel portion of the brake pad is so thin, it is not showing up in the picture at all. In reality, the steel portion of the brake pad will hit the rotor long before the tabs on the anti-squeal backing plate. So, the real problem here is that the pads are worn out. Not that the tabs on the backing plate are getting close to the rotor.

Fortunately, the rotors are not showing any scaring. So, it isn't too late to change pads and go on to a happy, fulfilling life with the current rotors.

[RICZ]

GOOD CATCH RON!!
I, like many here didn't study the photos thoroughly enough. After taking another look, the OP's brakes are far more worn than I previously thought. You are correct; there is virtually no pad remaining. I'm amazed that he was able to stop or slow his Spyder.

[aka1004]

I think I caught it just in time while bleeding the brake fluid.
There was no squeaking or squealing and stopped just fine.
Whew!!☺️

[BajaRon]

I think I caught it just in time while bleeding the brake fluid.
There was no squeaking or squealing and stopped just fine.
Whew!!☺️

You definitely got your money's worth out of that pad set. I can't see the inside rotor surface. But I'm assuming it has not yet been touched by the steel pad plate. Not only did you get exceptional wear. You also got exceptionally even wear on both pads. You can't always count on that. You can considerer yourself quite fortunate!

[ulflyer]

And BajaRon has the pads for sale. I've used them and they are good ones.