brake pad inspection - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

sickmint79 · 10-16-2012, 02:01 PM

maybe this is more obvious and i have too much newbspace in my head but how do i check how much pad life i have? on my stis it was very obvious, on my 545i with non-race brakes it is too, as well as other cars i've seen without race brakes. yet with the brz caliper design i can't casually glance in there and see how much pad is left, and in fact it seems like i won't be able to after even removing the wheel and sticking my noggin in. so what's the good way to tell before i go on to a race track and slide off into a wall? i certainly don't want to pop off the caliper any time i want to take a look. i'm not sure if the back is like this too now that i think about it, i haven't even tried to look at that one, but the front certainly seems non-obvious to me...

Dave-ROR · 10-16-2012, 02:05 PM

You can tell fairly well once you take off the wheel. It's still not greatly visible but visible enough. At that point it's just one more bolt to be really sure though. If that's too much prep work for track events then I'm not sure what else to suggest

d1ck · 10-16-2012, 02:23 PM

You should be able to remove the wheel and look through the hole in the caliper just like Dave said. You might need a light to get a good view though!

mike2100 · 10-16-2012, 02:37 PM

Tech lines at HPDE have been dumbfounded trying to check pad thickness. They just have to trust me when I say I've checked them that morning.
Kind of a pain in the ass but on the upside being forced to swing up the caliper allows you to see both inside and outside pads, as well as become aware of any uneven wear.

sickmint79 · 01-04-2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

You can tell fairly well once you take off the wheel. It's still not greatly visible but visible enough. At that point it's just one more bolt to be really sure though. If that's too much prep work for track events then I'm not sure what else to suggest

what about during the day? 2 day weekend? blah. such a pain in this car.

Dave-ROR · 01-04-2013, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sickmint79

what about during the day? 2 day weekend? blah. such a pain in this car.

I no longer care. I can see just fine on my brakes, the OEMs not so much though.

sickmint79 · 01-05-2013, 09:22 PM

did you put on a bbk or something?

10-16-2012, 02:01 PM	#1
sickmint79 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Drives: bmw Location: grayslake, il Posts: 393 Thanks: 16 Thanked 142 Times in 84 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	brake pad inspection maybe this is more obvious and i have too much newbspace in my head but how do i check how much pad life i have? on my stis it was very obvious, on my 545i with non-race brakes it is too, as well as other cars i've seen without race brakes. yet with the brz caliper design i can't casually glance in there and see how much pad is left, and in fact it seems like i won't be able to after even removing the wheel and sticking my noggin in. so what's the good way to tell before i go on to a race track and slide off into a wall? i certainly don't want to pop off the caliper any time i want to take a look. i'm not sure if the back is like this too now that i think about it, i haven't even tried to look at that one, but the front certainly seems non-obvious to me...

10-16-2012, 02:05 PM	#2
Dave-ROR Site Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Drives: Stuff Location: Florida Posts: 10,317 Thanks: 955 Thanked 5,965 Times in 2,689 Posts Mentioned: 262 Post(s) Tagged: 8 Thread(s)	You can tell fairly well once you take off the wheel. It's still not greatly visible but visible enough. At that point it's just one more bolt to be really sure though. If that's too much prep work for track events then I'm not sure what else to suggest __________________ -Dave Track cars: 2013 Scion FRS, 1998 Acura Integra Type-R, 1993 Honda Civic Hatchback DD: 2005 Acura TSX Tow: 2022 F-450 Toys: 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo, 1994 Toyota MR2 Turbo, 1991 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Parts: 2015 Subaru BRZ Limited, 2005 Acura TSX Projects: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited track car build FS: 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 LT CCSB 8.1/Allison with 99k miles

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10-16-2012, 02:23 PM	#3
d1ck Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Black 2013 FRS Location: Newfoundland Posts: 249 Thanks: 31 Thanked 83 Times in 54 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	You should be able to remove the wheel and look through the hole in the caliper just like Dave said. You might need a light to get a good view though!

01-05-2013, 09:22 PM	#7
sickmint79 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Drives: bmw Location: grayslake, il Posts: 393 Thanks: 16 Thanked 142 Times in 84 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	did you put on a bbk or something?

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