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View Full Version : ceramic brake pads to shim or not to shim?



cobb535
05-26-2007, 05:12 AM
Yesterday I replaced my brakes pad with ceramic units and machined the rotors. I found the shims with adhesive on one side at the bottom of the box half way through the job. My old pads did not have shims so I did not use the new ones. Are the shims something required with ceramic pads? Any down side to not installing them? Is the "bedding in " process the same as regular pads?
The car stops much better than before. This is probably helped by a brake fluid replacement that is part of every brake job I do. Holy cow was that old stuff NASTY!

Rus
05-26-2007, 12:08 PM
Shims are used to prevent squealing. They are basically a cushion layer for the high-frequency vibration that causes squealing. If your brakes are quiet, you are probably ok without them.