Rattles coming from brakes

[Perrin21]

Does anyones car suffer from a rattle coming from the front brakes? Any ideas how this can be sorted? Its similar to the one i had on my grass which was fixed by removing the wheels and greasing between the wheel and the hubs. Anyone tried this?

 

[wiztecy]

Does anyones car suffer from a rattle coming from the front brakes? Any ideas how this can be sorted? Its similar to the one i had on my grass which was fixed by removing the wheels and greasing between the wheel and the hubs. Anyone tried this?

Most likely the brake quiet goo came off the back of the pad that meets the caliper and piston. If that bond brakes the pad shakes. There's also a spring / clip that Lotus has in there that's an anti-rattle mechanism, but from my experience that doesn't work at all. You'll need to pull the pads off, clean everything up nice, and re-apply the brake quietl goo.

I recommend the non-spray type below. After swapping to new Carbotech pads I tried the spray, which is similar to what OEM used and after a few months the bond broke away on one pad which started rattling. Stock brakes still? If you're in there that deep I'd highly recommend putting Carbotech pads on.

Amazon.com: CRC Disc Brake Quiet 05016, 4 Fl Oz: Automotive

 

[Doug_G]

The rattles happen because Lotus leaves a little room for pad expansion when hot. The OEM brake pads have flexible pads on the back of the brake pad to prevent the rattle.

There's an outfit in the UK that sells anti-rattle pads that self-stick to the back of the brake pads. But they're just little pieces of 3M 468MP tape. You can buy a whole roll of the stuff from DigiKey Electronics - Electronic Components Distributor for $5, part number 1/2-5-468MP.

 

[tvuolo]

I have the Carbotech AX6 pads and I kept having trouble with the goo bond breaking -- especially after track days. I finally went with some rubber shims and that works well.

 

[ViperDoc]

I have had this problem with the Carbotech. Next time I replace them (when I have the custom slotted rotors I got a year ago installed), I will find out if these help.

Anti rattle brake pad buffer

 

[Doug_G]

Just get the tape I referenced. It's the same stuff and cheap.

 

[hanknum]

Reviving an old thread...

My front pads started to rattle and make noise when I swapped over to the Carbotech's. I noticed that the OEM pads were glued in place and that prevented them from rattling and squealing. Another person on the 2 piece rotor thread suggested "bending" the anti-rattle plate to add more/change the pressure on the pads. I decided to go a different route. I just got some old tubing that I had in the garage (1/4 or 5/16 rubber tubing) and slid them over the tangs on the plate. This essentially did the same thing as the bending. The rattling is gone , but I'll have to drive it some more to see if the squealing is gone too. Here are some pix...

 

[ML Auto]

Reviving an old thread...

My front pads started to rattle and make noise when I swapped over to the Carbotech's. I noticed that the OEM pads were glued in place and that prevented them from rattling and squealing. Another person on the 2 piece rotor thread suggested "bending" the anti-rattle plate to add more/change the pressure on the pads. I decided to go a different route. I just got some old tubing that I had in the garage (1/4 or 5/16 rubber tubing) and slid them over the tangs on the plate. This essentially did the same thing as the bending. The rattling is gone , but I'll have to drive it some more to see if the squealing is gone too. Here are some pix...

Not a good idea. The pads need to slide against the clip everytime the brakes are applied. You will end up with the pads dragging on the rotors and uneven pad wear.

 

[hanknum]

Don't really think that is going to happen... disc brake pads already "drag" on the rotors even when they are not actuated. I don't think a couple mm of rubber between the anti-rattle plate and the pad backing plates is going to inhibit the movement of the pads at all. The clamping force will easily overcome any drag from the rubber... but "to each, his own".

 

[ML Auto]

Don't really think that is going to happen... disc brake pads already "drag" on the rotors even when they are not actuated. I don't think a couple mm of rubber between the anti-rattle plate and the pad backing plates is going to inhibit the movement of the pads at all. The clamping force will easily overcome any drag from the rubber... but "to each, his own".

Yes, the clamping force will overcome the drag from the rubber, but there will be no force to overcome that drag in the opposite direction and allow the pads to fully release all of their pressure on the rotor. The internal caliper seals pull back the piston slightly when presure is released to allow a gap between the pads and rotor (hence the rattle). The anti-rattle compound applied to the back of the pad secures the pad to the piston, and still allows the pad to move away from the rotor. Your rubber tubing will tend to hold the pad in place, creating the gap to form between the piston and pad, not the pad and rotor.

If you insist in trying to re-engineer the brakes at least use a hard plastic tubing that will allow the pads to slide freely.

 

[hanknum]

Yes, the clamping force will overcome the drag from the rubber, but there will be no force to overcome that drag in the opposite direction and allow the pads to fully release all of their pressure on the rotor. The internal caliper seals pull back the piston slightly when presure is released to allow a gap between the pads and rotor (hence the rattle). The anti-rattle compound applied to the back of the pad secures the pad to the piston, and still allows the pad to move away from the rotor. Your rubber tubing will tend to hold the pad in place, creating the gap to form between the piston and pad, not the pad and rotor.

If you insist in trying to re-engineer the brakes at least use a hard plastic tubing that will allow the pads to slide freely.

The rattle does not come from the pads rattling against the rotor, rather they rattle in the vertical axis. If you have that much of a gap between the pads and the rotor, you have a big problem. You can also refer to a post in the 2 piece rotor thread. Again, when brakes are not applied, it is very common for the pads to "drag" along the rotor. I can elaborate on this further if needed.

Thanks for the advice on hard tubing... even though I think this is not a bad idea, I think it is completely unneeded.

 

[drewski]

The rattle does not come from the pads rattling against the rotor, rather they rattle in the vertical axis. If you have that much of a gap between the pads and the rotor, you have a big problem. You can also refer to a post in the 2 piece rotor thread. Again, when brakes are not applied, it is very common for the pads to "drag" along the rotor. I can elaborate on this further if needed.

Thanks for the advice on hard tubing... even though I think this is not a bad idea, I think it is completely unneeded.

i'd be worried about the rubber melting. i assume it's spec'd for high temps?

 

[hanknum]

i'd be worried about the rubber melting. i assume it's spec'd for high temps?

I guess that is a possibility. It was just some tubing I had laying around. If it does melt, then I'm back to metal on metal as it was originally. I don't think it is much to worry about, but I'll check it from time to time.

Thanks Drew.