New pads - decreased brake pedal engagement?

"Orange Exige" (OrangeExige) 03/28/2017 at 19:27 • Filed to: Brakes, Brake pads

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Maybe I’m just going crazy and forgot what my car feels like when I haven’t had it for almost 5 days, but I had new (carbon fiber + ceramic) pads (rear) put in while the rear hubs were being replaced and I feel like my brake pedal goes down slightly further to engage the brakes... If anything, I’d expect the exact opposite - increased engagement.

I had bled the brakes twice (to be sure) in the past few months before they were changed and I’m game to bleed them again soon to see if that helps but I just think it’s a bit odd...

Is this a thing? Or am I crazy?

bob and john > Orange Exige 03/28/2017 at 19:31

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if you changed the pad material you might need to push a little harder to get the same braking when its cold at least.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Orange Exige 03/28/2017 at 19:33

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AFAIK carbon ceramics aren’t as effective until they’re properly heated up.  

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Orange Exige 03/28/2017 at 19:40

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Ceramic pads don’t bite as well as other pad types. Their payoff is in little to no dust and increased pad life. You will lose a little pedal feel. Like all things in life, brake pads are a tradeoff, you can have good bite and high dust or meh bite and no dust.

Captain of the Enterprise > Orange Exige 03/28/2017 at 19:41

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What kind of car? What pad type did you used to have?

MM54 > Orange Exige 03/28/2017 at 19:46

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I had ceramics on the crown vic when I was in college, those sub-zero mornings there was basically no brakes until you dragged them doing down the hill leaving campus.

It’s possible your new brakes just need to warm up a bit, or they’re just not as aggressive of a material. The metallics I have on the car now are much better.

Orange Exige > Captain of the Enterprise 03/28/2017 at 20:21

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02 Cooper S.

Not sure what pads were on before - relatively high dust though which I wanted to avoid. They were on the car when I got it.

Orange Exige > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 03/28/2017 at 20:22

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Good to know! Thanks!! That almost certainly would explain it.

Orange Exige > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 03/28/2017 at 20:23

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Seems about on par with the few other responses - it was also pretty chilly today too...

Orange Exige > MM54 03/28/2017 at 21:00

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Hmm yeah that must be it...

I don’t use my brakes a ton on my commute and it was also pretty chilly so that would explain it... I’ll try to get them warmed up and see if I can notice a difference.