after market brake pads

[Biggi_e]

are 2004-06 all the same? if so i found a site for us. i want to clarify b4 i post it up and order new pads. Thanks

edit: ok i have 2 sites:
http://www.raceshopper.com/index.shtml (click on to hawk brake pads)

this is a dif. site for dif pads

http://replacement.car-stuff.com/parts/ ... c=true#top

[tacti]

i just changed my brake pads.
I have 04, and went to autozone to get one
after taking wheels, and OEM brake pads off, i found that the one i bought does not match with the size of original pads.

I called them and they told me that 04 has early and late model. i do not know how you can tell if its early or late, but the late model uses bigger pads than early model.
if you have 04, check the size (length) of the brake pads, and go make sure the one you get is the same size.

if what you have is bigger than the one that shop shows, ask for the 05 model brake pads which is the same as 04 late model.

i don't know about the 06 model tho..

Tact

[Biggi_e]

Hawk HPS Street brake pads, just ordered mine today for the front. =P i found tirerack has them too for $72.00

[krawzyazn]

just go OEM

[Sap Z]

i just got OEM fronts installed for 160$

[Down2TheC]

just go OEM

OEM? You must be hitting it with Towlie! "Wanna get high?"

[Biggi_e]

i got my hawk brake pads in today and hopefully i can get them installed asap and ill let you know how they are.


-Eddie

[PXLpainter]

Get them installed??? Don't you have a jack, wrench and a screwdriver Eddie??

[Biggi_e]

i never installed brake pads b4..lol i dont want to mess up.

if its easy to do, anyone want to tell me how to?

[PXLpainter]

Piece of cake - especially if you know your rotors are fine. Most shops will tell you that they need to be turned, but not true most of the time. I've been doing my own disc pads for years and just slap 'em on and go out for a nice hard test drive to seat them in good. Only time I've had to have rotors turned was when I let them go too long and was metal-to-metal. (not counting the time I had warped rotors on my Tundra 6 mo after purchase - warranty replaced with TSB upgrade thankfully!)

[Biggi_e]

err that didnt really help but i just jack my car up, take the wheels off, unscrew the pads and replace?

[Biggi_e]

ok guys, DO NOT BUY BRAKE PADS FROM TIRERACK.COM their manufacturing messed up and they dont even have any brake pads that fit our car. i just got off the phone with them and they are reimbursing me of my money and sending a calltag so they can get the brake pads back. so i repeat they do not have anything for the gen2 solara brakes. just want to warn you all. i will file a complaint on their site also. Try the other sites i posted up if you need new brake pads.

-Eddie

edit: raceshopper does not have the hawk brake pads either for our gen2's this sucks...

[tacti]

I don't have a picture, but it should be easy enough to follow the steps..


1. Jack up and take the wheels off. (Do it one side first and then go to the other side, so that if you mess it up and need to look up, you can see the other side and check, Mike T gave me this advice, and it really helped me.. )

2. Place the C-clamp so that the one end is on back of the caliper, and the other side is the outer brake pad.
_____
|___ \ <= Caliper
\ |
X | |
___ / |
|____/

(Put the one side to where X is, and the pinch the caliper.)

This will push the caliper out, and make it be able to take the brake pads off.

3. locate a two bolts behind the caliper. unscrew them. (Leave the screw connected to the brake hose.

4. once you unscrew two bolts, the caliper comes off.

5. take the brake pads (outer, and inner pads) out and remove the sheet of metal on the brake pad, and also the small pin located at one end (the worn out brake warning thing)

6. place the metal sheet and pin to the new brake pads, and place them back to the where it was.
place the caliper, and put the screw back on.

7. do the same for the another wheel.

8. after you finish, pump the brake several times to give the brake fluid pressure back. first few times, the brake pedal will go down to the floor. but after few pumping, it will gain the pressure back..


Okay... now, this is the out line. but i know my english sucks... so someone revise it for me? or any other reader??
my lack of vocabulary make it so hard to explain things...

if you have any question, let me know.
i probably can take picture of what i'm talking about, and it should make more sense than this...

Tact

[Biggi_e]

i figured out how to change the brake pads myself thanks for the help tho.

[Biggi_e]

i have got to say, tirerack.com has the worst CS. I received the wrong brake pads for my car on the 19th of last month. They still havnt even issued my call tag so i can send them back the brake pads and then refund me of my money.. pretty much the rep that i talked with "forgot"....