What grease to use on brake pads?

What grease to use on brake pads?

Author
Discussion

SloppyClock

Original Poster:

144 posts

97 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Copper grease, right?

I've heard a few people recently refer to copper grease no longer being the grease of choice due to galvanic reactions between the pad and piston.

What does the PH community think?

5harp3y

1,943 posts

200 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Red rubber grease

Redline88

400 posts

107 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Copper grease for me!

Challo

10,220 posts

156 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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Always dab a bit of copper grease on them

Drew106

1,402 posts

146 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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Not an expert!

But I believe cooper grease is fine for the back of brake pads. I also use a small amount on the hub when fitting new discs.

Don't use it on the sliding pins though. I've since found out this is a definite no no.

hooblah

539 posts

88 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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Unless they've suddenly started making caliper pistons out of cheese I wouldn't worry about 'galvanic reactions'. Lol.

Pica-Pica

13,875 posts

85 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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Grease on brake pads? Do you mean on the caliper’s sliding pins?

kambites

67,626 posts

222 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
Grease on brake pads? Do you mean on the caliper’s sliding pins?
I think he means on the back of the pads to avoid them squealing as they move against the caliper.

Chrismawa

553 posts

101 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Just changed mine at the weekend. Used a bit of copper grease on the pad edges. For the sliding pins I used a silicone grease.

gavgavgav

1,557 posts

230 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Chrismawa said:
Just changed mine at the weekend. Used a bit of copper grease on the pad edges. For the sliding pins I used a silicone grease.
Hopefully you did not really put any grease on the edges of the pads .... it will make its way onto the disc.

All 3 types of grease mentioned can be used on different parts of the system, copper on the back of the pad face to the calliper (if required), high temp for the sliding faces/ pins, and red rubber for the piston seals.

MrBig

2,725 posts

130 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Get the proper spec copper-free brake grease. A tiny amount of copper in the wrong place will play havoc with your wear leads and speed sensors.

james_gt3rs

4,816 posts

192 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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I don't use any, do cars actually have it from the factory?

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

256 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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gavgavgav said:
Hopefully you did not really put any grease on the edges of the pads .... it will make its way onto the disc.
No it won't, unless he has lathered on ridiculous amounts. More PH scaremongering.

MrBig said:
Get the proper spec copper-free brake grease. A tiny amount of copper in the wrong place will play havoc with your wear leads and speed sensors.
Copper grease has no effect on speed sensors, even if you were so ham fisted that you managed to somehow get it onto the sensor or reluctant ring. Wheel speed sensors are magnetic, copper grease is not. Yet more PH scaremongering.


Edited by Mr2Mike on Friday 1st June 14:55

lyonspride

2,978 posts

156 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Ceramic grease for the pads, silicone grease for the sliders, copper slip for the mating surfaces (disc to hub).

SloppyClock

Original Poster:

144 posts

97 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
Just to be clear, this is on the pad to piston side, not guide pins or pad to disc (which should go without saying!).

I've used copper every other time I've done pads, and have never really had any problems. Just put a pea sized blob in the center and smear around. More than often it lasts a fair bit, apart from track cars I've never actually owned a road car long enough to tell whether or not it will last the entire life span of the pad.

Was just wondering what everyone else thought!

jagnet

4,119 posts

203 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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I just use ceramic grease for guide pins and pad to caliper contact areas. Never had a squealy pad after doing that.

Dr Doofenshmirtz

15,278 posts

201 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
gavgavgav said:
Hopefully you did not really put any grease on the edges of the pads .... it will make its way onto the disc.

All 3 types of grease mentioned can be used on different parts of the system, copper on the back of the pad face to the calliper (if required), high temp for the sliding faces/ pins, and red rubber for the piston seals.
I bet you've got a red clipboard and work for the council?

jeremyh1

1,369 posts

128 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
I use cooper grease I also put this on the battery terminals They say you dont need to with a modern battery but I still do it

lyonspride

2,978 posts

156 months

Friday 1st June 2018
quotequote all
jeremyh1 said:
I use cooper grease I also put this on the battery terminals They say you dont need to with a modern battery but I still do it
I've never understood this, use terminal grease..... Copper grease (despite what people think) isn't electrically conductive, I know this because a former employer got into bother for using it to prevent corrosion on the earth bonding point of a mains powered pump motor and ended up with an outer case that would give you a shock under certain circumstances. If it's not conductive at 240vAC, then it's far less so at 12vDC.