LIDDO

My front brakes SQUEAL like a pig, but only when I brake as Im reversing??? They started doing this after being replaced!!! Ive just got bog standard new discs and pads!! Ive notice the pads clunk a little when braking in reverse. Is it just cos they are a poor fit???? Is there anything apart from new pads that will sort it???

fish 99

My brakes have started to do this yet again .I find i hve to strip the pads out and aply more copper slip to the back of the pads every 3k .

Apple

"They all do that, Sir!" or a lot do anyway...

It's most likely due to the steel wool fibres in the pad and the lay of them - as you wear the pad down they wear in the direction of rotation. If you stick the car in reverse and touch the brakes, then they act like miniature turntable needles and judder if you go against the normal lay. If the judder frequency is of the right value then you get squeal etc...

If you drove everywhere in reverse then they'd do it if you touched the brakes going forward

At a guess, pads with a higher steel content in them may squeal more (but lots of other factors involved as well).

Apple

And the clunk when touching the brakes going backwards is the pad gripping the disc and rotating in the caliper until it hits the end of it's travel - the distance might only be small but it's enough to give you an impact (clunk) on the caliper body.

Not much you can do about it unless the gap is overly large - if you get closer fitting pads (i.e. wider across the backplate) then you run the risk of them sticking more in the direction of the pistons so they aren't as free when you put the anchors on. Sometimes the thickness of the powder coating on the backplate may give clearance problems if there's too much so may need "tickling" with a file in the right places...

LIDDO

DOH! Cheers guys. I never known such a tempramental car as the Scoob, with all its little niggles, but I stll love it to bits