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Sup guys,
i noticed a funny squeak comming from my passenger side brake assembly a few days ago. I took it apart today and looked at the brake pads. I could see that at the base of the pad, where the compound meets the metal backing that there was a crack all the way around the pad at the very base. Is this normal because ive never seen it before. I have an AEM big brake kit and aem pads. Is this possibly a indicator of them getting too hot?
any help is appreciated

 
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No, its not normal, and you should replace the pads. Its typically a result of ragging on brakes harder than they're made to tolerate, most likely combined with the radius of the rotor and the radius of the pad don't match, and if the pad has a "grain" to it, then you're going across the grain rather than with it.
The only time I ever managed to crumble a set of pads was because I took them on the track before they were properly broken in, and I burned them up in no time.
get rid of the pads, get something better. AEMs are organic IIRC, go to either Metal Matrix or Ceramic.

 
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Boilermaker, was that post in 3D??

 
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I think just 2D... the site is slow and I must have gotten impatient... when I get impatient, I click the button again

 
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so is it that the rotors were installed incorrectly and are eating the pads away? Ive heard some noise and there are little chunks missing from the pad on that side.
I have the slots angled towards the back of the car, so if you were to lookat it thru the spokes on the wheel it would appear like \ and be moving clockwise. Should they be like / and moving clockwise? The guy at aem said the were not directional and it wouldnt matter but id rather hear it from you Boilermaker
thanks thats making alot of sense.

 
Rep Power: 425

You don't need slots to pull the backing off. All you need is some heat... ok, a lot of heat, but over time, you can separate it, it just happens. Could have just been the pad.... maybe a manufacturing biff and it didn't bond right.
As far as the direction of the rotors, I don't know which way the slots go, because I think slotted rotors are a big waste, they do nothing and they create stress risers in the rotor face... I use blanks.... it makes the directionality easy too.

 
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smart ***

but i guess a valid point, i think im scrapin this big brakes, they arent worth it to me