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      02-24-2014, 05:40 PM   #45
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I wonder if StopTech is aware of this issue. This thread makes me second guess my desire to buy this kit.
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      02-24-2014, 05:56 PM   #46
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I use a wrench or plier type tool and squeeze the pad against the caliper to depress the pistons.

I can only get the rear by hand the front is too hard for me so I use the above and then they slide out
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      02-24-2014, 06:13 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheKosherStogie View Post
I use a wrench or plier type tool and squeeze the pad against the caliper to depress the pistons.

I can only get the rear by hand the front is too hard for me so I use the above and then they slide out
I just use a lisle pad spreader, think the issue with the st-60s is bigger than that.
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      02-24-2014, 08:57 PM   #48
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Worst case, you can take a screwdriver or thin pry bar and pry the pads out from the bottom of the caliper. You can use the rotor hat or studs (if you have them) as leverage on the front side. There's something to pry against in the back.

ST60s seem to be a minor PIA to get the pads in and out. The pads come out with a little effort in the ST40s. The key is to fully depress the pistons with spreader. I do apply some anti seize to the sides of the pads to make removal a little easier.

The pads should be snug as to avoid pad rattle...a really annoying clack, clack, clack sound at low speed. If they are too loose they'll rattle.
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      02-24-2014, 10:28 PM   #49
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I was reading through the thread and was wondering:
Brembo pins and elastic metal leafs (or whatever they are called) are ingenious. Why doesn't everybody use this design? Patent or something? I doubt it since they were around for more than 20 years.

When installed the pads are always snug and are kept quiet. To take the pads out, all you need to do is tap out the pins. Then the pads just slide out effortlessly.
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      02-24-2014, 11:13 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by r53s65e90 View Post
I was reading through the thread and was wondering:
Brembo pins and elastic metal leafs (or whatever they are called) are ingenious. Why doesn't everybody use this design? Patent or something? I doubt it since they were around for more than 20 years.

When installed the pads are always snug and are kept quiet. To take the pads out, all you need to do is tap out the pins. Then the pads just slide out effortlessly.
I always thought the stoptech bridge was the hottest ticket when it came to pad changes. No issues at all with mine.
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      02-25-2014, 10:29 AM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD View Post
I always thought the stoptech bridge was the hottest ticket when it came to pad changes. No issues at all with mine.
In principle - it is. The bridge adds stiffness to the caliper while still offering the benefits of the open top for fast pad changes.

I called stoptech yesterday, and they are aware of the issue. It seems to be "batch" based. Some have the issue some don't. They offered to take my calipers, inspect them, and send them out to me no charge. I doubt I will go this route because I don't want my car sitting there with lines dangling. They declined a caliper swap. They also said I need to go through HP since they are the retailer.

I have a Lisle Pad spreader. I highly recommend it! It's less than 49 shipped on amazon, and it works GREAT. I tested it and it does clear the top side of th eStop tech calipers. So at least in principle the appeal of stoptech for fast pad changes is still there. You just need to make sure the abutment plates aren't going to give you trouble.
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      02-25-2014, 10:44 AM   #52
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mine have worked perfectly so far.
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      11-02-2015, 10:06 AM   #53
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Sorry to bring an old thread back to life but I just had the exact same issue installing PFC '08 pads in my new set of Stoptech ST-40 front calipers. I had to tap each pad into its slot with a rubber mallet (more than a few taps). The brakes seem to be working fine but I was also nervous that this might cause a pad to get stuck in the caliper and not engage the rotor with as much force as it's supposed to. I am all for tight tolerances but this is ridiculous. I can't place all of the blame on Stoptech, though I wish they had designed these with a bit more clearance.

Interestingly 3/4 of the Stoptech street pads I had in came out just fine but one took quite a bit of effort to get out. I am now realizing that it might be a nightmare getting the PFC 08's back out since they are so tightly clamped into the pad slots. I guess I can always take the calipers off but that seems like a lot of effort on my part for a kit I purchased to make pad swaps easier!! <frustration!>

I guess once I get these out I will dremel the paint off each side of the backing plates and see if that helps.

Does anyone think this might pose a dangerous situation where the pads might get stuck on brake application? The pads are tighter than I would like but they are performing fine on the street in both light and hard brake applications.

BTW, I am heading to the track for the first time in this car next weekend so need to consider my options quickly, any advice is appreciated.
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      11-02-2015, 11:34 AM   #54
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can you machine the rotors on the stop tech? My steering shakes every time i brake but the pads still have good amount of life on them
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      11-02-2015, 01:52 PM   #55
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Brake shudder is related to deposits.
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      11-03-2015, 12:38 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Mobbin View Post
Sorry to bring an old thread back to life but I just had the exact same issue installing PFC '08 pads in my new set of Stoptech ST-40 front calipers. I had to tap each pad into its slot with a rubber mallet (more than a few taps). The brakes seem to be working fine but I was also nervous that this might cause a pad to get stuck in the caliper and not engage the rotor with as much force as it's supposed to. I am all for tight tolerances but this is ridiculous. I can't place all of the blame on Stoptech, though I wish they had designed these with a bit more clearance.

Interestingly 3/4 of the Stoptech street pads I had in came out just fine but one took quite a bit of effort to get out. I am now realizing that it might be a nightmare getting the PFC 08's back out since they are so tightly clamped into the pad slots. I guess I can always take the calipers off but that seems like a lot of effort on my part for a kit I purchased to make pad swaps easier!! <frustration!>

I guess once I get these out I will dremel the paint off each side of the backing plates and see if that helps.

Does anyone think this might pose a dangerous situation where the pads might get stuck on brake application? The pads are tighter than I would like but they are performing fine on the street in both light and hard brake applications.

BTW, I am heading to the track for the first time in this car next weekend so need to consider my options quickly, any advice is appreciated.
Based on how tight my pads were when I installed them I didn't think it was safe to leave them in like that, so I decided to pull them out this morning. I'm glad I did as they were jammed in there tight and ultimately I think they were unsafe.

I had to remove my calipers to get them out and even then had to hammer on them with a large rubber mallet to get them out after I had removed the calipers. I dremeled each side well past the paint and continued test fitting them until they slid back in with minimal rubbing on the sides. Everything is good now but I wanted to put this out there for those that have a similar issue.

I don't think it's safe to have pads installed so tightly, they should be able to wiggle around a bit so that when you hit that brake pedal there is no doubt the pistons will move them.

Super frustrated I had to do this but I think my setup is much safer now and I'm glad I put in the extra work to get this fixed correctly.

Best of luck to others with this same issue.
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      01-11-2018, 04:36 AM   #57
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Reviving an old thread as I'm new to StopTech and this appears to be an old issue. Hopefully those with experience can chime in. I swapped out the pads on the ST60 fronts and ST40 rears with Hawk DTC60. The fronts were easy and the old pads slid right out while the new ones slid right in. On the rear I encountered the dreaded slightly oversized (too tall) backing plate issue. The old pads would only come out with significant force (I looped zip ties on the holes in the backing plates and used these for leverage to slowly pull out the pads). The new pads likewise were difficult to put in and I used a rubber mallet to tap them in slowly. I did not do the initial install of the kit when the old pads (StopTech street performance pads) were put in, but my guess is they were hard to put in given my difficulty in their removal. I did one track day with the old pads and the brakes worked very well. The car seems to brake fine on the street with the new pads I just placed. Should I be concerned that the rear brakes will not function properly given the need to rubber mallet the pads into position or does anybody have experience with similar difficulty in pad placement but a functional system when used at track? Is it true that the pads may not move in toward the rotor properly if they were placed so tightly? Thanks for any words of wisdom as I'm off to Thermal this weekend and would like some piece of mind.
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      01-11-2018, 09:31 AM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saandiaago View Post
Reviving an old thread as I'm new to StopTech and this appears to be an old issue. Hopefully those with experience can chime in. I swapped out the pads on the ST60 fronts and ST40 rears with Hawk DTC60. The fronts were easy and the old pads slid right out while the new ones slid right in. On the rear I encountered the dreaded slightly oversized (too tall) backing plate issue. The old pads would only come out with significant force (I looped zip ties on the holes in the backing plates and used these for leverage to slowly pull out the pads). The new pads likewise were difficult to put in and I used a rubber mallet to tap them in slowly. I did not do the initial install of the kit when the old pads (StopTech street performance pads) were put in, but my guess is they were hard to put in given my difficulty in their removal. I did one track day with the old pads and the brakes worked very well. The car seems to brake fine on the street with the new pads I just placed. Should I be concerned that the rear brakes will not function properly given the need to rubber mallet the pads into position or does anybody have experience with similar difficulty in pad placement but a functional system when used at track? Is it true that the pads may not move in toward the rotor properly if they were placed so tightly? Thanks for any words of wisdom as I'm off to Thermal this weekend and would like some piece of mind.
I just always dremel the sides down when I buy new pads, not worth the risk of a stuck pad in my opinion. Sometimes it takes a good amount of dremeling and every time I get a new set of pads I wish I had a bench grinder, would make the job much easier.
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      01-19-2018, 10:15 AM   #59
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BTW, I think this is part of the issue though I am pretty sure I also dremeled my Stoptech pads slightly, Stoptech pads vs others:

Stoptech ST40 Pad Dimensions - width of backing plate is 131.8mm

Pagid 1204 Pad Size Dimensions - width of backing plate is 132mm

I think most of the pads we are buying have ~132mm backing plates and the ST40's are designed for slightly less, IMO, YMMV, etc.
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      01-19-2018, 11:20 AM   #60
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What I did was changed the "kinked" abutment plate to a smooth one and don't have issues sliding pads in or out anymore. No need to grind pads either. You can find the abutment plates at zeckhausen.
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      01-19-2018, 12:56 PM   #61
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Quote:
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What I did was changed the "kinked" abutment plate to a smooth one and don't have issues sliding pads in or out anymore. No need to grind pads either. You can find the abutment plates at zeckhausen.
Nice, hadn't occurred to me that was an option, thanks for the info!
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      01-19-2018, 02:30 PM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Mobbin View Post
Nice, hadn't occurred to me that was an option, thanks for the info!
Here's my order that included the flat abutments and screws. This was for the st60 fronts. I was worried about pad rattle since the kinks are to reduce pad rattle but the pads are still snug with the flat plates so no noise .
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      01-19-2018, 02:32 PM   #63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msan View Post
Here's my order that included the flat abutments and screws. This was for the st60 fronts. I was worried about pad rattle since the kinks are to reduce pad rattle but the pads are still snug with the flat plates so no noise .
Great to know, thanks. Do you have to take the calipers apart to change the abutment plates?
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      01-19-2018, 02:43 PM   #64
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Quote:
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Great to know, thanks. Do you have to take the calipers apart to change the abutment plates?
I think I did take the caliper off the car but definitely did not have to take the actual caliper apart. I used a little tool like this below Just make sure you don't strip the screw head. You could try to do it with the caliper on the car but don't remember if it was possible


http://m.sears.com/craftsman-offset-...FUdbfgodvIgIqQ
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      01-24-2018, 10:39 AM   #65
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Before moving to Essex/AP Racing, I worked at StopTech for 5 years as Sales Mgr. I had an ST-60/ST-40 kit on my C5 Z06, frequently took it to the track, did pad and testing with numerous products, etc. I've now been at Essex for nearly 10 years and have plenty of experience with AP Racing calipers (and others). A few comments...

Overall interaction of pads and calipers

Pad sizes vary considerably by manufacturer, even though they are technically the 'same' shape. If you look at a Ferodo pad in a given shape, it is going to most likely be a slightly different size than the CL Brakes pad of that same shape. This is particularly true of pads designed to fit into aftermarket calipers. One of the reasons is because each manufacturer uses different materials. Sintered pads with a higher metallic content vs. an organic compound tend to be made a bit smaller, so they have more room to grow/expand as they get hotter.

Each pad manufacturer has different acceptable tolerance parameters. One manufacturer may allow their pads in a batch to vary in length by 1mm. That means that one pad may fit more snugly than the next one in the caliper. If that manufacturer is already producing pads on the larger side, and a particular pad is on the high end of their acceptable scale, then the pad is going to be more snug. However, the next batch of that pad shape they produce may be on the other end of their acceptable scale however, and it may drop right in.

Aftermarket calipers are designed to accept a wide range of pads from a long list of pad manufacturers. Due to the above situation, they have to allow for some variance. That's why pads will sometimes rattle around and move a bit in a caliper, and other times it will be very snug. Also, a racing caliper is designed with the idea that it is going to be run very hot on the track. When metal pads and calipers heat up, everything expands. That means there need to be tolerances in place for components that are actually changing sizes.

Tolerance stacks occur between the pad and caliper as well. For example, let's say a given pad manufacturer makes their pads a large for the required shape vs. other manufacturers. Let's also say that the particular pad from a batch is on the high end of their acceptable tolerance range. Finally, the particular caliper you have is on the small end of the acceptable tolerance range for the caliper manufacturer. That tolerance stack is going to mean that your pad is going to be a very snug fit.

In summary, you can't expect 50 different manufacturers from around the world to have related products that fit precisely together like Legos, all while being rapidly heated and cooled over and over on a racetrack. In most cases, there would be very little interaction between the manufacturers, and they'd essentially be working around each other. From what I've seen though, the pads and calipers are usually fairly close to a good fit. They may need a little massaging at times, but based on all of the above, that seems to be a reasonable expectation.

StopTech Caliper Bridge

The ST-60 bridge tends to be more problematic than the ST-40 bridge. We used to have far more complaints about the ST-60 bridge overall. With the ST-60 you have four bolts that need to precisely find their home on the other side of the caliper= two more chances of not finding their corresponding holes vs. the ST-40. The ST-60 bridge is also longer, and I think it has a greater chance of deforming and twisting a bit over time. On my car the method I used was to try to get one end of the bridge locked in first, and then pull the other end down into the caliper and get it bolted...then back to the two center bolts. I definitely wouldn't say it was fun, and I had to put a considerable amount of pressure on it to get everything lined up. The bridge bolts on the AP Racing calipers are much less finicky and easier to manage, and the Radi-CAL designs in particular provide tremendous stiffness without needing an additional crutch for stiffening. That said, the removable ST bridge is still probably easier than pulling off a Brembo monobloc caliper that doesn't have a removable bridge. I also hate the little pins Brembo uses to hold tension on their pads. I had those on my OEM CTS-V calipers and wasn't a fan of having to punch those suckers out while trying not to chip the caliper finish.
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      09-09-2018, 03:27 PM   #66
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Bringing this one up one more time. I have always had to grind my pads down to slip into the ST40 caliper. Due to other issues, I recently replaced both calipers. I had to grind another 0.020" off the previously trimmed backing plate to get them to slide in relative to the old calipers, which were 15 years and probably 50 pad changes old. The backing plates now measure 5.175", or 131.4 mm. I'm not worried about rattling as it is a dedicated track car, but it sure is a nuisance to have to grind new pads every time.
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