So I did a rear brake job yesterday with new pads and new rotors. My AutoZone pads have a lifetime warranty, so I just pulled off my pads, took them to the Zone w/ my original receipt, and got a new set of pads for free, and then also bought a new pair of rotors.

However when I got home, I realized my idiot self left the original OEM shims on the outsides of the pads. Being tired and dirty, and not wanting to go back to the only store in town which had 2 rear Integra rotors which was in the middle of the ghetto, I decided to just slap the pads on there w/ a healthy coating of brake grease on the back of the pads (which I normally apply anyway to the shims).

So I get it all together and go through the normal brake pad break-in procedure (a few low-speed stops, followed by several higher speed stops from around 50 mph). The brakes feel perfectly normal. However, after a day of driving, it appears that only the outside edge of the pads are touching the outside edge of the rotor, as you can see below:



Only the outer 1/4" of the rotor shows any signs of pad contact, and the rest of it looks the same as I did before installing the rotors. Could this be because I don't have the factory shims on the backs of the pads? How important would it be to order a new set of shims?

And if decide to buy new shims, would I need to get new pads again, or have the rotors turned, or both? I would hate to have to throw away these brand new pads and get brand new rotors resurfaced.

 

bump 4 a answer, i would like to know too.

 

It's not due to the lack of shims.

The shims are just there to help reduce noise AFAIK.

I haven't used brake shims in years, and I go through at least one set of pads per year.

Give it some time to wear in.

 

when i put on my a z pads i don't think i have the shims on their either. no problems for me.

 

One of the shims on my Hawk HPS pads broke off so I left it off. I have a problem with my brakes now but I believe it is unrelated.

 

Did you grease up the slide pins real well? That is a big problem up here in MN stuff gets crusty and the caliper does not slide as well, looks exactly like that.

 

I always remove, clean off, and re-grease all slide pins every time I do a brake job. We don't have many underbody rust problems in this area, but I still do that to ensure that my brake calipers don't seize up. 258K miles and I've never had to replace a caliper.

 

i would give it a bit more time to break in as well. Good luck with those autozone rotors, mine rusted so bad that eventually the rust would drip off them and make nasty spots on my wheels

 

The rear calipers are small and flex a lot, so the outside of the rotor gets little wear, especially closer to the center. Check the inside of the rotor and you'll see more, even wear. It will probably take a couple weeks for the rotor to show wear across the outside.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crexer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i would give it a bit more time to break in as well. Good luck with those autozone rotors, mine rusted so bad that eventually the rust would drip off them and make nasty spots on my wheels </TD></TR></TABLE>

i run $50 autozone rotors and there quality rotors. 2 year warranty too...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bmoua &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

i run $50 autozone rotors and there quality rotors. 2 year warranty too... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Mine have 2 year warranty and they were $19 each for the rear rotors.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crexer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i would give it a bit more time to break in as well. Good luck with those autozone rotors, mine rusted so bad that eventually the rust would drip off them and make nasty spots on my wheels </TD></TR></TABLE>

haha all rotors rust when exposed to moisture as they are cast iron. I've never had a problem with rust "dripping" off my AutoZone rotors, and I've been using them for nearly 6 years.

 

nah I think you misunderstood what I meant, the autozone blanks that I have made the mistake of buying a couple times, the top hats seem to rust so bad that its ridiculous. Now I just got ahold of some 02 OEM rsx-s rotors that I have had redrilled and even being 5 years old the top hats still are not rusted. Just a personal pet pev of mine with the whole rusty looking rotors, you can even paint the top hats and it will bleed right back through. Take us another pic of your rotor in like a month. I think the autzone rotors may lack a rust preventive coating. But back to the original question just give it some more time. Do both rear rotors look that way? If so at least its wearing evenly.