 Front Brake Pads, Why are they thinner? |
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| Deusexmachina77 |
 Feb 16 2023, 04:48 PM
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#1
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Member  Group: Members Posts: 98 Joined: 30-March 22 From: Chicago Member No.: 26,426 Region Association: Upper MidWest 
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I've ordered 4 different brands of FRONT brake pads (which BTW are not easy to find) and I've sent all of them back because they are thinner (16 mm) than what I am replacing (18mm). My first pair, from Bosche, were half as thick. One was a millimeter too wide (62 rather than 61) and didn't fit in the space.
I'm tired of burning all these shipping costs. Are these okay that they are thinner than the what was in there prior? (See Photo) Left is new pad. Right is the old one. Attached thumbnail(s) 
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Replies(1 - 7)
| dr914@autoatlanta.com |
Feb 16 2023, 05:33 PM
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#2
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 8,185 Joined: 3-January 07 From: atlanta georgia Member No.: 7,418 Region Association: None |
they were all superseded to the thinner pads to save manufacturing costs, really stupid because in late late 72 they the factory "thickened" the front brake pads for longer wear, then about eight years ago the aftermarket manufacturers decided that few cars used the thicker pads so discontinued them.
They also changed the 914 rear pads to the 911 number so we have to open up one of the rear pad holes on all four pads QUOTE(Deusexmachina77 @ Feb 16 2023, 03:48 PM)  I've ordered 4 different brands of FRONT brake pads (which BTW are not easy to find) and I've sent all of them back because they are thinner (16 mm) than what I am replacing (18mm). My first pair, from Bosche, were half as thick. One was a millimeter too wide (62 rather than 61) and didn't fit in the space. I'm tired of burning all these shipping costs. Are these okay that they are thinner than the what was in there prior? (See Photo) Left is new pad. Right is the old one. |
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| Deusexmachina77 |
Feb 16 2023, 05:43 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 98 Joined: 30-March 22 From: Chicago Member No.: 26,426 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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Thank you George. I was worried the cylinders would have to push out too far to make the brake work properly.
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| fixer34 |
Feb 16 2023, 06:21 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1,291 Joined: 16-September 14 From: Chicago area Member No.: 17,908 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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The old pads look almost new except for the rust on the surface. CSOB me would try to 'dress' them a bit to remove the rust and reuse them. Hell, you could take 1mm off and still be thicker than brand new ones...
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| Deusexmachina77 |
Feb 16 2023, 06:50 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 98 Joined: 30-March 22 From: Chicago Member No.: 26,426 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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QUOTE(fixer34 @ Feb 16 2023, 06:21 PM) The old pads look almost new except for the rust on the surface. CSOB me would try to 'dress' them a bit to remove the rust and reuse them. Hell, you could take 1mm off and still be thicker than brand new ones... I thought of that, but I have no idea how old they are. The date stamp says 07'? The pads are mismatched one side was solid and the other had a split two-part design. They were pretty stiff in use. Kind of crunchy or dry feeling. But that could have been the calipers. I'm saving them for sure. And if I have trouble they're going right back in. |
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| PatMc |
Feb 16 2023, 07:23 PM
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#6
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Member Group: Members Posts: 121 Joined: 27-June 21 From: Long Beach Member No.: 25,669 Region Association: None
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your old set (based on the edge code, Centric Posiquiet 105.00960) are an older pad...We (I was at Centric for 18 years) tried to make all the "right" stuff for the more rare applications, but at some point we couldn't justify keeping a pallet of pads on the shelf in several different flavors that we might sell a few of per year. Everyone has consolidated to the D31 pad (thinner, much more common version). These are perfectly OK to use, but it's just like using the OEM thicker pads that are 20% worn. You still have tons of life left in your old pads...you can run then down to where the friction material is about 1/2 the thickness of the backing plate...like any brake pad, safely.
As far as the pads being of 2 different styles left to right...there is a horrible but perfectly good explanation...lol. Back in about 2005 I started a "loaded" caliper program...rebuild calipers, zinc plated, with new pads and hardware installed. They were built in even batches but sold individually to work with our catalog. I have no idea why, but many would order one side only. Which would leave us with unbalanced left to right inventory, so on the next round...we'd have to build a bunch of only one side. Pad friction and edge codes change at time goes on, so we end up with left and right calipers on the shelf with 2 different pads in them. Stupid, but nobody listened to my suggestions to fix it. Applications that use the thicker D96 pad: Audi Fox: 1973 - 1977 Opel Deluxe: 1971 Porsche 914: 1972 - 1976 Volkswagen 411: 1972 - 1973 412: 1973 - 1974 Dasher: 1974 - 1977 Rabbit: 1975 - 1980 Rabbit Convertible: 1980 Scirocco: 1975 - 1980 Applications that use the thinner D31 pad: Alfa Romeo Alfetta: 1975 - 1977 Duetto 1600: 1966 - 1968 GTC: 1964 - 1966 GTV: 1965, 1967 - 1968 GTZ: 1964 Giulia: 1964 - 1968 Giulia Sprint: 1964 - 1968 Sport: 1978 - 1979 Sprint: 1977 - 1979 TZ: 1965 TZ 2: 1967 Audi 100 Series: 1970 - 1974 Super 90: 1969 - 1972 BMW 1500: 1961 - 1964 1600: 1967 - 1969 1600-2: 1967 - 1969 1600ti: 1967 - 1968 1602: 1967 - 1969 1800: 1963 - 1968 1800ti: 1964 - 1965 2000ti: 1967 - 1971 2000tii: 1969 2002: 1967 - 1969 2002ti: 1968 3200CS: 1964 - 1965 Ferrari 308 GTB: 1975 - 1980, 1982 - 1985 308 GTBi: 1981 - 1982 308 GTS: 1977 - 1980, 1982 - 1985 308 GTSi: 1981 - 1982 Dino 246 GT: 1971 - 1973 Dino 246 GTS: 1972 - 1973 Dino 308 GT4: 1974 - 1979 Maserati 425: 1986 - 1987 430i: 1989 - 1990 Biturbo: 1983 - 1987 Spyder: 1986 - 1987, 1989 - 1991 Mercedes-Benz 220: 1968 - 1973 220D: 1968 - 1973 230: 1967 - 1969, 1974 - 1978 230S: 1967 - 1969 230SL: 1967 240D: 1974 - 1983 250: 1968 - 1973 250C: 1969 - 1973 250S: 1966 - 1968 250SE: 1966 - 1968 250SEC: 1966 - 1968 250SL: 1967 280: 1973 - 1976 280C: 1973 - 1976 280CE: 1978 - 1981 280E: 1977 - 1981 280S: 1968 - 1971, 1975 - 1976 280SE: 1968 - 1973, 1977 - 1980 280SEL: 1968 - 1973 280SL: 1968 - 1971 300: 1961 - 1962 300CD: 1978 - 1985 300D: 1975 - 1985 300SD: 1978 - 1985 300SDL: 1986 - 1987 300SE: 1961 - 1966, 1988 - 1991 300SEL: 1965 - 1973, 1988 - 1991 300TD: 1979 - 1985 350SD: 1991 350SDL: 1990 - 1991 350SL: 1972 - 1973 380SE: 1984 - 1985 380SEC: 1982 - 1983 380SEL: 1981 - 1983 380SL: 1981 - 1985 380SLC: 1981 420SEL: 1986 - 1991 450SE: 1973 - 1976 450SEL: 1973 - 1980 450SL: 1973 - 1980 450SLC: 1973 - 1980 500SEC: 1984 - 1985 500SEL: 1984 - 1985 560SEC: 1986 - 1991 560SEL: 1986 - 1991 560SL: 1986 - 1989 Opel 1900: 1971 - 1974 Kadett: 1968 - 1972 Manta: 1971 - 1974 Opel: 1968 - 1973 Porsche 356: 1955 356A: 1956 - 1959 356B: 1960 - 1963 356C: 1964 - 1965 356SC: 1964 - 1965 911: 1965 - 1983 912: 1965 - 1969, 1976 914: 1970 - 1972 Carrera: 1956 - 1964 Saab 96: 1961 - 1962 99: 1969 - 1974 Volkswagen 411: 1971 - 1972 Fastback: 1971 - 1973 Squareback: 1971 - 1973 Volvo 142: 1967 - 1974 144: 1967 - 1974 145: 1968 - 1974 164: 1969, 1972 - 1975 240: 1990 - 1993 242: 1975 - 1984 244: 1975 - 1989 245: 1975 - 1989 262: 1976, 1978 - 1981 264: 1976 - 1982 265: 1976 - 1981 740: 1985 - 1992 745: 1985 760: 1983 - 1990 780: 1987 850: 1993 - 1997 940: 1991 - 1995 960: 1992 - 1997 C70: 1998 - 2004 DL: 1984 GLE: 1984 S70: 1998 - 2000 V70: 1998 - 2000 |
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| bkrantz |
Feb 16 2023, 09:30 PM
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#7
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 8,420 Joined: 3-August 19 From: SW Colorado Member No.: 23,343 Region Association: Rocky Mountains
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Do the thinner pads also derive from applications where the same pad (or even caliper) was used on the rear of some cars?
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| Deusexmachina77 |
Feb 16 2023, 09:49 PM
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#8
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Member Group: Members Posts: 98 Joined: 30-March 22 From: Chicago Member No.: 26,426 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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@PatMc (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Your response sort of blew my mind. The information is so insider it's incredible. This community has such a depth of knowledge. I'm grateful there are people like yourself willing to share it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
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