Just replace the brake pads on my C6 with new StopTech pads. Turned the rotors, and bedded them in per instructions from this forum. I have less than 1500 miles on t hem, and they squeak like hell! How can I fix it without replacing the pads already?

 

Some additional information would be helpful. Did you change to ceramic pads? Your profile isn't filled in regarding where you live, is it a high humidity location? Are you easy on brakes around town? No hard stops?

Ceramic pads will initially squeal after they get wet (washing, rain) or when they sit overnight in a humid climate. A couple of normal stops should take care of drying out the pads & eliminating the rust deposits on the rotors. Yes, stock rotors will develop a light coating of rust overnight.

If you are very easy on brakes (light brake pedal pressure), the pads will glaze. Take the car out somewhere you can safely brake hard from 45-60 mph a couple of times to wear off that glaze.

 

I have stop tech as well and mine started squeaking recently (10k miles on them) so I was going to have them replaced at a nearby corvette performance shop. When we looked at the pads, we realized that the pads were still good, had a lot of miles left and they did not need to be replaced.

After seeing the brake pad/rotor combo I had, the shop owner told me that the setup I have is higher performance and the slight squeaking is normal. I forgot the "technical"
terms he was giving me with the different materials but if you would like I can call them up and get the specifics again.

 

Yes, these are ceramic pads. I live in Belleville, IL, which is just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, so yes, the humidity can get pretty high around here. I'm pretty easy on brakes, in that I do not brake hard at "normal" stops. I've done the hard stop thing, and it works for a very short time, but they soon start squealing again

 

OK, my next questions are about installation. Did you install the new padlets or did a shop do them? Is it possible that the anti-rattle clips were removed from the bottom of the calipers? Secondly, was any silicone sealant or "disc-brake quiet" compound added on the backing plate of each pad or padlet?

A quick story - I replaced OEM semi-metallic pads with identical ceramic pads on our Grand Sport and a friend's Grand Sport at the same time. I placed a dab of silicone on the backing plate of each pad. His squealed like a banshee all the time, mine only when wet or in very humid climates. I was told by a tech at the pads manufacturer, Centric, that their pads are manufactured to such a tight tolerance (thickness) that the silicone I added to the backing was actually holding the pad against the rotor rather than helping to retract the pad. I took all the pads out (both cars), cleaned the backing plates and pistons, then replaced them. Mine has not made a sound since. His brakes continued to squeal, not nearly as loud, but still made noise. We removed those pad, replaced them with the same brand and that set was totally quiet.

So.....it could be the installation, it could be brake dust buildup in the calipers, or it could be the pads themselves. At this point I think I would suggest pulling those pads, clean inside the calipers and the backing plates. If they still make noise, then it's time to try a different brand pads.

 

It could also be a bad job turning the rotors. Have had horrible jobs done before. Just because they can turn them does not mean they can do them right. Best job I have had done was done with the rotor on the car.

 

I will try to answer you and duckvett at the same time. The brake job was done by a good friend of mine that has been doing them for years. He is no longer a "Professional" mechanic, but was for many years. He has probably done 1000 brake jobs in his day. He did his own C5 last year, and hasn't had a squeak out of it. I DO know that he used some type of lubricant when he put the new pads in, same as he does for all his brake jobs. I'm really starting to believe that humidity is playing a major role in this. They squeaked on my way home from work last night, when it was in the mid 80's and the humidity was higher. I did the "Hard Stop" thing a couple of times, and they quieted down. I didn't drive it after I got home, but noticed that they were quiet this morning, coming in to work, when the temp was down into the low 70's