changed my brake pads today - a few questions though

[yan]

hi there,

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so i spent my day today swapping out both front and rear worn out OEM pads with Hawk HPS pads. i do have a few questions though:

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1. I have decided not to install both rear and front vibration dampeners for now since i will want to swap to pagid track pads in a few weeks. Question: will not having both rear and front vibration dampeners affect brake performance or brake safety in any way? I am aware of possible "sound like a train" effect :) but without the dampeners the brakes just feel loose in their, like they could pop out any time :(
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2. This is the final result. As you can see the brake sensor wire is missing. I decided not to drill the pad for the sensor and simply shortened the cable and tie-wrapped it:
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   Does it look right to you? (hi-res image)
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3. The front Hawk HPS pads are missing the little notch my finger is pointing at on both sides. Is this normal? It seems like that notch is where the spring clip pushes against:
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thanks...

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P.S. - What is a good caliper spreader to buy and where?

[RFM]

1) Brake performance is the same. The pads can make noise while braking. The pads can make a clicking noise when manoeuvre forwards-backwards and braking ( for example when you park the car between two other cars in the street )

2) OK

3) Contra weight against vibrations ( = noise )

[Tool Pants]

Here are the 2 methods I use and I did not have to buy a spreader.