Brake hardware, really needed?

[CosmosMpower]

I put a set of fresh napa rotors and Hawk HP+ pads on the 93 last night. After everything seemed to go together correctly I went for a drive and heard a scraping sound. Turns out the smaller clips that press into the caliper bracket to hold the pads in were touching the rotor surface and scraping it. I had to eventually take out most of those small clips as well as the spring clip that goes across the rotor, and it seemed to be ok after that. Are there any major downsides to skipping some of the hardware?

[TheChadVIII]

I could see how not having the clips could cause them to fall and move around if you ever lost brake pressure, that is once the pad gets worn down a bit to open a space up.

I don't see why the clips would extend past the pad to hit the rotor though...

[CosmosMpower]

I could see how not having the clips could cause them to fall and move around if you ever lost brake pressure, that is once the pad gets worn down a bit to open a space up.

I don't see why the clips would extend past the pad to hit the rotor though...

Good point, I'll probalby end up buying a new hardware kit and try again, maybe they were a bit bent out of shape. I don't think they will fall out right now though, I had to work to wedge them into the space.

[black roadster]

Trussville sells the front brake hardware for about $6 but Town North will likely match the price and you save on shipping.

[boisking]

Brake hardware, really needed?

Yes. Along with controlling brake noise, they ensure proper pad alignment and even wear. Those little springs, that jump out of place any time you remove the caliper, are especially helpful in regards to pad life.

[CosmosMpower]

Yes. Along with controlling brake noise, they ensure proper pad alignment and even wear. Those little springs, that jump out of place any time you remove the caliper, are especially helpful in regards to pad life.

The HP+ are noisy as hell anyways but I do think that pad alignment is a big deal. Don't really care about how they wear or replacing them a bit sooner, consumables are so cheap they are nearly free for this car. I'll probably grab the kit from Classic Mazda when I drop the RX-8 off for service.

Thanks for the advice guys!

[CosmosMpower]

Update: Put the clips in, realized they were in backwards. MUCH less squeeling now, still some though but that's just the HP+ pads. Couldn't get the spring clips to work though, doesn't seem to fit around the thicker aftermarket pads.

[Miatamoto]

Update: Put the clips in, realized they were in backwards. MUCH less squeeling now, still some though but that's just the HP+ pads. Couldn't get the spring clips to work though, doesn't seem to fit around the thicker aftermarket pads.

Are you sure you're not putting something in wrong? I just installed a set of HP+ and all the clips worked fine.

BTW, I've got the speakers and steering wheel sitting in the garage.

[CosmosMpower]

Are you sure you're not putting something in wrong? I just installed a set of HP+ and all the clips worked fine.

BTW, I've got the speakers and steering wheel sitting in the garage.

I dunno, the clips were in wrong so I fixed that but the springs that run across them don't see to fit but oh well. I will grab the speakers and wheel at the next event. Ended up in the middle of nowhere saturday so I didn't come by.