Hello all! This is my first post. I have had fast cars in the past but I am new to my EVO and her all wheel disc breaks set up. When I break it seems louder then it should be. With it being slightly used I got down to check all the pads and they looked pretty good. I guess without knowing all the sounds and feels with a new type of vehicle my nerves are getting the best of me. Are they just naturally loud and abrupt due to them being high performance? Thought I should ask before I start tearing into things!

Thank you!

 

The brakes are quiet so you should not be hearing any noise.

Sometimes mine make some noise in the morning when its cold. Just the regular brake squeal noise but it goes away.

Do you have stock pads and rotors? If not then that could be the reason for all the noise. Some performance brake pads make a lot of noise.

 

Our stock pads are notoriously loud...TONS of people have that issue.

It's worst for me when it's bitter cold out. They get unbearable. Most people get new pads as soon as they feel they have gotten their use out of the stockers, or get tired of the noise.

 

Video with audio would help.

 

My brake pads are insanely loud. Most of the time I pull up to a red light all the cars around me look at me funny LOL sometimes its quiet but sometimes it makes noise. Just whatever she feels like (:

 

Post a pic of the rotor... If its largely discolored, glossy enough to make out most details of a reflection, looks like it has very fine irregular scratching or a number of other things they could be the cause... Glazing, heat checking, or over heated brakes become very noisy...

Then again if thats fine you might just have aggressive pads. I'm new to X's but 8/9s have noise shims that for some reason most people throw away when changing pads... That causes the worst screeching i've ever heard...

 

There's loud and then there's loud.

Brake squeal is pretty common with stock pads when the brakes are cold.
If you drive in a city with a lot of traffic lights, they'll be cold most of the time.
(In normal driving, the brakes will warm up a bit even in cold ambient climates.)

The stock pads generate a bit of brake dust which contributes to brake squeal when it's cold.

I put R4S pads on my previous EVO VIII to reduce the dust and squeal in town, but be sure to scrub down the rotors and re-seat the new pads when changing brake compounds.

In normal operation, you may get a metallic "hiss" from the pads contacting the rotors, but it should sound a bit like the hiss of surf.
In a city, the background traffic noise will be louder.
If you haven't seated new pads, it may be louder.

On the other hand, a *loud* "grunching" noise from the brakes is not normal.
On a floating caliper, that could indicate that the caliper isn't sliding as it should.
On an EVO's four pot fixed calipers, it might indicate a piston not getting full pressure, or a pad hanging up, possibly from dust build-up.
If you get the grunching when setting off after braking, it could indicate that the pads aren't sliding back from the rotor when the pressure is off, which could be dust build-up preventing the parts from moving freely. (Brake dust plus water can dry to a weak cement.)
I always made it a point to clean the wheels and calipers when switching between summer and winter wheels.

But an abnormal brake noise typically comes from one caliper. If you're hearing something from all four wheels, it's likely the normal "hiss" of braking.
A malfunctioning caliper or pad is sometimes also accompanied by a "pull" to one side under braking.
... But I'm new enough to an X to not be sure whether the AWC would mask that. (Does the AWC display show any rotation under braking in a straight line?)

A bit of loud grunch could come from something as simple as gravel between the pads and caliper. Do much off-roading?
Or, in Colorado, you might have gotten some road salt or road treatment sand in there.
Or even ice build-up, if the car remains below freezing (outdoor parking).

 

Hmm. That's odd. Mines quiet. However, I don't daily my car.

 

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Yea I dont know what you are all talking about. I have stock pads and they are quiet.

 

Thanks everyone! I will have to look in to it further. What worries me is that I bought it from a Chevy dealership that had it on a trade and I don't trust that they did everything to spec. I better just go through everything right off the bat so I can sleep at night. The Brembo calipers look brand new and the pads look the same, new enough for me to doubt them being the factory set. They might just be cheepies that the dealership through on to get it out the door.

Thanks again!