how vital is the anti-rattle clip on brakes?

[Wonko The Sane]

One of my anti rattle clips is missing due to one of the retaining screws having sheared and I was wondering if it's a huge issue or will just cause the pad to wear down a little quicker or get crudded up a little quicker?

cheers
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[RhynoCZ]

It is not dangerous to ride it without the clips, they only make sure the pads are not vibrating during braking, which is what causes the whistling/squeaky sound. You could use some grease on the back of the pads to emulate what the clip does.

EDIT: And what Mr. Wheel says, I forgot some clips are actually guides for the pads. Well, If you've got Nissin 4 pot calipers from the 90's, you can ride them with out the clips.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[stinkwheel]

I would say it depends on which anti-rattle clip it is.

Some seem to simply stop rattling. Others act as a guide for the ends of the pad and I'd worry aboutthem jamming in the calliper without.

SO the 6-pots on my VFR were supplied without anti rattle springs, I had to fit some because it was noisy. The rear calliper on my KLE would spit the pads out without the clip (and sometimes does anyway).
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Wonko The Sane]

Kawasaki ZZR600 running the standad Tokothingies:

parts diagram
https://www.cornwallkawasaki.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cmd=showdiagram&id=2592
____________________
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They're also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-Rider-Training/196832923734251

[stinkwheel]

Should be ok with that one missing.

You may (shock horror) find it rattles without them. Is annoying.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Wonko The Sane]

[pepperami]

I lost one on my Superdream and it didn`t stop the bike functioning, it did however make the brake squeal during light braking????
As soon as I got that silly little sliver of metal off another old caliper and put it in, the squealing stopped??
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Nobby the Bastard]

[MCN]

The reason for the shim it to present a different material between the pad backing and the caliper which interferes with the resonance of the assembly and prevents squealing.

As said it will work perfectly without the shim but may squeal like a stuck pig.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.