Greasing brakes.

[Gazz]

Has anyone had any experiences with greasing their brakes. I've never done it before myself, but it has been something that has been suggested to me to give a try. But to be honest, I'm a bit weary about using it.

Its red grease that you put on the pistons by the way, in case anyway thought it went somewhere else.

[davebike]

I would not use red grease on the pistons it is best used on sliding parts Silicon grease or silicon spray is best for the pistons
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[MarJay]

[kgm]

When I had an er6 I found the dust seals regularly allowed crap into their seats causing them to grip the piston too much, making it retract too far. A light coating of red grease on the pistons added an extra barrier to stop the crap and allowed them to move a lot more freely. Definitely worthwhile. A very light coating only though, don't slather it in there.

The red grease is high temp and safe for rubber, hence why I chose that.

[wr6133]

[stinkwheel]

It's normal practice to put nothing at all on your brake calipers. Clean them with a high flash-point zero-residue solvent or hot, soapy water then rinse.

Some people use red grease on the seals during assembly but most manufacturers actually recommend using either brake fluid or specialist wetting compound (which I suspect is actually brake fluid from its appearance).

If I'm parking mine up for a while, I take the pads out, pump the pistons out, clean them then push them back in, apply a wipe of ACF50 to the whole caliper then refit. The ACF burns off first use but it's not on the pistons, just the alloy calliper body
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[Gazza M]

Simply put as long as the braking surfaces (pads, discs) are free of grease the braking performance itself should be ok. Echoing the other posts if you're using grease use the right types, keep them clean so it doesn't turn into grinding paste and don't go mad with it.

Personally I use copper grease on pins, haven't found a need for rubber grease on brakes yet, but then again I've not done a full strip and rebuild of them. On the hydraulic systems I work on (F1 PU bits) red rubber would be on the dust seal if any, working fluid on the pressure seals.
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[notbike]

[kramdra]

I strip and rebuild my callipers often, they take a lot of abuse with 15k miles a year and winter. Usually after winter. We didnt have a winter this year so Im not going to bother yet.

I found red grease turns to shit, particually fuckering the dust seals, and I get much longer between strips if I assemble with plain brake fluid.

I notice, from fixing a few callipers, people put far too much red grease in, it only needs the tiniest amount. It is not a replacement for brake fluid!

[Eddie Hitler]

I've always rebuilt my calipers using specific red grease for the pistons and copper slip for the pin and rear of the pads. Tiny amounts mind.

[ThatDippyTwat]

Red rubber grease on slider pins (Euro car parts, a few quid). Anything else just wants cleaning. If it's been manky for a while, then you may need new seals, possibly pistons, depends how much damage the crap on them has done. Had to put pistons and seals on the GSX a few weeks back as they were utterly fucked, and going off the MOT's, had been for a while.
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[kgm]

[DJP]

[Islander]

Red rubber grease is quite safe to use on seals and to ease the pistons into the caliper. You only want a tiny smear of it not dollops of the stuff. It's often supplied in a small sachet along with the replacement seal kit.

Brake fluid is also suitable for lubricating caliper seals but remember to keep it away from painted surfaces.

[JackButler]

Oh deary fukkin me. Do most of you actually own a motorcycle?

Nothing, absolutely nothing except hydraulic fluid should ever be on the wet side of the seal. Seals can & should be lubricated with hydraulic fluid during fitting the piston. What in Gods name are you smearing all over that piston? Put the piston down & step away from the motorcycle.

No grease, no lubricant, no KY jellies, copper, or anything at all should ever be introduced to the pads, front or back. If I ever catch anyone of you muppets advising this ever again then have the muppet balls to publish your full details to pass onto the family of the recently deceased.

Red rubber grease, which is known not to rot the rubber of the seal, can be applied lightly to the air side of the seal to act as a dust trap & water repellant. Do you know what red rubber grease is made of? Thought not, Google it you sad b@stards & maybe you'll understand . . .

Jayzus, this is facebook bots promoting yootoob fukwits like Delboy style advice.
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[kgm]

[Islander]

[Eddie Hitler]

[RhynoCZ]

I have never and I will never lubricate the caliper pots/pistons. Pots/pistons are exposed to the elements and greasy things atract dust (brake dust) and dirt. Sliding pints of a floating caliper, on the other hand, are a completely different story and I do lubricate them, because those are covered with a rubber boot. Or at least they should be.

Pretty much no moving part of your motorcycle, that is fully exposed to the elements, should have any grease on it at all. The only exception being the final drive chain that gets replaced regulary for that very reason.
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[notbike]

Actually JackButler is right despite typing furiously.

What tangible benefit has anyone had, in this thread, from putting copper slip on the back of pads, or grease on the retaining pins?

It's a lot of risk for no real reason other than "I've always done it and I'm afraid to break my habits".

Can understand red grease as a dust sealant/water repellent on the pistons where advised by caliper manufacturer in rebuild instructions.

But has anyone actually studied the benefits of this shit and published research on it rather than claimed it does things through anecdotes? What does grease legitimately help with on brakes?

All this grease shit on brakes seems like old wives tales and hand-me-down hearsay from old school mechanics.

I have never had a problem with not greasing any part of my brakes.

1. Pistons have never seized and they function well every time I go to take the pads out and clean em.

2. My brake pad retaining pins come out easily with a bit of a tug and some brake cleaner, or a poke with a screwdriver, and if they're that bad some needle nose pliers.

My main gripe is with the fact that:

3. There is absolutely no reason at all for copper grease on the back of pads, ever. It doesn't help with heat dissipation, which is the only performance benefit I could vaguely imagine you would want for your brakes.

There is also no moment where the pads would need lubrication against the piston itself. Pistons are made of a harder material than the backs of pads, so copper grease does not prevent any wear to pistons. If pistons don't get worn from contacting pads, what does the grease actually do here then?

My pads have never seized to the piston, so it can't be used as a "release agent" for the brake pad from the piston itself. If that's happening to you, and this is the reason you use copper grease on the back of your pads, your brakes have bigger problems that need addressing. You have to absolutely cook a brake pad and leave it for it to become seized to a piston. For it to get hot enough to weld itself like that, any copper slip on the back of the pad is going to run like water when the brake gets that hot.

People seem to do this shit "just cos" or because "it prevents brake squeal" which is a piss-poor excuse to risk running oil onto your pads and discs. Just get a louder exhaust, clean your discs and pads, or true your discs if you're getting squeal that bothers you. Don't start chucking grease on the pads.

I ride through winter, around 10k miles per year, multiple bikes, never had a problem with having zero grease around my brakes. Got pissed off when Yamaha did it to my R6 after a service and gave them a call to find out why it needed so much copper slip on the back of the pads (and this shit was CAKED onto the back of my pads?!).

[Islander]

[Eddie Hitler]

What a divisive topic. .

[mentalboy]

..And just to piss off all those that like to go in dry.
I always used Bostik's Never-Seez Pure Nickel Special muck. A light smear on pins, the drive face of the piston and the back of the pads.
When putting pistons back in their cylinders I'd run a finger that had been dipped in brake fluid round the seated seal.

No kittens were ever killed, but if you're hamfisted you don't want to be using nickel based stuff as it sticks like shit to a blanket to anything it comes into contact with.
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[DJP]

[DJP]

Update: I don't actually use copper grease on brakes at all any more.

I use Ceratec on the backs of the pads and on slider pins.

I got a free tube with a set of car discs and pads. It's probably enough to last me 20 years!
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