whats the best pads to use hope m4 mono

[briancat]

hi
i've just got my self some m4's off ebay and there alittle rubbish at the moment.
i can feel them pulling on the disk, but theres no bit in the pads. hope that makes sence. think there standard hope pads. which i've read are pants in a big way. was thinking of getting ebc gold sintered pads any good??? what do people use???
sorry if this has been covered before but i couldnt find any info
thanks

[SteveUK]

I use the Hope organic (black) pads in all of my brakes (V2 and M6) and they're just fine. If you're certain that the caliper is correctly installed and the lever throw is right for your hands, I would start by checking for contamination of the pads.

[SteveUK]

edit: double post

[briancat]

hi steve. i've checked the pads they look clean and no oil fluid marks, and i've got the 4pistons sitting even. i do have a loose leaver. but when the slacks taken up it works ok. feels like the leever plunger isnt meeting the master piston. maybe be a weak spring??

[SteveUK]

Check out this guide to get an understanding of how the lever works. As you'll see, it's not really possible for the assembly to become disconnected.

Have the brakes been bled, do you know?

Oh, and welcome to the forums!!

[briancat]

i've read your right ups its helped me loads. i know what you mean about the lever not really losting contact as the spring should push back and take the slack. im not sure thats happening. but i dont think thats the problem just rubbish pads
and thanks for the welcome lol

[SteveUK]

Different pad compounds are, of course, a matter of preference, but you should bear in mind that the organic pads will (should!) actually bite more easily than the sintered ones. If you can't get the organic pads to bite, it's unlikely that you will with sintered.

My feeling is that there's something amiss with the brake. Either it needs bleeding - the first thing to check once you're sure that the caliper is aligned - or there's an issue with one of the master cyclinder piston seals. It's obviously easier if with the brake to hand, so you're just going to have to get methodical and rule out the possibilities. Just because there is no visible sign of contamination, doesn;t mean that there isn't any.

My advice would be to flush the old fluid, which may be old and have deteriorated, get a good bleed done, then sand the pad surfaces, clean the rotor, and start over by bedding the pads back in.

[briancat]

right i've pulled the lever apart and found one of the seals had split, and was stoping the piston moving freely. so have to get a new seal kit and hope the helps.

[briancat]

right i've put the lever back together and it works fine now with agood feel to it. bleed the brakes 3 or 4 times just to make sure. but thhe front sill isnt much cop. so i'll see if the bedin over a few rides. if not im going to change the pads and see what happens.

[cgd]

to fine tune the bleeding process cable tie the levers in the brakes on position and leave for a couple of days, flick the hoses and calipers to help free any trapped air. any trapped air bubbles in the system will find there way to the master cylinder. ive had good results from doing this on a number of bikes.

[briancat]

cheers for the advise, ive cable ty'd my levers i'lll so how it goes

[cgd]

no probs, keep us posted.

[briancat]

cgd as i said i tryed your method and it seems like there working better. but i tryed them going down a hill pulling them on and off. and the back was working fine. but the front wouldnt pull up. when i stopped at then bottom there was smoke coming from the pads. and black streaks on the disk. do you think thats a sign of contamination of the pad?
and once again cheers for the help people :-)

[cgd]

possible if you got them hot enough to burn off whatever was on them.

if i was you id put new pads in and then take it from there. make sure you clean the disk before fitting the new pads.

[briancat]

pads it is then