I put on new front brake rotors from autozone along with performance friction brake pads. The pads were extremely hard to get on but I managed. Once they were on I was barely able to spin the rotor. So I drove it around and it seems fine but there is a smell of burnt brakes after I drive around. So, my question is, is it ok to have the pads touching the rotor when the brakes are not applied? And are you supposed to be able to turn the rotor without a lot of resistence? Thanks for any replys and sorry if this is a dumb question. The last time I did my brake pads it was a lot easier to spin the rotor.

 

Did you lube the slides & caliper mounting bolts with a silicone lube? If not, the caliper might be sticking, and not pulling back all the way to release the pads. There should be a slight drag on the rotors from the brake pads... but if you have the wheel and tire on, you should be able to get a few free spins without the tire stopping.


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You said you replaced the rotors. make sure you didn't over tighten them. When you change pads you need to remove the cap from the master cylinder when pushing the brake piston back in the caliper. The brake rotor should not be this hard to turn. Get help before you damage a caliper or wheel bearings.

 

I jacked up my car after driving around for awhile and I was able to spin the tire around one and a half times, I probably could have spun it around twice if I spun it as hard as I could. So do I need to lube the calipers or do anything else? Thanks for the help.

 

The ONLY thing you lube on your brakes are the two bolts that the caliper mount on. Clean the flat surfaces on the caliper and mounting bracket. The grease to use on the bolts is a high temp Anti-seize. This is a metalic looking grease you can pick up at the parts store.