I have an '03 Kodiak 450. I'm on my 3rd-4th set of rear pads. I feel like i have NO rear brakes at all. I can jump on the foot lever, or squeeze the bejeezus out of the hand lever and it barely helps stop me. Definitely doesn't lock up like drum brakes. I just put on Tusk Sintered metallics. Oh, and i just changed to 27" mudlite XTRs. maybe the bigger wheel is harder to stop? (altho, even the previous stock 25" tires never stopped very well with full brake application).

I've replaced rear rotor once (original was full of cracks). I've bled ALL of the brakes a few times.

So I got about 500 miles out of my last set of rears. The outer pad was worn to the brake plate. the inner is like new. Guessing something was stuck/riding against the outer to wear it out. The caliper piston collapsed back in easily with a c-clamp. I do a fair amount of mud and water riding.

Oh, and because of the engine braking, I rarely ever touch the brakes. and we mostly ride slower, more technical trails.

so, because of the wear this time, I decided NOT to re-install the pad backing shims. there is a fiber material type shim, and then the thin metal shim with the holes on it. I'm theorizing that maybe those 2 shims just help trap muck and crud, helping them wear out pads faster. Anybody else tried this? Do you think the shims serve any purpose? My only guess is they may help disipate heat.

 

Are you sure that it is the pads wearing down that is the problem?
Are you using dot4 or better brake fluid?
Steel braided lines or rubber?
Is it only the rear brake thats wearing? If so it may be a e-brake problem.

 

yep, I use DOT 4 BF. There is no e-brake on these, only park on the auto CVT tranny. I think mud & crud builds up in there and just wears them down. I had heard that unless you use the OEM pads, you'll have poor braking problems, but this last set was Yammy and i got 500 miles out of them.

I have the original brake lines..pretty sure they're rubber. don't see what difference steel-braiding would make, as the steel is braided outside rubber. unless you think my lines have swollen or sompin.

so why do folks rave about disc brakes so much? I think they suck on the rear, compared to the OLD technology of drums. at least drums would stop me and lock up.

 

In my opinion the only part thats better about drum brakes is they are enclosed. Which is perfect for the utility quads.

Have you taken apart the caliper and hit it with brake cleaner? Maybe there is some buildup causing the brake to drag.

I just noticed in your picture that you have a trunk lookin thing on the back of the kodiak. Maybe the extra weight is contributing to the slow stopping. I dunno, just a thought.

 

Have you considered that maybe the rotor or pads are glazed. If the pads wore out unevenly then that suggests that there is a problem with the caliper. One side is pressing and the other is not. Maybe it needs some lube in the slide area if that is how it works. This could explain why it seems the braking is weak.

 

usually sticky caliper will wear the inner pad (one closest to caliper). the caliper piston slid back in really smooth. I cleaned it off with emory cloth first. I think some crud was stuck between outer pad and caliper. i wonder about pad glazing. but shouldn't that wear off?

also, i wonder if the brake fluid needs flushing out completely?

 

Glazing is caused by heat so it wouldn't have to go away. If the pads were rubbing that could cause heat. Checking car brake pads for glazing is recommended every 15000 miles on a Honda so that suggests that it doesn't go away on it own or at least it can come back. I'm not an expert on it but I know it can reduce stopping power. As far as flushing brake fluid goes I don't mean to say that it is never needed, but unless something got in it or it was very old and subjected to very harsh conditions I wouldn't think it was the most likely culprit. Also you want to make sure your brakes are "bedded In" for best performance.

 

When they talk about a stuck caliper ...it isnt the piston that is stuck, its the slider pin which is proably rusted or corrorded and prevents the pads from wearing evenly (because the caliper cant float and center itself over the rotor) , and gives a weak braking action. With the caliper removed from the disk...Does the caliper move in and out on the mounting bracket? It probably doesnt, and the slider pin needs to be removed and relubed with synthetic caliper grease.

 

I removed ALL 4 pins, cleaned them with wire wheel and the lubed them with never-sieze. They were in pretty good shape from the last time I did the brakes.