Tag: Brakes

Brake Rotor Options for your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, Commentary7 Comments
Worn out DB9 brakes needing new rotors

Brake Rotors are an essential part of the awesome brake systems fitted to the Aston Martin DB9 and Vantage.  They are also a routine wear item, and will eventually need replaced.  You can safely expect to get 20K miles or more from a set of Rotors (unless you track your car all the time).  When it is time to replace them I wanted to share you have more options than just going to the dealer and retting a set of the original OEM brake rotors.   As I’ve discussed in my other article on “Everything you might want to know about your Aston Martin Brake System” (check it out here) our brake system is made by Brembo, and was fitted to other high performance cars of the same era like the Corvette ZR1.  This is good news for us since it has led to a few more brake rotor options to choose from. Continue reading “Brake Rotor Options for your Aston Martin DB9” →

Choosing the Right Brake Fluid for your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, Commentary4 Comments

Brake fluid is a key ingredient in any cars brake system, even more so in an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage.  It’s so important that flushing the brake fluid is mandated in every annual service for the DB9 (check out the 1 year service schedule here).   But which brake fluid should you buy?   I set about researching this and discovered there is one disastrous wrong answer, so we need to choose wisely.  Read on so you don’t make that mistake.

Continue reading “Choosing the Right Brake Fluid for your Aston Martin DB9” →

Brake Pad Options for an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, Commentary21 Comments
Time for new Brake Pads on my DB9

One of the few parts on an Aston Martin that we actually have some aftermarket parts available for are the Brake Pads.   The Brakes on a DB9 are actually made by Brembo, and they were fitted to more cars than the DB9 and Vantage.  They are on the Corvette ZR1, Dodge Viper, Ford GT, Camero SS, Subaru STI and more.  Basically these were the cream of the crop performance cars of the era, and fast company.

Because the Brembo design was used in larger volumes than we are used to with our limited production Aston Martins, many third party companies make brake pads.   I wanted to outline your options below so when it comes time to service your brakes you can choose a set of pads that best suits your needs. Continue reading “Brake Pad Options for an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →

Bedding in EBC Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To18 Comments
Glowing brake rotor on a DB9

One of the most common maintenance items on any car, the DB9 and Vantage included, is servicing your brakes.   When your service includes either changing the brake pads, the brake rotors, or both, it is necessary to properly ‘mate’ the two components together for optimal performance and, in the case of an Aston Martin, to reduce or eliminate brake squeal. Continue reading “Bedding in EBC Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →

Bedding in Porterfield Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To4 Comments
Glowing brake rotor on a DB9

One of the most common maintenance items on any car, the DB9 and Vantage included, is servicing your brakes.   When your service includes either changing the brake pads, the brake rotors, or both, it is necessary to properly ‘mate’ the two components together for optimal performance and, in the case of an Aston Martin, to reduce or eliminate brake squeal. Continue reading “Bedding in Porterfield Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →

Bedding in OEM Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Uncategorized4 Comments
Glowing brake rotor on a DB9

One of the most common maintenance items on any car, the DB9 and Vantage included, is servicing your brakes.   When your service includes either changing the brake pads, the brake rotors, or both, it is necessary to properly ‘mate’ the two components together for optimal performance and, in the case of an Aston Martin, to reduce or eliminate brake squeal. Continue reading “Bedding in OEM Brake Pads on an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →

Parts needed for a Full Brake Service of an Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To10 Comments

If you drive your DB9 (or Vantage) regularly eventually you will need to service the brakes.  I started the process for my car by writing up an article about all the details of the braking system (read it here).   In another article I’ve covered the details of how to inspect your brakes to check if the pads, rotors, calipers and wear sensors are in good condition (read it here).  Based on that inspection if you’ve found that you only need to change your brake pads, I’ve created a separate article just covering that (read it here).  If you need to change more than you pads, then this article is next up for you.   I wanted to cover the parts and supplies you should round up before you do a Full Brake Service. Continue reading “Parts needed for a Full Brake Service of an Aston Martin DB9” →

EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads SUCK for Street use in an Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, Commentary9 Comments

“Squeeeeeaaaaaallllll”   “Squeeeaaaal”   “Squeal”   You better get used to that noise if you are looking to run a set of EBC Red Stuff brake pads in your DB9.   During my recent full brake service I figured I’d try something new instead of running another set of Porterfield R4-S pads.  I looked around at the various options, and found the EBC Red Stuff pads were a fair bit cheaper, so I bought a set off Amazon.  The savings were notable, about $250 USD for both sets of front and rears vs. $370 buying Porterfield’s.  Big mistake – and one you can now avoid making. Continue reading “EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads SUCK for Street use in an Aston Martin DB9” →

Replacing the Brake Pads in an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To8 Comments

The Brakes are arguably the most important part of your DB9.  Our lives depend on them working properly.   Inspecting their condition periodically is necessary to catch a developing condition before it degrades braking performance.

If you’ve inspected your Brakes in your DB9 (read my article about this) and discovered that you only need to change the brake pads (your rotors and wear sensors are still fine) the process of changing only the pads is pretty straight forward.   I think anyone comfortable working on their car can manage this without needing to take the car to a dealership. Continue reading “Replacing the Brake Pads in an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →

Inspecting the Brakes in an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To16 Comments

Regularly inspecting the brakes on your DB9 should be part of your routine service, same as changing the oil.  I would suggest it’s a bad idea to “Forget about them until something breaks”.  In fact, this is so important it’s part of the official Aston Martin 1 year and 2 year service regimes.   We all grouse about the cost of dealer service, but the fact is part of that time (and $$$) is well spent inspecting things we might skip since we are uninformed.  If you are going to take care of your Aston yourself, this is a procedure you should get good at, you’ll be doing it each year.

I am doing this as part of my larger series on a complete brake service.   How do you know if you need a complete brake service?   You inspect your brakes and find something indicating it’s necessary.  This article will tell you how. Continue reading “Inspecting the Brakes in an Aston Martin DB9 or Vantage” →