Help Baer ss4

Jasper

New Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2015
I've been having issues with the baer ss4 front brakes. They have been over heating and squealing after 5mins of normal driving. I'm at the point where I'm considering ripping them out. Ive had the hydroboost, brake lines, and callipers all replaced. I've also tried 4 different sets of pads and have had the rotors turned twice. That being said I'm into these for about $7000. I've talked to baer and they told me to install the debris shield to get better air flow and shorten the push rod, still no luck. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I'm running the stock 87 rims and there is very little clearance from the rim to the callipers and the pads to the rotors. The callipers are centred and facing in the right direction. If anyone can give me any ideas it would be greatly appreciated.
 
A quick test: Put a brake pressure ga in the caliper bleed port. Operate the brakes, checking applied psi and then see what the psi is when off the pedal.
Have you replaced the prop valve?
I use HB, and always replace the oem prop with an adj Wilwood unit. No issues w/ drag,
 
Having a similar issue. When you bolt the wheel on, the wheel becomes very hard to spin. Wheel off it spins just fine. Wondering if the preload on the bearing is wrong

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I have installed many SS4 Baer front systems and a couple of them did squeal, but none ever had a hard drag to cause overheating?

Of all the units I have installed none were Hydroboost, most were vacuum?

Most all the turbo Regal installs with the front SS4 used the stock prop valve including my street car, and they have performed flawless.

Talk with Rick Elam at Baer as he is a long time turbo Buick owner and knows the units well.
 
every component to the braking system is new. When I apply the brakes lightly they squeal. If I stomp on the brakes, no squeal. I've been talking to Baer and they haven't come up with anything, besides shortening the push rod or adding the dust shield. I've had the brakes bled numerous times and Im told that the pressure is good. I've had two guys look at my car that knows the ins and outs of GN's and they cant seem to find resolution to these problems. Should the rotor spin freely without the wheel on? Is anyone running these with the stock wheels? Is there supposed to be clearance from the rotor to the pad? Any ideas of what could be causing the squealing besides not properly bedding the pads?
 

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The rotor should spin without the wheel (and with), but with some minimal drag. If it does, Carefully start the engine to pressurize the hydroboost. Does it still spin the same ? Without touching the brake pedal, it should.

Also, make sure you are running the proper hydroboost unit with the proper brake pedal/rod (powermaster or vacuum).
 
Ours with the wheel off it spins free. wheel on its almost impossible to spin

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Broadcast from under my rock::smuggrin:
Wheel off, and the disc secured/torqued evenly.
Check run out. I'd put the indicator on the back side, so w/the wheel on and torqued, you can see the indicator. That should help w/ the wheel - on drag diagnosis.
Also, what do the contact surfaces on the rotor and the hub look like? Not good = distorted rotor with wheel on/torqued.
 
Had a similar issue when I put my wilwood kit on. I had a jegs line lock that was bad and not allowing the psi to release.
 
For the squeal , did you try a different compound pad ? I had a nasty low speed squeal with my Wilwoods & a higher temp rated pad ( BP20 ). Switched a BP10 lower temp rated pad and squeal went away .
 
Thanks guys for helping me trouble shoot, I'll look into some of these things. I've tried a few different compound pads. I've been using these soft green pads. Not sure of the name. They have worked the best since I can get about two weeks of driving before the squealing get to intense. I ended up getting the callipers ground down where it was contacting the rim. The rim was a little scratched up, I was surprised since I was told these will fit with the stock rims. Is anyone running these brakes with the stock rims? I'll have to get my rotors turned since they are pretty bashed up after installing the dust shield. I'll also be removing the shield since it doesn't seem to be doing anything
 

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I run them on stock t wheels

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I ended up getting the callipers ground down where it was contacting the rim. The rim was a little scratched up, I was surprised since I was told these will fit with the stock rims
Suppose that had anything to do with the drag, when torquing the wheels?
 
I have been running these ss4 ( 16" GTA wheels) for a couple of years and they squeal just as Jasper has described , sent an email to Bear from their webpage a couple of weeks ago with no reply as of yet..
 
Not yet. I've ordered new pads and I'm going to take the dust shields off. They don't seem to be heating up as bad but the squealing is terrible. I'm not sure why the rotor won't spin freely since it's a fixed calliper and they are centred over the rotor. Im hoping thinner pads will do the job.
 
Not yet. I've ordered new pads and I'm going to take the dust shields off. They don't seem to be heating up as bad but the squealing is terrible. I'm not sure why the rotor won't spin freely since it's a fixed calliper and they are centred over the rotor. Im hoping thinner pads will do the job.

You need to figure that out first. Either you still have interference between the caliper and wheel, or the act of torquing the wheel is clocking the bearing or distorting the hub enough that either the bearing is binding or the disk is no longer square with the caliper.

What do the pads look like after it starts screaming at you? Are they evenly worn or are they tapered? Have you pulled the hub apart and checked the bearings?
 
You need to figure that out first. Either you still have interference between the caliper and wheel, or the act of torquing the wheel is clocking the bearing or distorting the hub enough that either the bearing is binding or the disk is no longer square with the caliper.

What do the pads look like after it starts screaming at you? Are they evenly worn or are they tapered? Have you pulled the hub apart and checked the bearings?

Will tell you what I did. Was told I was being too easy with my brakes, and the pads got hard. So I got the car up to 60-70 mph and slam on the brakes like a naked women ran out in front of me. Did this six or seven times over two three days. Squealing is gone. Now these pads from Baer only had about 1,500 miles on them before they started squealing and only at low speed stops, however they are not making any noise now, but only have a couple of hundred miles on them since I did this. Hope this will help you, however you may have something else going on.
 
Well let me know. I have the same issue as u. Brakes dragging. No free spin at all. Mine is centered. Ordered new pads no difference. Got new calibers no change. I'm lost at this point. Wish i wound have left thr stock stuff on at this point. I only changed them to have better brakes but that is not the case
 
Not yet. I've ordered new pads and I'm going to take the dust shields off. They don't seem to be heating up as bad but the squealing is terrible. I'm not sure why the rotor won't spin freely since it's a fixed calliper and they are centred over the rotor. Im hoping thinner pads will do the job.
From the looks of the rotor, in the 2nd pic, it's warped, or mounted crooked. the rust/clean areas are a pretty good indicator somethings not aligned.
Throwing parts at it, not going to fix it.
 
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