Nobody likes swapping brake pads, and one of the most annoying parts of the process is getting the caliper pistons fully pushed back into the caliper body to make room for the fresh pads. We never seem to have the right tool on-hand, so we instead reach for any lever within arm’s reach: a block of wood, a pry bar, or even a brake pad turned on its side. All those methods put your costly brake components at risk of being damaged. Pressing hard, sharp objects against the discs, pistons, or dust boots can gouge, tear, or scrape them, while using an expensive racing brake pad as a lever is the perfect way to have the pad compound crack or separate from the backing plate. These types of implements are also particularly ill-suited for trying to concurrently retract all three pistons on each side of a six-piston caliper. They typically aren’t long enough to cover all three pistons at once, which means the pistons are popping in and out like an evil game of Whac-A-Mole! Fear not, we have your solution. The Essex Caliper Spreader is the perfect companion for quickly and easily swapping brake pads. It’s versatile, compact, easy to use, and costs less than a single set of brake pads.

Versatile

We designed the Essex Caliper Spreader to be the perfect size for all the calipers found in our AP Racing by Essex Brake Kits. Whether you’re running one of our Road or Competition Kits, with Radi-CAL or conventional calipers, this tool has you covered. The end plates are longer than most other commercially available spreaders, which means they’ll cover all three pistons of a six-piston caliper at once, while still being short enough to fit inside four piston calipers. Ours also has a longer throw, which means that on most calipers you can fully retract the pistons. Our spreader also works great with a wide variety of other aftermarket and OEM calipers. The end plates are tall enough to reach down into many of today’s calipers that use brake pads with taller radial depths, which is particularly common with carbon ceramic disc systems. It also has a great range of travel and will work on brake discs of just about any width (minimum disc width of 15mm to a max tool spread of 88mm).

Confirmed caliper fitments below. As we and our clients confirm more fitments we will add them to this list:

• AP Racing Radi-CAL Competition Calipers- CP9668, CP9669, CP9660, CP9661, CP944x, CP945X
• AP Racing Conventional Competition Calipers- CP8350, CP5060, CP5040
• AP Racing Radi-CAL Road Calipers- CP956x, CP954x
• OEM Calipers
  • C8 Corvette Z06 front/rear (shown below)

Protects your Pricey Brake Components

The brake systems on many of today’s high-performance street or racing vehicles are loaded with expensive components. Many contain delicate painted caliper finishes, stainless steel or titanium caliper pistons, ceramic piston caps, and carbon ceramic discs worth thousands of dollars apiece. Wielding a screwdriver or other tool not designed for the job of piston retraction around these pricey components is a recipe for costly mistakes.

Durable and Portable

Manufactured completely from steel and aluminum, there aren’t any fragile plastic bits to bend or break. Store it in your toolbox or track box alongside your other go-to tools without worrying about hurting it. The steel end plates are zinc coated for corrosion resistance, and the entire unit is very compact. It doesn’t have long handles, so it’s easier to fit it into tight spaces up inside your car’s wheel wells. It also tucks away neatly for travel, and you don’t have to worry about whacking your car, your wheels, etc. with it.

Quick and Easy to Use

Using the Essex Pad Spreader is a breeze. First, loosen the cap on your brake fluid reservoir. Then remove the brake pads on both sides of the brake disc, insert the spreader into the top of the caliper, squeeze 5 or 6 times, and your pistons are all retracted into their bores. You’ll no longer need to swap the pads on each side of the caliper separately, nor will you have to worry about damaging anything.

Caution: You shouldn’t have to exert extreme force on the tool to press the caliper pistons back into their bores. If you’re trying to use this tool on an OEM caliper and having to squeeze extremely hard, this likely isn’t the correct tool for the job. Some OEM calipers pistons are screwed, not pressed, back into the caliper body, and others are retracted by turning a screw on the side of the caliper body (thank you NA Miata rear calipers!). Also please note that brake fluid is corrosive and can remove the finish from the handles if it is left on there.

Affordable

***Ratchet and socket above not included- shown for size/scale purposes***

Pad Spreader Use Instructions

1. Push the Release Lever to unlock the mechanism and slide the Spreader Plates close to each other, so they can fit between the pads or caliper pistons.
2. Insert the plates into the caliper as far as possible. NOTE: the Spreader Plates can be rotated relative to the rest of the mechanism after loosening the Large Nut. This may allow better positioning. Re-tighten and snug the Large Nut back up before use.
3. Pump out the pads using the Advancement Lever until resistance increases and the play is taken out.
4. Give the Advancement lever a full stroke and wait for at least 5 seconds before squeezing again. For the pistons to be pushed back, there is a large amount of fluid that must move from the caliper up through a tiny (and very restrictive) hole, between the master cylinder and the reservoir. This takes time. Give the spring action of the plates time to move this fluid.
5. Push the Release Lever.
6. Pump out the pads using the Advancement Lever until the resistance increases and play is taken out.
7. Give the Advancement Lever a full stroke and wait for at least 5 seconds.
8. Push the Release Lever.
9. Repeat until the pistons and/or pads are fully retracted. Sometimes steps 5 and 6 can be skipped for less-stubborn applications.