What a fiasco!!! It took 3 trips to the local auto parts stoe for them to give me the correct brake pads. It turns out I have the "Heavy Duty Suspension" with 5 lug and 4 piston calipers.
My question, is this on ALL verts? Or is this a dealer installed option?
If it is common, why was it such a nightmare to get the pads (had to be ordered)?

 

no they are on all verts...4 piston front and single in the rear. Hopefully you didn't remove the calipers as you do not have to on the pad replacement.

 

I know I dont have to remove the caliper for pad replacement, BUT.... I did have to remove the calipers to compress the pistons back in - My C-Clamp wouldn't fit otherwise....
Although...
Once I had all the correct pads, it only took like 20 mins for both sides

 

You don't use a c clamp to compress the pistons you have to use a disc brake tool (looks like a cube with different ***** on the sides). You have to rotate the piston in.

 

Only two types of front calipers (single and four piston), and two types of rears (vented and non-vented disk) AFAIK.

How many types of brake pads did you see?

BTW, check my sig. and download the parts fiche - it'll show you this kind of info (and FSM if you don't have one). Also, if you like spending money on cool tools, I've seen three types of tools used to push in brake pistons...one is for single pistons, one for multiple pistons, and the third is a cube type of thing to rotate rear caliper pistons. I used to use a c-clamp, but this way is much better. I'll look for pics.

 

K.ronic - I think he's talking about the front calipers, not the rear's

Here's the picture I promised...

A - front single piston tool
B - rears to rotate piston in
C - calipers with pistons on both sides (i.e. our 4-piston calipers)

 

Thats for the back bro... I was working on the front.

A C-Clamp works fine on the front, just required me removing the caliper...
I know there are better tools, I was just kinda blindsided by the 4 piston rotors on this little car

 

My bad......

 

You think Mazda did this because the fact of it being a convertible?

Only reason I can see being legible.

 

English?

 

The convertible is heavier, so they were very logical in this regard. I would still like to give a kick in the *** of whoever decided not to have the 4-piston brakes (and 5-bolt) standard on all 2nd gens. - but Mazda isn't the only one that has committed this crime. Obviously the bean counters got their way.

 

That was completely suitable English, maybe you need to improve your vocabulary?

 

I see, I thought it might've been a safety precaution lol

like "hey .... that's a convertible, you can be killed easier in those .... should we put stronger brakes on it?"