I got a set of Raybestos Quiet Stop pads. In this picture you can see a small tube of whitish "paste" came with it:


What is that? Is it silicone grease for the caliper bolt bushings? Or am I supposed to do something else with it?

My best guess would be to lube the slider pins.

EDIT: I was wrong, PLEASE do not treat my thought seriously. Follow willwren'* advice.

you put this on the springs to contact the back of the pads. any surface you see on the back of the pad that contacts the calipers, put a little shot of this. use regular brake grease for the slider pins

Ah, anti-squeal...makes sense.

Put it in a circle where the caliper piston contacts the back of the pad as well. Never use it on the pins. It'* an adhesive with lubricative properties. Your calipers will seize if you use it in the wrong place.

Thanks for that willwren...so, what do I use on the pins?

In some places I've read silver anti-sieze is OK, but others say not to use anything petroleum-based...that would basically leave silicone grease like what I use to lube lab equipment and food/pharma machinery:
https://www.haynesmfg.com/TechLubri-Film.pdf

Would that work?

No, look at the melting point. Your brakes can exceed that temperature. Get caliper grease from your auto parts store. That grease is designed for high-load bearings, which your caliper pins are not. They are linear slides. That lubricant looks like it was primarily engineered to be FDA approved.

Use something specifically designed or identified for the application.

OK, I gotcha...MSDS for Permatex Caliper Grease says it'* a moly and graphite impregnated synthetic grease. Will head to the Kragen (again!!!) for it before starting.

Pull the pins all the way out of the calipers, and clean them and the inside of the wipers with brake cleaner. Then grease it up good, put them in, and wipe of the excess.