jimn@cornell.UUCP (Jim Nesheim) (10/23/85)
Ok, all you netters who responded to this question about squeeky brakes -
The consensus seemed to be that the problem of brake dust was caused
by uncovered disc brakes, and asbestos pads. Drum brakes don't do this
because the pads are inside; dust won't escape.
My question is this:
I own an '85 VW GTI, which has disc brakes front and rear. Why
don't I have the problem of brake dust on my rear wheels? It only shows
up on my front wheels. Are the rear discs protected, or do the rear
discs have different pads in them? If anyone knows, I'd like to know.
Somehow this doesn't seem consistent with what everyone thought the
problem was.
Jim Nesheim jimn%amvax@cornell.arpa (old arpa)
Cornell Theory Center jimn@amvax.tn.cornell.edu (new arpa)
265 Olin Hall, Cornell U {ihnp4,decvax,cmcl2,vax135}!cornell!amvax!jimn
Ithaca, NY 14853gvcormack@watmum.UUCP (Gordon V. Cormack) (10/24/85)
> I own an '85 VW GTI, which has disc brakes front and rear. Why > don't I have the problem of brake dust on my rear wheels? It only shows Because, depending on how you drive, your front brakes do somewhere between 70% and 90% of the work of stopping your car. If you don't believe me, do 5 or 6 hard stops from 60 mph, and then feel the temperature of your front wheels vs. your rear wheels. CAUTION: don't just reach out and grab the wheels, they may be close to red hot; you should get the idea from holding your hand near them.
nrh@lzwi.UUCP (N.R.HASLOCK) (10/24/85)
In article <38@cornell.UUCP>, jimn@cornell.UUCP (Jim Nesheim) writes: > > Ok, all you netters who responded to this question about squeeky brakes - > > I own an '85 VW GTI, which has disc brakes front and rear. Why > don't I have the problem of brake dust on my rear wheels? Bayless Racing Inc advertise REPCO deluxe pads that are guaranteed not to dust squeal or fade. On the other hand, under normal conditions, 70% of the brakeing force is generated by the front disks. This suggests that the front brakes will generate more than twice as much dust as the rear, so that the same pads will show different results. -- -- {ihnp4|vax135|allegra}!lznv!nrh Nigel The Mad Englishman or The Madly Maundering Mumbler in the Wildernesses Everything you have read here is a figment of your imagination. Noone else in the universe currently subscribes to these opinions. "Its the rope, you know. You can't get it, you know."
ccrse@ucdavis.UUCP (Steve Ehrhardt) (10/25/85)
> I own an '85 VW GTI, which has disc brakes front and rear. Why > don't I have the problem of brake dust on my rear wheels? It only shows > up on my front wheels. Are the rear discs protected, or do the rear > discs have different pads in them? If anyone knows, I'd like to know. > Somehow this doesn't seem consistent with what everyone thought the > problem was. I can't say for sure, but I think that you probably just have a much lesser accumulation of brake dust on the rear wheels. The front brakes do the lion's share of the braking on any car, so the rear brake pads will be smaller and take much less wear than do the fronts. Air flow differences between the front and rear of the car may also have some- thing to do with it. In any case, the amount of brake dust on the rear wheels probably just looks negligible compared to that on the front.
neal@weitek.UUCP (Neal Bedard) (10/25/85)
In article <38@cornell.UUCP>, jimn@cornell.UUCP (Jim Nesheim) writes: > I own an '85 VW GTI, which has disc brakes front and rear. Why > don't I have the problem of brake dust on my rear wheels? It only shows > up on my front wheels. The front brakes do more work due to weight transfer during braking, and therfore wear off more dust than the rear. I would surmise that since the GTI is relatively nose-heavy this front dust shedding is exaggerated, since the already lightly loaded rear wheels have just that much less traction during braking. My Supra sheds brake dust on all four wheels, about twice as much in the front. On squeaky brakes: There is this stuff from Permatex called "Disc Brake Quiet" that you spray on the piston side of the brake pad (the caliper needs to be dismantled to do this) that supposedly cures squeaking. I've no direct experience with this product, so I can't say how well it works. -Neal -- "they say compassion is a virtue, but I don't have the ... time." UUCP: {turtlevax, resonex, cae780}!weitek!neal