Remember you took your car on long drives just to get in touch with the vehicle? Those rides have a toll on your vehicle which accumulates over the time. These can be often recovered by regular periodic services. During these periodic services, everything from your engine to the tires is systematically evaluated and repaired if required. This is a necessary but a costly affair which cannot be avoided. The only way to lessen this burden is to put some effort into it. There are various parts of the vehicle which can be repaired without the intervention of a qualified technician. Such works are quite easy and can be executed by a layman. One such action is checking your brake rotors and in general the braking system.
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| Brake Rotors |
Those rush hour hard stops could only be made possible by an efficient braking system. This system has few important parts which effectively control the velocity of your vehicle, helping you to decelerate smoothly. These parts such as calipers, brake rotor, the brake pad and the piston are the key aspects of any braking system. While applying the brakes, the calipers press the brake pads against the brake rotor. The rotors then turn the kinetic energy into heat energy which is absorbed by the rotors and dissipated while slowing down the vehicle. This is the mechanism by which the brakes work. The condition of these parts can be evaluated by any layman. While driving the vehicle gives you certain signs and signals that your brakes are not in their optimum condition. Signs like squealing while applying the brakes and fluttering of the brake pedal indicate that your braking system requires repair.
Procedure to know the condition of the braking system
There is a simple procedure to estimate the condition of your braking system. These following points will guide you through the procedure:
- The first step is to remove the wheel. Since the car will be secured by the jacks and wheel block, it is wise to ensure that they are fixed properly.
- The next step is inspecting the brake rotor. Never attempt to remove it. Remember this part is essential for the vehicle to stop. Inspecting the rotor might reveal rusting of the rotor, uneven wear or scoring of the rotor. Heavy build up rust can be quite dangerous and needs to be replaced. In case of scoring and uneven wear, only a qualified mechanic can ascertain if the rotor needs to be resurfaced or be replaced. Brake rotors often carry their “minimum thickness for worn rotors” value on them. By using a micrometer, it can be determined if the rotor should be replaced or not.
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| Brake Rotors |
- Checking the calipers is the next step. The calipers should be checked if they are fixed properly and is the holding mechanism is in good condition.
- The brake pads can be found in the inspection hole in calipers’ dust shield. Excessive wearing of the brake shoe can lead to failure of the braking system and frequent accidents. In addition to it the brake lines should be dry and crack free.
The quality of the brake rotor is crucial for efficient braking. The quality of the metal used and the rotor design, the wearing and the noise of the rotor play an important role in lowering the price. Often cheaper rotors may look just like a premium quality rotor but a detailed analysis reveals the vast metallurgical difference. Cheaper rotors are made of scrap iron where the characteristics of the metal vary from batch to batch. This leads variation in the properties of the rotor which has certain hard and soft spots. These spots wear at different rates causing problems in braking. In addition to these ordinary rotors have thinners facings and lesser fins. A premium quality brake rotors will not only surpass these inspections but also will increase the pleasure of your driving experience.
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