Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Ultimate Subaru Message Board

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

question about brake calipers...

Featured Replies

125 psi of air pressure on a caliper to move the piston?

No thanks. My life's not worth it.

 

What you have is a small bomb, ready to explode and launch the piston where you least expect.

Air is compressible, and can store energy when pressurized.

 

Be very careful!

Do ceramic pads generate less heat?

 

Heat production is directly proportional to the coeffecient of friction. At a very general level, when you use your brakes, you're converting kinetic energy into thermal energy (heat). The main advantage of ceramic pads is not improved braking performance but lower NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) and less noticeable dusting, which are the main complaints of your average driver and, therefore, a major source of comebacks in the automotive repair business. Ceramics insulate heat (and noise), so your rotors actually run hotter with a ceramic pad vs. a semi-metallic one. Many manufacturers add copper to their ceramic friction compounds in order to improve heat dissipation. This is misconception about ceramics providing performance advantage is mainly due to the successful marketing campaigns of brake pad manufacturers. Ceramic pads tend to cost more and the profit margin is higher.

 

I've tried several different ceramic pads and have concluded that I prefer high quality semi-metallic pads. I can live with the extra dusting.

 

As for the brake lube question, I think piston boots and slide pins, particularly on Akebono calipers with the rubber bushing on the lock pin, require a dedicated lubricant. A solid lubricant such as Permatex Ceramic, Moly grease, or anti-seize is good for the pad contact points and backing plate, areas where washout is a concern. On the sealed areas of the caliper, washout is not a concern, and this is where I think you need a dedicated lubricant that will not swell rubber and compromise the sealing points and that will stand up to the heat of a braking system.

Edited by hohieu
clarity

125 psi of air pressure on a caliper to move the piston?

No thanks. My life's not worth it.

 

What you have is a small bomb, ready to explode and launch the piston where you least expect.

Air is compressible, and can store energy when pressurized.

 

Be very careful!

 

:rolleyes: I'm not dumb I had a block of wood

  • Author

That's probably another reason why mechanics are stubborn about it...they don't really want to discover how friendly nurses are! :brow:

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

Sign In Now

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.