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| My front brakes drag even less now | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 22 2010, 08:30 PM (2,142 Views) | |
| JellyBeanDriver | Sep 22 2010, 08:30 PM Post #1 |
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A lot of you already know I did the 13" wheel/95+ knuckle/hub/rotor/caliper upgrade on my 92'. VERY shortly afterwards I had a dragging front rt caliper (just that wheel was getting HOT) and ended up rebuilding both both calipers. Things were wonderful - great brakes and my best MPG was 51.8 MPG (MPGuino helped me drive better) Still there was some drag from the disc brakes. Jack up the front and rotate the tire by hand and you could feel it. Felt like it was more than it should be but brakes were not getting HOT anymore, right and left sides were the same temp. Then there was the weekend that I worked on a friend's 97 Metro's brakes. His front brakes had practically NO drag! I chalked it up to worn calipers allowing the pistons to freely move in and out - but he also didn't have any brake shims. Hmm. On a good caliper the piston retracts due to the seal returning to its original shape, but the piston only retracts a few mils. I now had good calipers after the rebuild, so why don't I have enough retraction? Got to thinking about how I've been replacing disc brake pads all these years - remove worn pads + shims - smear a thin layer of orange CRC Disc Brake Quiet on the back of the pad, allow it to set up. - put the old shims on the new pads - install the pads and put the caliper back on. - I think sometimes I put some CRC stuff on the outside of the pad shim too. That's when it hit me - the CRC Disc Brake quiet, if compressible at all will take up the distance the piston is retracting and can/will put residual pressure on the pad against the rotor! Whenever I've done brakes again the CRC stuff pretty much has moved out of the way and is VERY thin, but a few mils is pretty thin too. To test this theory I took my front pad shims out, cleaned off any residual CRC Disc Brake Quiet and put it all back together. The result? I can coast a bit better. Even on very slight grades - even ones that don't appear to be a grade, if I let off the brakes the car will roll. The front tires off the ground are now much easier to rotate by hand. My current tank is the best ever - will likely end up ~ 53 - 54 MPG. I've experienced no squeaking or squeeling from the front brakes, my brake pedal feel slightly different - more firm, engages higher. Almost like getting SS hoses. FYI, I'm running Axis MetalMaster pads in the front and they came with a thin bonded fiberglass shim - so the OEM shim on top + the CRC stuff was becoming a compressible spring making the pads press on the disc more than it should. No more CRC Disc Brake Quiet for me. Anyways, just thought I'd share. |
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| mwebb | Sep 22 2010, 11:11 PM Post #2 |
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FOG
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i have never heard of Axis MetalMaster pads ? doesn't matter , it is likely that your front rotors will "warp" now , because of the extra heat and load that was placed on them if they do , do not have them "machined" it does not work on these thin disposable rotors . either live with it or , replace both the pads and the rotors as just replacing rotors and reusing the used now funky pads will result in a new lesson , in pain . i bet your mileage will improve more than your projection ... |
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| mcmancuso | Sep 22 2010, 11:21 PM Post #3 |
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Get your rotors cryo'd It relieves stress in the steel and prevents most warping Plus they'll last 2X+ longer
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| JellyBeanDriver | Sep 23 2010, 12:27 AM Post #4 |
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I think I'm going to be fine. Can't remember exactly how far I drove with the dragging right front caliper, probably 2-3 weeks so 500-1500 miles. The rims right at the hub didn't get scorching hot. The good side I could keep my fingers there forever, the right side for ~ 10 seconds. The rotors never turned blue except for when I first got them and bedded the pads. I'm almost 3 months past the date since I rebuilt the calipers, or around 6000 miles later. Still glassy smooth but STRONG braking power. Every day I think about how much better my braking is compared to what I had before the upgrade. Axxis Metal Masters have been around for a long time. It's a good intermediate pad between OEM and track pads, very fade resistant. On my Metro the initial bite is very good and I don't sense that they're less so when cold unlike some people's experiences with this pad on other cars. The Akebono ceramics on the wife's PT Cruiser are noticeable/annoyingly worse when cold. Unfortunately I think Axis discontinued the metal master pads for the 95+ metros as I tried to get some for a friend and couldn't find anymore in stock. Edited by JellyBeanDriver, Sep 23 2010, 12:28 AM.
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| DaFoneguy | Sep 23 2010, 07:18 AM Post #5 |
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New Member
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Whatchutalkinboutwillis? Cryo'd <--- ??? I have seen the drilled and slotted rotors available for the Metro. Didn't think this lil car could go fast like a race car and need race car parts. |
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| kurtis1971 | Sep 23 2010, 09:47 AM Post #6 |
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what is this |
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| mcmancuso | Sep 23 2010, 10:26 AM Post #7 |
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Good cryo info here: http://www.cdpautomachine.com/ecatalog/cryo.html After cryogenic treatment, brake rotors do not distort (warp or twist) and therefore brake fade and chatter are eliminated. In addition, rotors typically perform in service at least twice as long and more typically three times longer. It looks like slowly cooling to -300F, then bringing to room temp, then heating to 350F substantially improves the internal structure of the steel for all applications. And decreases wear 2-3X and protects against microfractures. Pretty much cool the assembly down to liquid nitrogen temp, then put it in your oven there are shops that do it.
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| mcmancuso | Sep 23 2010, 10:27 AM Post #8 |
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Then I LOL'd |
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| JellyBeanDriver | Sep 23 2010, 10:47 PM Post #9 |
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53.4 MPG on my last tank! New high! This is with decent babying, but that's also what I did before to get 51.8MPG. Now back to regular driving. |
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| mcmancuso | Sep 23 2010, 11:38 PM Post #10 |
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!
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| JellyBeanDriver | Sep 24 2010, 12:06 AM Post #11 |
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Would have gotten more if I didn't have to do some city driving. |
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| bogs | Sep 24 2010, 01:44 AM Post #12 |
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Duct tape heals all wounds
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Nice work
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Plus they'll last 2X+ longer


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there are shops that do it.
!
7:44 PM Jul 10