Brake Discs Worn

The brake discs worn, and how does it happen ?.

Brake discs worn, why?. The brake disc is a part of the automotive brake system that works together and wears out over time. In addition to brake discs, brake pads, brake fluid, brake calipers, and brake pedals need to be work together. You need to know that these parts wear out over the distances you drive and will eventually need to replace them.

All types of vehicles driven through the rotation of the wheels need a brake system to stop motion, no matter what vehicles, trucks, planes, motorcycles, bicycles, scooters, etc.

The Brake system uses disc or drum brakes, with brake pads acting to stop its rotation.

A car that has been running overtime needs maintenance of the brake system, making sure you are safe when braking is required.

You can check first to see if replacement or repair is required. Repairing the brake system is neither difficult nor easy. If you like to fix your car by yourself, replacing your brake system parts is not difficult. But if you do not know the mechanic, you may take the vehicle to the workshop mechanic for replacement.

How does the car brake works ?.

For a better understanding, you should first review or understand the vehicle brake system.

The component of the brake system that allows us to stop the car starts by pressing the brake pedal, causing the brake booster and brake fluid valve to function. Brake fluid flows along with the brake hose and through the brake force distribution valve to each wheel.

Brake fluid that flows to the wheels will run into the brake pistons. The brake piston pushes the brake pads against the brake disc surface. The friction between the brake pads and the surface of the brake disc or brake drum causes resistance to rotation of the disc or drum and causes the vehicle to stop.

You can see that brake discs and brake pads play a significant role in stopping the vehicle. These two parts are worn out and need to change at the right time.

How can you check for worn brake discs and brake pads?

The brake discs worn out, and the brake pads are thinner, which is what you will encounter over time.

We can’t tell how much distance your car must run before replacing it. It depends on the driving style, brake pad type, and brake disc quality.

Besides, deteriorating brake fluid will degrade braking performance and will need to replace as well.

Therefore, you need to understand how to check these parts to keep your car’s brake system as ready and as safe as possible.

Brake discs worn checking

Today’s cars equip with brake discs on the front and rear wheels, and some models have drum brakes on the rear wheels. Meanwhile, some vehicles may install with drum brakes on both the front and rear wheels, such as large trucks.

Cars equipped with front-wheel brake discs are the ventilated brake discs. You can see that it has two discs and there is a hole between them. The channel between the plates will serve to cool the heat from the discs, causing the disc and brake pads to reduce heat quickly.

In most cars, the rear wheel installed a single disc, no vent, or drum brakes. However, today vehicles, mostly medium to large sedans, may be equipped with ventilated brake discs for good stopping performance.

Brake discs will wear out over and over as your car has more mileage. If you drive fast and have hard braking, the brakes will wear out faster.

Brake disc thickness

The manufacturer of the brake discs will determine the minimum thickness of the disc that you will be able to work with on the rim of the disc. In most cases, the disk is defined not to be thinner than 2-4 mm. from its standard thickness.

How is it measured? In the case of a brake disc with a ventilated disc, measure the thickness from one outer disc surface to the other outer disc surface.

The rear discs without vents are usually not very thick. Therefore, most manufacturers will allow wearing no more than 2 mm. of standard thickness.

You would replace the worn brake discs with the new ones that are thinner than standard. Because if you are still using a thin disc even if it hasn’t reached the limit, it could be harmful. For example, when you press the brake force in an emergency may cause:

– Crooked disc

– Fluted disc

– Broken disc

You should check the disc condition at least every twenty thousand kilometers or twelve thousand miles.

Most automakers will require you to change the discs every time you change your brake pads.

Brake pad worn checking

Brake pads come in a variety of grades, from general use to Formula 1 racing cars. We will only mention brake pads that most drivers use.

The brake pads for both small and large sedan cars have properties that are quite soft. Brake pads like this will stop the vehicles well when you’re driving in town and on highways at high speeds, but not so fast.

Due to its softness, this standard brake pads wear out and thin quickly. If you drive fast and like to use your brakes severely, your brake pads may run out within fifty thousand kilometers or thirty thousand miles. But if you are a light foot driver, slowly stopping your car might replace your brake pads close to a hundred thousand kilometers or about sixty thousand miles.

Wearing high-quality, more rigid brake pads for fast-driving enthusiasts may give you more confidence in stopping and reduce wear time.

You can check how thin your brake pads are by looking at them visually. You may need to remove the wheels if the alloy wheels have a design that makes it difficult to see. Plus, if you feel the brake pedal is pressed deeper than usual, that could be a sign of thinner brake pads.

Brake pads that are thinner than five millimeters, you must replace them immediately.

Brake fluid deterioration

Brake fluid deteriorates with distance or time of use of the vehicle. Brake fluid manufacturers are required to change them every fifty thousand kilometers, or about thirty thousand miles, and up to two years.

Why it deteriorates?. The brake fluid has a high temperature of use. High-quality brake fluid can withstand high temperatures by grades such as dot 3, dot 4, or dot 5. But whenever the oil starts to get old, it will contain moisture. The moisture, when exposed to high heat, will cause air bubbles in the brake fluid lines. That will cause you to find that you need to press the brake pedal more than usual before the car stops.

Therefore, you need to consider replacing the brake fluid as appropriate or as recommended by a technician if you experience deep braking, dark brake fluid.

How much do brake discs and brake pads cost?

Brake discs are inexpensive, we recommend you replace them with a new one instead of grinding the brake discs. Generally, the cost of 4 brake discs with brake pads is around $ 150-200.

And it might be cheaper if you only change the front or rear wheels. That’s because you don’t have to replace all four wheels. The discs and brake pads on most cars wear more on the front wheels compared to the rear wheels.

Brake pads cost 30-50 dollars, depending on the grade.

For wage cost, you should check from your local automotive services.

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The brake discs worn, and how does it happen ?.

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