Your vehicle’s braking system plays a very important role in keep you safe. And because of this, it’s especially important to maintain your braking system properly to keep it working in order. This system employs a number of components and one of the most important components is the brake pad. These pads sit inside the brake callipers and clamp down onto the rotor, acting as a source of friction and providing you with stopping power.
Brake pads fall under the consumable category when it comes to car parts. They wear down over time and eventually need replacing. Because of this, it’s important to keep an eye on the amount of brake pad material that remains on your brake pads, keeping yourself and your family safe on the road.
The rate of wear depends on a wide range of variables; everything from choice of brake pads, driving style, to the condition of your brake rotors, or if your brake callipers are working as they’re supposed to.
There are a few signs to look out for that indicates your brake pads are reaching the end of their service life or wearing unevenly.
If your brake pads are on their way out, chances are you’ll start to feel them not working as well as they used to. Another obvious indication you might come across is a squealing sound when you hit the brakes.
This is usually a tell-tale sign that your brake pads are nearing the end with that squealing being the wear sensors coming in contact with the rotors. On the more extreme side of things, more of a metallic scraping noise might arise if your brake pads are worn with the rotor. Another symptom you might experience is vibration under braking.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it pays to have a look at the condition of your brake pad. In most cases you should be able to get a good enough look without even having to take off the wheel. Simply have a look inside your brake callipers and try to gauge the level that your brake pads are sitting at. With Bendix’s Brake Wear Indicator, this is as simple as checking the imprint on the edge of the pad marked ‘REPLACE’. This will give you a clear indication on how much life your brake pads have left. If you notice that one pad has worn down a considerable amount more than the other pad, then you have uneven brake pad wear.
What causes uneven brake pad wear, exactly?
A common root of the problem is DTV (Disc Thickness Variation). Variation on the thickness of your rotors chews away at the brake pad as they come in contact with flat spots in the disc, causing the pad to wear unevenly. Depending on the extent of the impact of DTV on your rotors, they could be machined to iron out any flat spots.
Rotors could only be machined so many times though so be mindful of that. It’s also important to hit your newly-machined rotors with brake cleaner to get rid of any machine dust. The key to avoiding the effects of DTV is taking measures to prevent it in the first place. If you’re installing a new set of rotors, preparing them properly beforehand is an important step to take. Make sure to give them a hit of brake cleaner before installing them to clear any dirt and anti-rust coating.
Issues with the operation of the brake callipers are also major contributors to uneven brake pad wear. Often, components within the calliper, such as the guide pins, could seize and cause the brake pad to drag along the rotor while the brakes aren’t applied, which in turn leads to uneven brake pad wear.
If it’s time to replace your brake pads and you’ve found there to be some uneven wear, check the calliper guide pins. If one or both of the guide pins are seized, it’s time to pull them out and regrease them with Bendix Ceramic High Performance Synthetic Lubricant. If they’re a bit worse for the wear, it’d be a good idea to replace them. If this doesn’t rectify the problem, the issue might require a calliper rebuild or replacement.
刹车片磨耗与不均匀刹车片磨耗信号
车子的刹车系统在保护安全方面扮演着一个相当重要的角色。因此，正确养护你的刹车系统使之能够正常操作尤其重要。该系统采用不同的组件， 而其中一个最重要的组件就是刹车片。这些刹车片就装在刹车卡钳内，夹紧在刹车盘上，而这正是摩擦的来源，为你提供制动力。
刹车片是消耗性汽车零部件。它们会随着时间的推移而耗损，最终必须更换。 你需要注意刹车片的厚度剩下多少 ，以保护你和你家人的行车安全。
刹车片的磨耗率取决于多种可变因素，从刹车片的选择、驾驶风格到刹车盘的情况，或刹车卡钳是否正常操作。
你可以从一些信号知道你的刹车片的使用寿命是否已频临结束或面对不均匀的磨耗。
如果你的刹车片已经磨损，你会感觉到它们不如过去般有效。另一个明显的信号是你在踩刹车器时会听到吱吱声。
这个信号告诉你，你的刹车片就快磨损到极限，磨耗传感器就将接触到刹车盘。如果刹车片与刹车盘都被磨损，你便会听到一种金属摩擦的噪音。刹车时振动，是另一个刹车片磨损的信号。
如果你感受到这些信号，就一定要查看一下刹车片的情况。很多时候即便不拆除车轮下，也能查看刹车片的情况，看一看刹车卡钳里的刹车片厚度就知道了。有了奔德士刹车磨耗指示，检查起来就更为方便。你只需要查看一下刹车片边缘的“REPLACE”烙印就可以。它会为明确告诉你，你的刹车片还能使用多久。如果你发现其中一个刹车片磨耗得比另一个严重，就是刹车片磨耗不均匀。
是什么因素造成刹车片磨耗不均匀？
DTV（刹车盘厚度变化）是造成刹车片磨耗不均匀的最常见的根本问题。刹车盘的厚度变化会“吃掉”刹车片，导致它们无法均匀地覆盖在刹车盘上。这就要看刹车盘厚度变化对刹车盘的影响，它们需到机床磨平。
值得注意的是刹车盘的磨平次数是有限的。采用刹车片清洁剂来清洗刚磨平的刹车盘， 消除磨平时的灰尘也同样重要。要避免DTV的关键就是从一开始就是采取预防措施。当你安装上一套新的刹车盘，最重要的是从一开始就做好准备工作。在安装它们前要先用清洗剂将它们清洗干净并涂上防锈涂层。
刹车卡钳的运作问题也是导致刹车片不均匀的原因。刹车卡钳中的组件如导向销卡滞会形成卡钳或刹车片滑动不畅，致使刹车片磨耗不均匀。
在更换刹车片时发现不均匀磨耗，就要检查导向销。如果其中一个或两个导向销被卡滞，你就要将它们拨出来，以奔德士高性能陶瓷合成润滑油重新润滑它们。要是它们磨耗得太厉害，最好替换它们。这个问题若没有处理，就可能需要重建或替换卡钳。
