I used to have to rebuild calipers at least once per year. My dust
covers would be hard, brittle, and fall apart to the touch after one
or two events.
Over the past three years I made several changes, with the happy
results that I can run a set of calipers at least three years without
having this problem, and these calipers have external dust covers.
Here's the list of the changes I've made, realizing that some
contributed and some did not contribute to the solution of this
particular problem:
1. I switched to Toyota calipers. I don't think the car stops any
better, and I don't think they have much more pad area than the stock
ones, but I'd have to measure to be sure. After two seasons, my dust
covers are still soft and pliable. Yeah, I know it's illegal., and I
expect a beating with an old Hoosier for doing this. Please don't
move me to Group 6 at Road America for this, though.
2. I stopped using Hawke Blue pads. They scoured the rotors to the
point that I had to replace rotors about every two seasons. They shed
little shards of metal, presumably from the rotors, that imbedded in
the clear coat on my Panasports which offended my tender aesthetic
sensibilities.
3. I installed the aluminum hubs, which may or may not contribute
some cooling, but as a side issue these hubs with their larger inside
bearing and with the aluminum material, allow the lubricant in the
inboard bearing to live for a whole season, as opposed to a lubricant
degradation every three events.
4. I switched to Carbon Kevlar pads.
5. I had a new set of rotors cryogenically treated.
With the carbon kevlars and the cryo rotors, life of both parts is
double. My current rotors are now two seasons old and show no
degradation whatsoever. I've completed seven events with these pads,
and I'll be able to use them for at least several more events. The
rotors still look like new. I was totally skeptical of the cryo
treatment and suspected that it was a metallurgical form of snake
oil, but happily the results have proven that opinion wrong. Best of
all, all these problems have gone away.
uncle jack
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