Your Porsche is a marvelous piece of engineering, and it can corner perfectly and hug the road surface as it does so. To control your speed, you need to have good brakes. Your brake pads provide the friction needed for your brakes to stop your car, but these pads will wear out. As your Porsche dealer, we’d like you to know some of the signs that you’ll need new pads.
Screeching Brakes
Your pads are an essential part of Porsche’s efficient braking system. When you step on the brakes, brake fluid is forced into the hoses under pressure from the brake master cylinder. The fluid exerts pressure on the brake calipers set above your wheel rotors and forces them to close. The calipers contain the pads, and the friction generated by contact between the pads and the rotors brings your car to a stop.
The material on these pads slowly wears off as they work. When your pads are reduced to a thickness of 1/4″, a metal piece is revealed under the material. This metal was built into the pads by the manufacturers, and when you apply the brakes, this metal piece will scratch the surface of the metal rotor. This doesn’t damage the rotor, but it produces a terrible screeching that’s a reminder you need new pads.
Griding Brakes
Grinding brakes is a far more serious problem, and it’s caused by not replacing the pads when they start to screech. If the screeching warning is ignored, the material on the pads will continue to wear down. Once the material has worn off, the metal pads will directly grip the metal rotors when you apply the brakes.
The metal pads will gouge into the surface of the rotors, and this produces a harsh grinding sound. Your pads will need to be replaced immediately, as delaying replacement will result in serious damage to your rotors. The more damage is done to your rotors, the more difficult braking will be when your pads are replaced. Seriously damaged rotors may need to be resurfaced or even replaced.
Vibrations When You Brake
Brakes that arent serviced as regularly as they should be can heat up. The excessive heat caused by friction and unserviced brakes can lead to some of the adhesive material from the pad smearing across the rotor. Friction material that wears off from the pads can stick to this adhesive instead of sloughing off the pads and falling away.
The deposit of friction material on a rotor or rotors will gradually build up. When the calipers grab the rotors, they should meet a smooth surface. This unbalanced surface, however, means the pads won’t grab the rotors correctly. You’ll feel a vibration in your steering wheel when you brake, and this vibration will get worse over time.
If you experience any problems with your brakes, call the experts at Porsche Warwick. Our highly-trained technicians will replace your pads and ensure that your brakes are working perfectly again.
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