Brake caliper12/30/2023 ![]() Special tools are useful when working with brake calipers, especially when replacing the brake pads. Some high-performance fixed calipers have two or more pairs of pistons (or "pots") arranged on each side of the rotor - some have as many as six pairs total. ![]() Fixed calipers are generally preferred for their performance, but are more expensive than the floating kind. Fixed calipers, as the name implies, don't move, but rather have pistons arranged on opposing sides of the rotor. This piston pushes the entire caliper when the brakes are applied, creating friction from the brake pads on both sides of the rotor. Floating calipers move in and out relative to the rotor and have one or two pistons only on the inboard side of the rotor. There are two main types of calipers: floating (or sliding) calipers and fixed calipers. For this reason, drum brakes have been largely replaced in modern vehicles by disc brakes however, some less expensive cars still use drum brakes for the rear wheels, where less stopping power is required. Because the brake pads in disc brake systems are external to the disc rather than contained within a drum, they are more easily ventilated and heat doesn't tend to build up quite as fast. This friction caused heat and gases to build up inside the drum, which often resulted in a loss of braking power known as brake fade. Older cars and trucks used drum brakes, where the motion of the wheels is slowed by friction between a rotating drum and brake shoes mounted inside the drum. When the rotor slows or stops, so does the wheel, because they're attached to one another. ![]() The brake pads have high-friction surfaces and serve to slow the rotor down or even bring it to a complete halt. When you step on the brake, brake fluid from the master cylinder creates hydraulic pressure on one or more pistons in the brake caliper, forcing the pads against the rotor. The outboard brake pads are on the outside of the rotors (toward the curb) and the inboard brake pads on the inside (toward the vehicle). A pair of metal plates bonded with friction material - these are called brake pads.
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