Northampton Brake Discs

Brake discs are a fundamental part of your vehicles braking system and there are several reasons they may need replacing. The first is due to normal wear and tear causing them to become too thin to be effective. The second is corrosion and is much more commonplace, especially when the vehicle is used infrequently or for mostly small journeys. Brake disc thickness various from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model. If your brake discs drop below the minimum thickness they cannot dissipate the heat caused during braking as effectively. This may lead to heat cracks, judder when braking as the discs warp due to the heat.

There are Four Main Types of brake discs:

Normal Brake Discs
These are the standard, flat faced discs normally supplied with your car. They have maximum surface area so have better braking power when brake pads are applied. One thing to be aware of with these though, is that as they heat up, you can potentially get a build-up of gas between the pad and disc causing your brakes to become ineffective. Heat can also cause warping of poorly made discs or if they have been paired with the incorrect pads.

Drilled Brake Discs
These brake discs have small holes drilled right the way through and the reason for these is twofold. Firstly, the holes allow the discs to retain less heat keeping them cooler, and secondly they help stop the gas build up that can cause brake fade. Possible downsides are that the holes do have a tendency to crack and can also collect dust and debris.

Grooved Brake Discs
This option of discs has diagonal lines cut into the face. This firstly allows the venting of any gas build up that may lead to brake fade, and secondly, they also eject brake dust that can otherwise clog the brake pad causing them to be less effective. These grooved discs do tend to make a bit more noise due to the scrubbing of the pads.

It’s also worth pointing out that grooved discs must be installed a certain way round. As the disc rotates, the groove should be spinning outwards. This ensure that brake dust is ejected away from the hub. 

Dimpled Brake Discs
These discs have dimples in the surface to accomplish the same as drilled or grooved discs, dissipate heat and gases but have a far less chance of cracking than the drilled variety.

Pop in and see us at Service MOT Repairs where we are more than happy to advise which discs are the most suitable for your vehicle and how you use it/drive it.