Hot Wheels
Is it normal for the wheels to be rather hot after normal city/rush hour driving? I have an 86.5, with the bigger S4 brakes, and the stock flat dish wheels. The front wheels get quite hot to the touch after driving under what I consider to be normal conditions (stops and starts but not hard stops). The rear wheels feel warm (of course, most of the braking action occurs at the front).
I just had my wheels off, and front pads out to spray them with dampener spray to quiet them down. The calipers and pistons didn't look like they were hanging up or dragging, and I could turn the fronts by hand after recharging the pressure in the system (altho they don't spin freely - they must be turned or they'll stop spinning). The brake pads have several thousand miles on them and they still look like new.
The wheels were hot both before and after this procedure, so the procedure itself did not change anything. Any thoughts?
I just had my wheels off, and front pads out to spray them with dampener spray to quiet them down. The calipers and pistons didn't look like they were hanging up or dragging, and I could turn the fronts by hand after recharging the pressure in the system (altho they don't spin freely - they must be turned or they'll stop spinning). The brake pads have several thousand miles on them and they still look like new.
The wheels were hot both before and after this procedure, so the procedure itself did not change anything. Any thoughts?
Supercharged
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 18,926
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From: Back in Michigan - Full time!
The should be warm, but I would not say hot. However, it doesn't sound like there is a malfunction. The only thing I can possibly think of that is making them a bit warmer would be that the rotors are on on the wrong sides.
The cooling vanes on the rotors are directional and many people put them on such that if you were to stick a pencil in the vane at the top of the rotor, the pencil would point forward (i.e. the vane is scooping air). This is wrong.
A pencil in the vanes should point to the rear of the car such that vanes spill heat rather than collect air. There is a scoop on the lower control arm that directs air through the middle of the rotor where it is designed to spill out. If you are "scooping" air with the vanes, the two will fight each other and the heat will effectively get locked in.
Clear as mud?
The cooling vanes on the rotors are directional and many people put them on such that if you were to stick a pencil in the vane at the top of the rotor, the pencil would point forward (i.e. the vane is scooping air). This is wrong.
A pencil in the vanes should point to the rear of the car such that vanes spill heat rather than collect air. There is a scoop on the lower control arm that directs air through the middle of the rotor where it is designed to spill out. If you are "scooping" air with the vanes, the two will fight each other and the heat will effectively get locked in.
Clear as mud?
The should be warm, but I would not say hot. However, it doesn't sound like there is a malfunction. The only thing I can possibly think of that is making them a bit warmer would be that the rotors are on on the wrong sides.
The cooling vanes on the rotors are directional and many people put them on such that if you were to stick a pencil in the vane at the top of the rotor, the pencil would point forward (i.e. the vane is scooping air). This is wrong.
A pencil in the vanes should point to the rear of the car such that vanes spill heat rather than collect air. There is a scoop on the lower control arm that directs air through the middle of the rotor where it is designed to spill out. If you are "scooping" air with the vanes, the two will fight each other and the heat will effectively get locked in.
Clear as mud?
The cooling vanes on the rotors are directional and many people put them on such that if you were to stick a pencil in the vane at the top of the rotor, the pencil would point forward (i.e. the vane is scooping air). This is wrong.
A pencil in the vanes should point to the rear of the car such that vanes spill heat rather than collect air. There is a scoop on the lower control arm that directs air through the middle of the rotor where it is designed to spill out. If you are "scooping" air with the vanes, the two will fight each other and the heat will effectively get locked in.
Clear as mud?
- oh well, pod back off!)



