Hot Wheels

[morphico]

Hi all,

 

Just wondered if any other fellow galaxy drivers end up with hot alloy wheels after driving.

 

I'm not an agressive braker (and who could be with my spongy brakes) and i dont think the front brakes are binding even though they do squeal badly, because when you are on a slight incline and remove your foot from the brake pedal the car will roll forwards or backwards.

 

The rear alloys are warm but the fronts are definately hot to the touch. Also after a couple of hours of driving i'm sure there is less braking force so I wondered if this could be brake fade....or it could just be a tired foot i suppose.

 

Any help much appreciated, though i think im going to have to fit new pads and disks all round :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

[seatkid]

Check your tyres are not underinflated, underinflated tyres can rapidly overheat and are dangerous. I have known my rear brakes to bind, the fronts could possibly too. Check (very carefully) after your journey, if your discs are stinking hot (don't burn your fingers!). Unless you've done some heavy braking, they should be only warm. The solution to binding brakes is to strip them down and clean. Or (think about it) do you ride the brakes, i.e. use it as foot rest?

 

Failing wheel bearings could also be the cause but I think you would notice the noise....

[Andrew T]

When I've had binding brakes it's been confined to one wheel, are the fronts equally hot ? does one have more brake dust on than the other ? You would expect the fronts to be hotter than the backs because they do more of the braking. When I found I had a sticking hand brake actuator and was checking the wheels I was suprised how warm the wheels got from relatively gentle braking, so what you have may be normal. Park on level ground out of gear with hand brake off, open the door and lean back against the door pillar, you should be able move the car an inch or two without too much effort if the brakes aren't binding.

 

Ref spongy brakes, use the search button it's been mentioned before.

[morphico]

Cheers,

 

Will do a couple more checks tonight when i get in. Fronts definately have more brake dust than the backs (the wheel can turn black in a couple of weeks if i dont clean them) but both the fronts appear to be of the same heat range, as do the rears it was just the front were a lot hotter than the rear and last time this happenend was on my old sierra with a seized caliper so i was expecting the worst.

 

Yeah i checked about the spongy brake threads, seems some say its normal, others say its not but i reckon a change of pads and disks all round might help.

 

I've also got the dreaded squealy brakes as well as the pedal hiss. I also find that the vacuum in the servo dissapeared immediately after switching the engine off but this appears to be the vacuum pipe which has split in about 4 places, bit of tape on it for the moment to see if this helps with the brake problem.

 

Ah well, back to the checks i suppose.......

[Guest Enzo]

The rear alloys are warm but the fronts are definately hot to the touch.

The rears are alot smaller, as on a FWD vehicle, they only do about 30% of the braking, so wont get as hot as the fronts.

 

Depends on what you mean by hot...

 

Brakes do get very hot in use, and a couple of quick stops from 70 to standstill, such as a few roundabouts on a stretch of dual carriageway, and the actual friction areas will be well over 300 deg C.

 

Obviously that heat has to go somwhere, and will dissipate into the disc, and as aluminium is very good heat conductor so alot will be passed to the wheels.

 

I've also got the dreaded squealy brakes

If the discs and pads arent worn, you could just strip them down, and copper grease the backs of the pads. And it will usually get rid of any squeeling noises.

[bigdaddy]

I've also got the dreaded squealy brakes

 

Have you ever used Alloy Wheel cleaner, it disolves the copper grease, which will lead to brakes squealing when you apply the brake pedal.

 

Try Ebay for discs reasonably priced around

[_dg]

Mine get hot, (front more so) and its to do with the alloys conducting heat quite well.

 

I also get more dust on the front wheels, which I presume is related to all the weight going forward during braking and causing them to work harder.

[El Dingo]

Energy cannot be created or destroyed...

 

Yer kinetic energy is converted into heat when you brake...

 

:(