monkeymaker

I was swapping out my front rotors today and was surprised to see that the rubber boot that surrounds each caliper's piston is totally fried. I guess it's from the heat generated on track. Anyhow, half of the rubber material is totally gone. I mean it's not even there anymore, like ashes that blew away in the wind. I'm a bit concerned now that stuff might get up in there and bust the bladder that holds the fluid in. Should I be worried?

Has anyone run into this? And if so, what did you do about it? Rebuild the calipers?

cdelena

Most that have seen heavy track braking have some damage. The piston seal is maintained by an internal gasket so I don't worry about it too much. I rebuilt my calipers and replaced them once but after they were overheated they got brittle and show damage again. I just ignore it now,

monkeymaker

Maybe there's some heat-resistant grease out there that can be spread over the rebuilt boot to protect it against the heat?

Asura

Honda uses hi-temp urea grease on other parts of the car. I don't know if it can withstand the abuse the brake calipers go through.

dwb1

This is the reason that racing calipers do not have dust shields . The brake pad backer plate gets very hot under track conditions . Do not put grease in this area , grease and friction don

SDosMil

Brad,

Could you comment on this thread about Wilwood caliper blowing a piston seal?
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=442375

They talk about racing calipers not having dust boots, but I'm not sure about all of the implications. Would a design like the Pinnacle system require all this extra 'care' or maintenance as well? I do check the general status when I change pads, but I don't want to get an aftermarket system and worry that I'll fall down a canyon.

dwb1

In is amazing how many posts have be made and now people are starting to ask some great questions .

The stiffness of a caliper keeps the pistons straight in their bores . This reduces the wear on the piston and the caliper housing . Draw a picture of a caliper with the pads worn greater at the outer edge , this tips the pad in the caliper , now push on the brake pedal , the piston will follow the tipped pad and cock in its bore . This will create wear and sticking pistons ( this will also elongate the piston bore) . A protective coating on a caliper is also required , because there are no dust shields to protect the bore ( I have not seen any one paint inside the bores) . The fact is you get what you pay for . A cheaper caliper will require more maintenance, if the cost is low enough just throw them away and install new ones when maintenance is required . ( But when should that be done? Before or after a problem arises ?)

When I first tested our calipers after using the #3 pads on the track and 8 to 9,000 street miles , one of the pads had zero taper from top to bottom and the other 3 had very little . ( I still have this set of pads ) Our caliper is nickel plated inside and out to protect the FORGED ( real forged ) aluminum outer assemblies . Under full racing conditions , I would recommend rebuilding calipers once a year . Under some hard track use ,every two years . Every time you change pads, pistons and pad wear should be noted. The steel

vapors2k

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dwb1
[B]In is amazing how many posts have be made and now people are starting to ask some great questions .

The stiffness of a caliper keeps the pistons straight in their bores . This reduces the wear on the piston and the caliper housing . Draw a picture of