4 replies to this topic

[alpder]

Drove clear across rural Wales and back earlier this week. I was towing. And it was raining. That's "raining" with a capital "F".

 

The brakes were interesting compared to dry, or even damp, conditions. Always a delay before they bit, and often one side would take longer to bite than the other. Gave me several unexpected close-up views of the native wildlife in the hedges.

 

So I thought I'd try shields. I know they're badly-made flappy pieces of tin and are a complete PITA. But if they help it'll be worth it. And the weather seems determined to provide plenty of opportunity to test them.

 

 IMG_20240503_135850.jpg   53.06K   5 downloads

[Lplus]

Drove clear across rural Wales and back earlier this week. I was towing. And it was raining. That's "raining" with a capital "F".

 

The brakes were interesting compared to dry, or even damp, conditions. Always a delay before they bit, and often one side would take longer to bite than the other. Gave me several unexpected close-up views of the native wildlife in the hedges.

 

So I thought I'd try shields. I know they're badly-made flappy pieces of tin and are a complete PITA. But if they help it'll be worth it. And the weather seems determined to provide plenty of opportunity to test them.

 

IMG_20240503_135850.jpg

I found my 7.5 discs pulled at the first brake application after a long motorway run.  The left hand disc was getting hotter due to the air flow from the radiator. As soon as the other side warmed up a bit the pull disappeared.  Fitting disc shields cured it.

[mab01uk]

Long motorway drives in the wet with little traffic, where you don't use the brakes much can prove interesting when you forget there are no disk shields and find on first application there is a lack of braking! As when driving through a flood it is best to dry off the brakes with a few brake pedal applications before you really need them...

Edited by mab01uk, 03 May 2024 - 07:01 PM.

[roblightbody]

Every car with disk brakes has disk shields (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all mine have!) - they're there for a reason.  I reluctantly don't have them currently fitted to my MIni, because on Scottish wet roads they were only lasting a year or two after fitment and I just got fed up with the rattle.  When you heard that jangling rattle from the front wheel you knew it was time.

 

It needs someone to make a better one, or make one out of galvanised steel or something, and I'll refit mine.

 

An old Scottish Mini expert years ago told me the discs last longer if shields are fitted too.

[Quinlan minor]

I keep them on mine.

It's relatively easy to cut/shape a bit of better quality sheet steel to remake the cover to steering arm tabs, which were the most common fail point on OEM ones. I've had my replacements on for more than ten years, without any failures.