I always thought that technology was going forward rather than backwards so why cars have low level brake pad sensors fitted now?

Might have saved a life or two at the weekend ......

 

You can't beat a visual check through the spokes if you can I don't trust sensors like that anyway!

 

What do you mean mate?
dave

 

If you wear the pads down to the sensors then TBH you really need to pay more attention to maintaining your car

Having the sensors just helps promotes ignorance in terms of what a owner/driver must do to ensure it is roadworthy, rather than just waiting for something to break or a light to pop up on the dash

Also...cost!!! Pads without sensors are cheaper, so I'm not complaining

 

Sorry a bit mis-leading but the pads on the scoob wear so that the visable edge still has around 5mm left on it. However upon removal the bottom of the pads were totally shot. When you touch your brakes at 150MPH you want the car to stop or at least have giving you adequate notice beforehand that it wasnt going to.

The morale of the story is also have wheels off and open calipers to check pads properly before going on track. But even so you dont then know when to change them again if the car is being used in a heavy session.

Ali after 800 miles I didnt expect them to be shot......

 

Have you driven a car with the pads on the metal??

The brakes do still work! Ok not a well but they are still capeable of locking the wheels in most cases. Oh and you knacker your discs

The problem occurs if the car is continued to be driven and you wear completely through the metal backing plate, the bang, backing plate breaks up and you have no brakes!!

You will get plenty of warning...i.e noise, grinding, possibly squeeling, vibration, deterioration in performance. Ignore the signs at your risk!

800miles...let me guess standard pads on track??

 

Braking performance will be lost though prior to complete bang / lose of brakes. That still puts you in the armco. As it happened I took spare pads in case of such an eventuality.

No EBC red stuff actually....... Not the best I know but still pretty capable. Anyway this thread isnt about brake pad manufacturers its about the fact that cars used to have sensors and dont anymore.

 

If you don't visually check your pads BEFORE a track session, you need your head examined.

I've seen discs explode on a track car, so it's not without it's risks. The pads themselves have a low indicator warning, so you should hear noises before they deteriorate to the point of failing.

Stefan

 

Maybe a bit nieve on my behalf but I thought they would have lasted more than 20 laps of the 'ring' and then a few hundred miles on the road. As for the visual check it isn't easy now is it. The look at the pad through my wheel showed at least 5mm of meat left. I had no idea it was wearing so much down the bottom. Several 'in the know' people looked at my pads and said they looked fine. I decided to have them changed anyway, BEFORE any lack of performance, and found them on the limit when the caliper was opened.

Its a lesson learnt and I will now take 2 spare sets of pads when I go playing.

 

You ought to try a different compound

 

No it's not easy, but that's what you need to do if you take the car on track. That plus oil levels, brake fluid levels, wheel nuts tightened, etc, etc..

I assume since it's not competitive then there's no actual checks before they let you loose on track?

I guess you don't know about these things until a) you ask someone experience beforehand, b) the circuit tells you waht to check and the correct procedures for doing so or c) you have a nasty accident when something fails.

How did you tyres last?

Stefan

 

Mine has pad sensors, 03sti.

Dipster

 

My Lancia had pad wear sensors but my red stuff pads didn't I had to put scotch locks on the wires to clear the light Are you 100% sure that the original brakes didn't have wires?

 

I had the audible warnings when my front pads were getting low - I had a squeeking sound that got louder and louder the more they wore ?? I have a MY00 and thought that this audible warning was a standard feature ? Anyway I changed them and all sorted.

 

It sure is, my sti has them.


Dipster

 

Ozzy ...obviously it depends on the type of tyres you use.

My newest addition is a set of semi R rated tyres. Yet to be properly tested in anger.