A funny thing happened to my brakes at the race track

[Mad Hatter]

You have F14's?? ..... probably not..

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[Surfergeek]

18" F14s won't clear the 15" big brakes but 18" CF5 will. Check the thread I put together in the wheels section.


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[Fabman]

You have F14's?? ..... probably not..

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No, I have Apex Wheels.

 

[Fabman]

18" F14s won't clear the 15" big brakes but 18" CF5 will. Check the thread I put together in the wheels section.


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I have that thread memorized LOL. That's how I knew there was fittment issues.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Apex states on their website that they clear those brakes. Give them a call and they are in NorCal.

 

[Fabman]

Apex states on their website that they clear those brakes. Give them a call and they are in NorCal.

They are down the street for me. My car was used in promos for their wheels.
That's how I ended up with a set of them.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Thats great! If your Apex wheels fit the S550 15" Brembos with the big pads, that would be a great affordable way to go!

 

[Fabman]

Check this out:
After bedding in the new Pads and rotors they spun nice like this:
https://www.facebook.com/MauiSal/videos/10154582318603535/
This is the day after the track event.
https://youtu.be/rtFrtgdaCnQ
Vid 1
Disassembled and cleaned up some of the pad transfer, retracted calipers and tested.
https://youtu.be/bSMYoWxvSRQ
Vid 2
Retracted pistons again and Removed pad rattle clips.
https://youtu.be/djSrOOepzfk
At this point, I don't know what to think.

 

[302 Hi Pro]

I would be surprised if this is brake pad related. (Especially when I see you rattle pads around in the caliper cradle, apply the brakes and it drags again.)

Also, the last thing I heard someone say was something about the "bleeder" and the problem goes away.

This leads me to think it's a hydraulic issue and the caliper pistons are not fully releasing for some reason. So, if the caliper bores and pistons are fine and have no signs of scoring, I would follow the hydraulic system right back up to the master cylinder. (Note: The Master Cylinder could be suspect as well.)

The brakes should release and spin freely like you see when you manually compress the calipers.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Dave
2HP

 

[Fabman]

I would be surprised if this is brake pad related. (Especially when I see you rattle pads around in the caliper cradle, apply the brakes and it drags again.)

Also, the last thing I heard someone say was something about the "bleeder" and the problem goes away.

This leads me to think it's a hydraulic issue and the caliper pistons are not fully releasing for some reason. So, if the caliper bores and pistons are fine and have no signs of scoring, I would follow the hydraulic system right back up to the master cylinder. (Note: The Master Cylinder could be suspect as well.)

The brakes should release and spin freely like you see when you manually compress the calipers.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Dave
2HP

When you open a bleeder the problem DOESN'T go away.
The hawk pads that I ran before were definitely stuck in there, you had to pry them out with a screwdriver.
We did the same test and the pads would wedge themselves in there with one brake application.
When we put the pagid pads in they stopped dragging.
I got two full track days with those while the hawks would fail in a couple sessions.
Look at the video again, We took the bleeder screw out and they still won't release.
That points to something other than hydraulic.

 

[Fabman]

I would be surprised if this is brake pad related. (Especially when I see you rattle pads around in the caliper cradle, apply the brakes and it drags again.)

Also, the last thing I heard someone say was something about the "bleeder" and the problem goes away.

This leads me to think it's a hydraulic issue and the caliper pistons are not fully releasing for some reason. So, if the caliper bores and pistons are fine and have no signs of scoring, I would follow the hydraulic system right back up to the master cylinder. (Note: The Master Cylinder could be suspect as well.)

The brakes should release and spin freely like you see when you manually compress the calipers.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Dave
2HP

yeah I said that really fast but I did say "the problem doesn't go away"

 

[Fabman]

This was a brand new set of calipers so I wouldn't expect scoring of the bores or anything like that.
Perhaps the bores are too tight or something, but as you see, even with the pads loose as hell in there (no clips) they still drag. With the clips, you can hardly turn rotor.

 

[302 Hi Pro]

When you open a bleeder the problem DOESN'T go away.
The hawk pads that I ran before were definitely stuck in there, you had to pry them out with a screwdriver.
We did the same test and the pads would wedge themselves in there with one brake application.
When we put the pagid pads in they stopped dragging.
I got two full track days with those while the hawks would fail in a couple sessions.
Look at the video again, We took the bleeder screw out and they still won't release.
That points to something other than hydraulic.

"When you open a bleeder the problem DOESN'T go away."

Yep! I missed that. And those do look like good calipers, so scrap that.

Sorry, because this problem now seems a bit more complex.

302 Hi Pro

 

[superhero]

You said you opened the bleeder and still have drag. so you know its not a hyd. issuie with the master cyc. It would have to be in the caliper not letting the pistons return to release the brakes. Any chance you can swap out the caliper with a used one.
who knows what the inside looks like. Could be anything from scratches to power coating or anything causing the pistons not to return. I think your going to have to do an internal inspection on those calipers.
It just sounds like something is blocking the fluid passage way and not letting the fluid return all the way.
Just for the heck of it. Throw in a set of worn pads and try it. the pistons will extend further out and see if you have the same problem.

 

[Fabman]

You said you opened the bleeder and still have drag. so you know its not a hyd. issuie with the master cyc. It would have to be in the caliper not letting the pistons return to release the brakes. Any chance you can swap out the caliper with a used one.
who knows what the inside looks like. Could be anything from scratches to power coating or anything causing the pistons not to return. I think your going to have to do an internal inspection on those calipers.
It just sounds like something is blocking the fluid passage way and not letting the fluid return all the way.
Just for the heck of it. Throw in a set of worn pads and try it. the pistons will extend further out and see if you have the same problem.

This is the 3rd set of calipers in a row to do it. The first ones I bought froze up and I sent them back to Baer to rebuild. The rebuilt ones did it to and now the new replacements are locking up. Its something beyond this particular caliper. It's either systemic in the product or possibly something else altogether. I just feel like if the caliper stays frozen even if the bleeder screw is removed, it's likely to be something mechanical rather than hydraulic. But I still don't know 100% what the problem is.

 

[Fabman]

Okay, here is the latest. Watch this and see what you think.

*I am beyond frustrated*


https://youtu.be/Fc6Z0zufwVs

 

[VoodooBoss]

Time for a different brand front calipers.

 

[TMSBOSS]

have you shared the video with Baers tech people?

 

[Mad Hatter]

Time for a different brand front calipers.

+1! Its too important to mess around with.

 

[Fabman]

have you shared the video with Baers tech people?

I've BEEN sharing these. (as well as others that I haven't posted here)
The guy who's supposed to be coming up with a solution hasn't even seen them.
I talked to him on the phone and he had no freaking idea what was going on. He thinks it's a problem with the car.
His solution is to send me new rattle clips....now I am not one to bash vendors, and that is not my intention, but how can you honestly expect to solve a problem when you don't even bother to look at the information?
But what really frosts my cookies is that I have been asking, and they have been promising a solution for a long time.
I told them weeks ago I had an event I needed to make and they ran the clock out until I lost my entry fee (could have got a refund up until last Saturday) but they wait until the last minute and offer to send me rattle clips next week?

I'm done.