Comfy

After driving around for a while I returned home and found that the front rims are warm to touch. I checked the front rotors, they are so hot as to even burn my fingers. The rear rotors are just warm. Is this normal to be like this? I mean the front rotors to heat up so much in regular driving. There was no loss of breaking power or burning smell. Why the difference from front to rear. Thanks in advance.

NBP04TL4ME

Front brakes typically do most of the braking and this is why you typically see brake dust all over your front rims. Unless you have seen a drop in MPG or something else to indicate the calipers might be dragging, I think you are okay.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

every car is designed to brake differently.

the Honda engineers have decided that the fronts will do most of the braking, this is called forward brake bias.

KeithL

Every car I have owned the front brakes and wheels get warm, the act of stopping/braking is caused by friction and frictions generates heat. You are bring a vehicles in excess of 3500 lbs to a stop, basic physics. That is why hybrids us regenerative braking, recover that energy in the form of electricity to recharge the battery.

ossaguy

I noticed that after my rear rotors got water sprayed on from the sprinkler overnight,then rusted the next day that it took about a week of driving for the rust to be braked-off.

To me,that pretty much shows the bias they have built in.

When there is no traffic behind me,I have gone to using the paddle shifter (when in D), to gradually drop down the gears from 6th to 2nd,so it really saves the brakes.My brother who owns a tranny shop said it doesn't hurt this tranny doing it.I was worried that it might wear it out.I just don't do it when in traffic,since the person behind does not see the brakelights being used,yet I'm gradually slowing down,so I'm afraid they could rear end me.It's a neat feature I think,especially going down a long exit from the freeway.

Kaputnik

I always wonder about this, and you see it debated in many car forums. The other school of thought is that brake pads are cheap, but worn trannies - not so much.

My front pads wear faster in my 08 RDX for sure. Just replaced the fronts at 45K miles while the rears still have lots of life left.

dcmodels

Yes, it does. Mechanics (and shop owners) are not engineers - they may have *repair* (parts replacement) skills, but generally have no clue as to how things really work.

Using the trans clutches to *brake* your vehicle, wears the trans clutches, just like heavy throttle up-shifts does (more than normal). And the trans clutches have only a limited life, just like a manual trans clutch.

I wonder if the MID is smart enough to notice your non-normal downshifting, and will generate a shorter than average request for trans service (oil change)???

ceb

Absolutely correct. There are some rare instances however, where you might want to use engine braking to slow your car - generally going down long steep inclines where your brakes may overheat - think Pikes Peak where Park Rangers have a station about halfway down where they check your brake temps. Too high and you get to go into the shop and buy some tourist bling and a cup of coffee for 15 minutes while your brakes cool down.

The thought is that it might be better to sacrifice a bit of tranny life for your life.

YeuEmMaiMai

when you brake, most of the weight is transferred to the front wheels, thus the brakes are larger and heat up more than the rears as they are turning absorbed energy into heat.

Engine braking should only be used in an emergency (where you need to shorten up your stopping distance to prevent hitting something), slowing down while traveling down hill where you are in danger of overheating your brakes (fade), and sometimes when towing.

If all you are doing is coming to a stop, lifting off of the throttle gently and letting the car coast before braking is your best bet. It also returns the best fuel economy for the car.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

to your tranny

ossaguy

Thanks,guys.I think I'll stop using the engine braking feature then
after reading these posts,I don't want to wear the trans out.

NBP04TL4ME