Is corrosion curtailing your brake pad life?

Is corrosion curtailing your brake pad life?

The last thing you want are brake pads that are continually crumbling apart before the end of their expected life, increasing service costs and increasing the stopping distance of your truck.

Brake-Pad-Corrosion

A brake pad’s life cycle is one of constant wear and replacement.

It pushes against the rotor or drum, withstanding massive amounts of heat and load, and stop your trucks when it’s needed most. As with other wearables (we’re looking at you, tires) you want to make sure that your brake pads of choice are performing efficiently. The last thing you want are brake pads that are continually crumbling apart before the end of their expected life, increasing service costs and increasing the stopping distance of your truck.

“A brake pad should be able to last the life of the friction material without breaking down due to the effects of corrosion,” said Scott Lambert from the Global Brake Safety Council, singling out one of the biggest culprits of reduced brake pad life. “Issues like pads binding in the caliper and uneven brake wear are typically due to corrosion. All of these contribute to a compromised, unsafe braking system. Not to mention, the shorter service life which means less profits for any fleet.”

While the chemical slurry of de-icers municipalities coat roads with are a distant memory to us as the summer sun arches to zenith, your brake pads remember. They’re more destructive than salt alone because they cling to the undercarriage and eat away at vulnerable steel. While you can’t impact what your brake pads face on the open road, you can prepare your safety systems by spec’ing the right brake pads.

In our heavy-duty world, the first brake pad consideration corner is: attachment. While automotive brake pads offer adhesive or mechanical attachment, heavy-duty OEMs have specifically required mechanical attachments to help ensure that brake pad friction doesn’t break away from the backing plate on which it is attached. Of course, with the proliferation of brake pad suppliers, it’s worth asking your supplier how the friction material is attached to the backing plate.

“Truck brakes experience tremendous heat and high shear loads; high heat accelerates the breakdown of the adhesive and leads to the complete separation between friction material and braking plate and brake failure,” Lambert said. “OEMs will not approve adhesive based brake pads for certain weight ranges of vehicles, and neither should the aftermarket. This includes many pickup trucks and utility vans.”

The second consideration is corrosion protection. Powder-coated and painted brake pads may be standard, but put those coatings up against the toughest working conditions on the planet—de-icers, potholes, gravel, debris, rain water, construction dirt and dust—and the powder-coating or paint will chip, exposing raw steel ripe for rust.

Some brake pad manufacturers are offering new solutions to combat corrosion. Galvanization is one of the latest options. It trades a painted backing plate for one that’s treated with a protective zinc coating. The steel backing plate is electro-galvanized using a zinc alloy to provide complete corrosion protection and improve use in proper applications.

“The fit and function of the brake pads is vastly improved with galvanization—no paint build up when installing, and no rust build up on brake pad edges that causes binding, and uneven wear in the caliper,” said Troy Hylton, vice president, engineering, NRS Brakes, who noted that the galvanized, mechanically attached brake pads can last up to four times longer than traditional painted brake pads. “It is critical that you buy brake pads that meet or exceed OEM specs; your brake pads are the most important safety component in your vehicle.

You May Also Like

Vipar Heavy Duty’s Supplier Advisory Council reviews performance, strategy

The council is expecting a stable aftermarket with moderate growth, a reliable supply chain and continued expansion of VIPAR Heavy Duty in 2024.

vipar-heavy-duty-supplier-advisory-council

During its semi-annual meeting, the Vipar Heavy Duty Supplier Advisory Council discussed current and expected market conditions and opportunities, as well as other key topics for the independent aftermarket and the company’s distributor network. According to Vipar Heavy Duty vice president of program management Larry Griffin, the council is expecting a stable aftermarket in 2024 with moderate, single-digit growth, a reliable supply chain and continued expansion of the Vipar Heavy Duty Family of Companies’ network.

Davco introduces Fuel Pro 499 for Class 8 trucks

The company says its latest diesel fuel/water separator was designed to increase filtration capacity and reduce fleet downtime.

DAVCO-fuel-pro-499-water-separator-filter-TMC-Clarience-Technologies
PACCAR Parts presents Dealer of the Year awards at Kenworth Dealer Meeting

Dealer of the Year awards were given out for both TRP and Kenworth parts and service dealers.

PACCAR-Parts-dealer-of-the-year-Kenworth-Northeast-group
Double Coin FR610, other tires to be displayed at MATS

The FR610 is the latest SmartWay Verified long haul steer tire in Double Coin’s lineup.

Double-coin-logo-truck-tire-generic
Dorman announces new light- and heavy-duty aftermarket parts

The company says it released more than 200 light-and heavy-duty aftermarket parts in February, developed for technicians and DIY customers.

Dorman-new-parts

Other Posts

Hendrickson launches Roadmaax Z with ‘Zero Maintenance Damping’

Hendrickson says this is the first drive axle suspension system its released with integrated ZMD technology.

HENDRICKSON-ROADMAAX-Z-SUSPENSION
Lincoln Electric launches Ranger Air 260 MPX multi-function engine drive

Lincoln Electric recently introduced the new Ranger Air 260MPX multifunction engine drive.

Clean Energy’s RNG digester at Tri-Cross Dairy begins production

RNG from the $34M project will be sent to Clean Energy’s network of fueling stations across the U.S.

Clean-Energy-RNG-Facility-Tri-Cross-Dairy
Hendrickson launches HLC Series 1 air kits

Hendrickson offers versions for self-steerable and non-steerable applications, both of which it says drop-in to replace HAC series air kits.

HLC-Series-air-kits-Hendrickson