The Latest Brake Shudder News

[Aswold111]

I have had the brake shudder issue from around 4000 km's after I bought my XR, I had the skim and shims and like all the rest, the shudder was back in a matter of Km's, Around Sept last year the dealer told me of new pads that were to be released that were supposed to correct the issue, and the release date was to be mid Oct, well after calls, I am still being told the release date will be soon, but unofficially the guy told me they are already released, but are only fitting them to cars that have had their brakes skimmed at least six times, there is a fault with the callipers that hold to pad too close to the rotor which is why thay heat up and warp, esspecially on hot conditions or heavy braking, which is why the problem comes back, even if you change the type of pad you use, apparently there had been very little issue with any BA made after 2003, so I can only assume they made a mod to the caliper in the manufacturing stage, It's like butting your head against the wall getting this fixed, and the time it takes getting you brakes skimmed really sh''ts me,

Are there any suggestions on how to get ford to act before I run up my sixth skim??

[turb06]

If that's there reason for having brake shudder then why doesnt every car that ha had dba rotors fitted with the standard calipers have the problem, ford wont admit they have used sh*tty materials in their brakes and the time its taken for I fix only cements in our minds that they could give a f*ck and are waiting for our warranties to expire before coming out with an absolute solution. So unless you are preppared to hold your dealer hostage untill he agrees to fix it (the thought has crossed my mind) there isnt much we can do. I am getting aftermarket rotors fitted in a fortnight and cant wait to give the dealer some lip when he lets me know my vehicles warranty will no longer cover my brakes.

Dazza.

[xr6]

Sorry if I'm repeating info that's in the 40+ pages of posts on this topic, but this may help someone understand the problem.

This is not unique to Falcons. I've driven a few rental Commodores that had brake shudder, and my personal car (V6 Magna) had the same problem for years until I found the solution from a Bendix fact sheet. (Calliper overhaul. I needed new rotors by then as well)

It's normally caused by the piston not retracting far enough after braking, and allowing the pad to rub on the disc. As no disc is perfectly round, after a while the disc becomes thinner where the pad rubs, and brake shudder develops. This is called disc thickness variation. Machining the disc will provide a temporary fix, but it will come back. And as the discs get thinner, it will get worse. If you've had your discs machined a few times, have a look to see if one side of the disc is thinner - this is a dead giveaway that it's a calliper problem.

Brake shudder can also be caused by discs warping after they get very hot. Which probably explains why XR6T owners have so many problems! And why DBA rotors fix the problem.

I'm guessing that early BA Falcons had a calliper problem, plus the standard brakes have crap rotors. Couldn't help noticing that all of the road test XR6Ts had the premium brake package, which probably should be standard on XR6Ts anyway.

Memo to Ford for future reference - fast, heavy cars need good brakes!

[xr6]

See this link for further info: http://www.bendix.com.au/media/files/bendix_dtv.pdf

[Cashie]

The "new-improved" calipers have the problem of increased pedal travel, at least that's what I noticed in my 2nd BA with the "new-improved" calipers. I had little confidence in the braking of my XR8 Ute, there was minimal brake pedal feel and at times I had to pump the pads back out....

Ford have almost no idea what good braking is, the standard brakes on the BA are a joke.

I just purchased a Mazda3, the brakes on that are like chalk and cheese conpared to the BA's, they provide feedback and instill confidence in all situtations, they have BA, EBD and ABS, not bad for a $23k car.

[dave-]

  xr6 said:

I'm guessing that early BA Falcons had a calliper problem, plus the standard brakes have crap rotors.  Couldn't help noticing that all of the road test XR6Ts had the premium brake package, which probably should be standard on XR6Ts anyway.

Memo to Ford for future reference - fast, heavy cars need good brakes!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bingo! I got a BA XR6 in Nov 02 and had constant brake problems for at least the first 12 months. When they weren't shuddering, they'd be casting doubt in my mind if I'd actually pull up in time!

There was no thought required when my BAII XR6-T arrived this month, premium brakes were the first item on the option list to be ticked, they should be standard for a car of this size and weight! Brembos should be the $3k option, but hey what do you want from an Aussie car maker

Edited 29/12/04 01:12 AM by dave-

[Blonk]

  xr6 said:

Sorry if I'm repeating info that's in the 40+ pages of posts on this topic, but this may help someone understand the problem.

This is not unique to Falcons.  I've driven a few rental Commodores that had brake shudder, and my personal car (V6 Magna) had the same problem for years until I found the solution from a Bendix fact sheet. (Calliper overhaul.  I needed new rotors by then as well)

It's normally caused by the piston not retracting far enough after braking, and allowing the pad to rub on the disc.  As no disc is perfectly round, after a while the disc becomes thinner where the pad rubs, and brake shudder develops. This is called disc thickness variation.  Machining the disc will provide a temporary fix, but it will come back. And as the discs get thinner, it will get worse.  If you've had your discs machined a few times, have a look to see if one side of the disc is thinner - this is a dead giveaway that it's a calliper problem.

Brake shudder can also be caused by discs warping after they get very hot. Which probably explains why XR6T owners have so many problems!  And why DBA rotors fix the problem.

I'm guessing that early BA Falcons had a calliper problem, plus the standard brakes have crap rotors.  Couldn't help noticing that all of the road test XR6Ts had the premium brake package, which probably should be standard on XR6Ts anyway.

Memo to Ford for future reference - fast, heavy cars need good brakes!

Excellent Post... Sums up the problem to a "T" excuse the pun....

The problem exists in the rotor / Caliper and Pad... Not just one but the entire combination of mass produced inferior (cheap) parts.. However, we did have the option of premium brakes at time of purchase.. So ford already knew they were lacking.. But as most of us drive round sensibly at the speed limit, a lot will never even notice..........