Your Brake Pads – Check Them Often and Stay Safe

Brake pads are key components of your vehicles braking system. They are hydraulically operated each time your apply pressure to your brake pedal. Brake pads (or brake shoes on older cars with drum brakes) are made from extremely tough material that can withstand extreme friction and very high heat. This causes the brake pads wear over time.

Usually the front brake pads will wear faster than rear brake pads because of the stopping power required to slow the inertia of comes from your front brakes. So be aware that will need to replace your front brake pads sooner but always check your rear brakes at the same time to be safe.

You will usually feel or hear a break problem. When the brake pads are worn down and need replacing immediately, you will also start to hear a scraping or grinding sound when you press the brake pedal. This noise comes from metal to metal contact between the worn brake pads and the brake rotor disk. When you hear this metal to metal sound, inspect and repair your brake right away to avoid system failure and expensive repairs.

If you continue to drive on these brakes when you hear this grinding sound you will be dipping into your bank account for expensive repairs. Typically, you will need to replace the brake pads and also the metal surface to which the brake pad is applied. On a car with disc brakes, this metal surface is called a rotor or brake disk. On a car with drum type brakes, the metal surface is called a brake drum. Rotors and brake drums are expensive so it is very important that immediate attention is given to your brakes whenever you hear a grinding or scraping sound.

At MoparUSA, we carry a full line of Mopar brake parts for your car. We sell quality Mopar parts at aftermarket prices. Your get the reliability or OEM Mopar parts at a great price that can’t be beat.

Avoiding Warped Brake Rotors

A frequent hidden problem on many vehicles is warped brake rotors on your disk brake system. It is a problem that is difficult to find, but if you know what to look for you can fix it before it becomes a very expensive repair.

There are several different clues that your brake rotors may be warped. One of the most common is if you've have been feeling a shimmy in the steering wheel as you drive down the road. Another is a vibration in the brake pedal when you apply the brakes. A third clue is if the brake pedal starts pumping up and down when you press on foot on the pedal during stopping. If you experience any of these three symptoms you may have bad disc brakes rotors.

Brake rotors are the part of the brake system that are shape like a disk that spin with the wheels. They are set between a set of two brake pads that squeeze the rotor to slow down the vehicle when the brakes are applied. Under normal usage the friction this system creates to stop the car creates a great deal of heat. In extreme circumstances like frequent braking, hard stops, breaking on hills or towing trailers can cause so much heat that the rotors are heated and eventually warp.

Typically, rotor warping is caused by uneven heating in different areas of the metal. Disc brake pads are always in light constant contact with rotors. If a driver has a bad habit of riding the brakes by leaving his foot on the brake pedal, the pads and rotors brakes will prematurely wear out.

It is a good ideas to inspect your brake rotors if drive under any of the conditions mentioned above. Any abnormal sounds or vibrations should be checked immediately. Warped rotors can cause severe mechanical problems that can be very costly and unsafe. Brakes are one of the most important systems on your car that protect the life of you and your passengers.

At MoparUSA, we carry a full line of Mopar rotors and brake parts for your car. We sell quality Mopar parts at aftermarket prices. Your get the reliability or OEM Mopar parts at a great price that can’t be beat.

Common Causes of Brake Noises

Some brake noise is common with rear drum brakes and on some disc brakes during the first few stops after a vehicle has been parked overnight or stored. This is primarily due to the formation of trace corrosion (light rust) on metal surfaces. This light corrosion is typically cleared from the metal surfaces after a few brake applications causing the noise to subside.

BRAKE SQUEAK/SQUEAL
Brake squeak or squeal may be due to linings that are wet or contaminated with brake fluid, grease, or oil. Glazed linings and rotors with hard spots can also contribute to squeak. Dirt and foreign material embedded in the brake lining will also cause squeak/squeal.

A very loud squeak or squeal is frequently a sign of severely worn brake lining. If the lining has worn through to the brake shoes in spots, metal-to-metal contact occurs. If the condition is allowed to continue, rotors and drums can become so scored that replacement is necessary.

BRAKE CHATTER
Brake chatter is usually caused by loose or worn components, or glazed/burnt lining. Rotors with hard spots can also contribute to chatter. Additional causes of chatter are out-of-tolerance rotors, brake lining not securely attached to the shoes, loose wheel bearings and contaminated brake lining.

THUMP/CLUNK NOISE
Thumping or clunk noises during braking are frequently not caused by brake components. In many cases, such noises are caused by loose or damaged steering, suspension, or engine components. However, calipers that bind on the slide surfaces can generate a thump or clunk noise. In addition, worn out, improperly adjusted, or improperly assembled rear brake shoes can also produce a thump noise.

For more info on Brake Tech Tips, visit the Mopar brakes page at MoparUSA, we carry a full line of Mopar brake parts for your car. We sell quality Mopar parts at aftermarket prices. Your get the reliability or OEM Mopar parts at a great price that can’t be beat.  

Great New Items on the Mopar Parts Auction

There is no better place to get a great deal on Mopar parts than our Mopar Parts Auction! We've just added another batch of parts for you to bid on. 

Here's a few highlights of these great deals:

A case of 12 Mopar Oil Filters ---Bids are at $55

Chrysler 300 Splash Guards---Starting at $49.95

Kicker Dual Subwoofer---Starting at $725!!!

A Garmin Nuvi 205---Bid is currently at $105!!! 

  



Hurry! These items will come down on Feb 18th!!!


Go now to: MoparUSA's Mopar Auto Parts Auction

Powered by Mopar Parts: Dodge Charger Was Faster!

Just a quick observation from watching the classic car chase scene in the movie "Bullitt" last night...Steve McQueen's Mustang had a hard time keeping up with the Dodge Charger 440 R/T. Could it be the movie's director or that the Mopar parts just made the Charger faster? I think the latter.

Of course the Charger's driver needs to avoid running into gas pumps.

Check it out one more time and let me know what you think.

Nothing like a Mopar

Mopar is a state of mind. Either you get it our you don't. I grew up around a bunch of Chevy guys who thought they were cool with their little bowties. But, to me there was nothing like a '70 Dodge Charger. It just had the "it" that made it cool. Maybe it was that awesome Hurst shifter?

Today, I run a website called MoparUSA.net. It's a lot of fun...especially the performance side of the business. We sell Mopar parts and Mopar accessories for all kinds of years and models. It's great to see all the Mopar gearheads that are out there adding that looking for that extra kick for their ride.

I started this blog to share some of the resources and information that we come across every day. Please share your ideas and cool links that you run across. In the meantime, check out this old 1970 Charger commercial. You won't see this kind of ad on the Super Bowl anymore!