Brake Mounting : The correct way

mechkween

Torque Junkie
Points
37
Location
India
Car
ford ikon 1.3
I had a nagging doubt for quite some time, the answer to which still eludes me. The brake caliper mounting on the front and rear wheels, is it mounted in some fixed position? I have seen many that if have the caliper of the front is mounted on the upper left of the disc (car front is to the left ;)), the rear caliper is to the upper right of the disc as in the fig below
Review-2010-Honda-CR-V-side-view.jpg

On other accounts there just seem to be no pattern as in this :
Z2Concept_takahashi_edmundsinsideline.jpg

TVW-Car-Design-BMW-1-Series-M-side-view.jpg


Also what about the mounting of the calipers of the two front wheels and two rear wheels? Do they have to be in the same alignment when looking side on or do they have to be offset by some angle?

Any thoughts?
 
The postion of the caliper is not really relevant as long as it is secure and in the same position on the same axle.
 
But by saying they must be in the same position on the same axle you are admitting that the position makes a difference!
 
So what you are saying is it doesn't matter how you mount it except it being securely mounted?
Doesn't the brake torque figure somewhere in this? The caliper must be at least at the top half to get the maximum torque (the radial distance being from the ground for same brake force)
Any solid explanations?
 
I don't think it works like that. The caliper is acting through the centre of the hub so the distance from caliper to hub centre is important, not the distance from caliper to ground.
 
I should have said relevant to braking

As far as only braking is concerned

calipers are not always in the same place so there cant be only one correct position

The actual stopping of the car wont be affected by the caliper position but if you mounted them in a different position on the same axle it would not be so stable

SO whilst if securely mounted the position of the caliper shouldnt affect the braking it certainly could affect others things.

In general the brake calipers need to be high enough to keep away from crap from the road and water. However having it too high would make changing pads hard. Location also dictated by airflow and suspension geometry.

By having them closer to the centre of the car helps weight distribution . True not so you would notice on a road car but as there is no cost or downside thats where they usually end up.

It also make the pads most accessible when the wheels off.

Your comment about brake torque making doesnt stand up unless you explain why this is so . You cant justmake a statement without explain why
Besides if it made a difference all racing calipers would be at 12 oclock
 

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