Brake Heat Shield
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From: Williamson, NY
I believe they are called dust shields and they are meant to keep dirt and water off the rotors and calipers. I would not remove them, if they were not needed then Ford would not have put them on in the first place. Why do you want to remove them?
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I agree about not removing them if you don't have to. However, if their all rusted out like many of us here have found, alot of people like myself run without them with no problems-so far. This is because they're around $50 a piece (Jeff's Bronco Graveyard) and I guess I'm cheap!!
-Tom
-Tom
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Originally Posted by cujo8
I would not remove them, if they were not needed then Ford would not have put them on in the first place. Why do you want to remove them?
1. I don't see an obvious argument to keeping them
2. if it is a safety measure against dust then it was meant for drivers like my grandmother
3. the shield would seem to prevent adequate cooling of the rotor
4. The shield reflects radiant heat back at the rotor, prevents convection cooling, and conducts heat to the spindle.
5. Excess weight in this day can add up. (Gas)
6. It prevents me from examining the rotor without taking the tire off
7. The shield adds to the unsprung weight of each wheel
This is a far stretch for me but let me know if you agree. The point of the rotor shield could be to buffer the heat exposure of the tie-rod ends & king pin. But last time I checked, the rotors don't get cherry red...they just get hot enough to warp.
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From: Collierville
What would happen if you had a rock jump up there on the inside and lodge between the caliper and the pad? I have had that happen to me at least 2 times on a dirt bike that I know of. By know of I mean that I had to take the front wheel off and remove the rock after I felt better from having my helmet meet the dirt. I don't know that that is what the shields are for but think about how you would like to be doing 60 mph and have the front right lock solid. I would leave them on and put wome cross drilled vented rotors you can get off ebay for nothing if you are worried about the heat. JMO
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Originally Posted by rboeding
What would happen if you had a rock jump up there on the inside and lodge between the caliper and the pad? I have had that happen to me at least 2 times on a dirt bike that I know of. By know of I mean that I had to take the front wheel off and remove the rock after I felt better from having my helmet meet the dirt. I don't know that that is what the shields are for but think about how you would like to be doing 60 mph and have the front right lock solid. I would leave them on and put wome cross drilled vented rotors you can get off ebay for nothing if you are worried about the heat. JMO
What you say is a possible scenario for a dirt bike, but not likely to happen on a vehicle, especially when driving down the road at 60 mph.
Oh, by default there is no gap between the rotor and pad. The pad presses on the rotor with a minimum of 5 psi at all times.
Last edited by Zenford; Aug 14, 2006 at 11:55 PM.
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From: Atlanta GA
> but not likely to happen on a vehicle, especially when driving
> down the road at 60 mph.
I had it happen to my Aerostar, which I posted a long time ago if you wanted to search.
> Oh, by default there is no gap between the rotor and pad.
It usually gets lodged between the caliper and rotor or pad and rotor. On mine, it got stuck between the rotor and pad. How? Got me, I just know I needed a new rotor by the time my wife got it home.
> Don't argue about it, it's your truck take em' off.
Agree. I usually take them off on my off-road trucks, especially if they are rusty, so the mud does not get trapped.
> down the road at 60 mph.
I had it happen to my Aerostar, which I posted a long time ago if you wanted to search.
> Oh, by default there is no gap between the rotor and pad.
It usually gets lodged between the caliper and rotor or pad and rotor. On mine, it got stuck between the rotor and pad. How? Got me, I just know I needed a new rotor by the time my wife got it home.
> Don't argue about it, it's your truck take em' off.
Agree. I usually take them off on my off-road trucks, especially if they are rusty, so the mud does not get trapped.
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