A brake disc is one of the most critical components of a braking system. However, some brake discs are prone to heating and fading.
What are vented brake discs? This type of brake disc is designed to prevent heating and fading. Ventilated brake discs make it easier for you to apply the brakes, reduce speed safely, and avoid accidents. This type of brake discs provides effective braking even after many braking cycles.
Many modern vehicles, including high-performance cars, feature vented brake discs because they provide adequate braking power. It is good to tell solid and vented brake discs apart, the reasons for using this type of brakes, and how to improve braking performance.
Does Your Vehicle Have Solid or Vented Brake discs?
Modern cars may feature either solid or ventilated brake discs. The two types of brake discs have different thickness and other features.
It is difficult to replace a solid brake disc with a ventilated one. Therefore, car owners should know the type of brake discs they have on their vehicles.
From a side view, it is difficult to tell solid and vented brake clamps apart. However, you may not have to take the wheel off to know if you have solid or ventilated brake clamps, especially your car has alloy wheels with sizable spaces between the spokes.
There are distinct differences between vented disc clamps and drilled or perforated brakes. Vented brake clamps feature two flat discs with spaces in between the discs to facilitate airflow.
Many modern cars feature vented brake clamps because of their many benefits. These brakes are durable, stay cool for longer, and provide excellent braking.
Unlike ventilated brake clamps that have spaces in between them, solid discs do not have any spaces between them.
Differences between Ventilated and Solid Discs
A ventilated disc is designed to remain cool for longer during regular operation. Although they are standard features in many modern vehicles, some trucks and off-road cars still come with solid brake clamps.
Solid brake clamps can be quite affordable in some cases. They are not prone to break fade and can remain relatively cool under usual driving conditions.
As the name suggests, solid brake rotors are quite durable. However, they sometimes develop hotspots on their surfaces.
Ventilated brake rotors are designed to eliminate hot spots during operation. In addition, they provide excellent braking, especially when repeated or harsh braking is inevitable.
Both solid and ventilated brake rotors provide excellent braking force with the same size of the rotor. However, vented brake rotors can remain relatively cool for longer than solid brake rotors.
Unlike solid brake rotors, vented discs can operate for a more extended period before they experience brake fade. Therefore, vented brake rotors provide more consistent braking than solid discs.
Disc Replacement
Solid discs and vented brake rotors have different thicknesses. Therefore, it is difficult to swap between solid and vented discs.
Fortunately, both solid and vented brake rotors can be machined to remove a buildup of brake pad material. In addition, both types of brakes can be cross-drilled to fit your style.
Some cars can accommodate both solid and ventilated brake rotors. Such cars come with different setups for the caliper and brackets.
Importance of Improved Braking
Many car owners take steps to improve their vehicle braking systems for two main reasons:
- To improve stopping power
- To minimize brake fade
Consider upgrading your braking system if your vehicle does not have adequate torque to stop the car at the speeds you travel. A significant benefit of ventilated brakes is they provide maximum deceleration force even at high speeds.
A weak braking system will experience excessive fade within a short period and lose its stopping power. An excellent braking system should minimize brake fade even with prolonged braking.
How to Improve Brake Performance
If you have been experiencing delayed deceleration and brake fade, you may probably be excited about the possibility of upgrading your vehicle braking system. However, it is essential to understand that a car braking system works efficiently if the tires and suspension are also working well.
Hard tires can skip over any imperfection on the road. Therefore, the best braking system would not do much to improve your driving experience.
There are several tips for improving the performance of your braking system, including:
- Increase the disc radius
- Increase the surface area of the caliper piston
- Increase the line pressure
- Increase friction between brake pad and rotor
Increasing the disc radius can improve the performance of your braking system by applying brake pressure at a larger radius. The radius of a brake disc affects brake torque, and the larger the radius, the better the brake performance.
A larger caliper piston area translates to brake force being applied to a larger area. Brake force increases if the caliper piston area increases.
Pushing your foot harder provides higher braking power because it increases the line pressure. You can increase the line pressure by:
- Using vacuum assist
- Increasing the size of the lever arm so that the brake pedal can act upon it adequately
Increasing friction between the brake pad and rotor increases brake torque. Some brake pad materials provide better friction than others.
How to Minimize Brake Fade
Increased friction between the brake pad and the rotor may create more heat. Heat is the leading cause of brake fade.
Fortunately, you can prevent brake fade by:
- Increasing the diameter of the rotor
- Using ventilated rotors
- Using slotted rotors
- Choosing the right brake pad material
- Using brake air ducts
Larger Brake Rotors
Brake systems with larger diameter rotors are less prone to heating than smaller diameter rotors. Larger rotors help to improve brake fade, especially when the rotors have adequate cooling.
Ventilated Rotors
Using ventilated rotors is a reliable way of preventing the overheating of the braking system. Vented rotors allow airflow at their centers, which cools the braking system significantly.
Many modern cars feature ventilated rotors on the front discs. The front discs do most of the braking of a vehicle.
Slotted Rotors
One of the benefits of slotted or drilled rotors is they prevent the trapping of gases and particles by the brake pads. Avoid using drilled rotors to prevent brake fade because they are prone to premature failure.
Brake Pad Material
It’s essential to choose the right brake pad for your vehicle. Brake pads are designed to handle different weather conditions.
Brake pads can operate efficiently at different temperature ranges. Some brake pads feature materials that work best in either cold or warm climates.
The brake pads of many road cars have an excellent initial bite, but lose performance when they warm up. On the other hand, racing pads have much wider temperature ranges, which makes them suitable for intensive braking.
Brake Air Ducts
In the past, many people fitted brake air ducts in racing cars. Today, car owners are increasingly fitting brake air ducts in their road cars.
As the name suggests, brake air ducts are vents that channel airflow into the brake rotors, which helps to prevent brake fade.
What Makes Ventilated Brake discs Stand Out?
A car’s braking system is an essential safety component. The brakes of a vehicle control and limit its speed to meet driver requirements.
Ventilated brake rotors are becoming increasingly common in many cars today because of their many benefits. Firstly, ventilated brake rotors provide excellent braking in different driving conditions.
Secondly, vented brake discs help to
eliminate brake fade, which is one of the leading causes of brake failure. This
type of brake disc is designed to provide optimal performance immediately.
