why are my brakes scorched up? picture inside

[garlicbreadman]

brake pads: monroe ceramic
brake rotors: dont remember brand...slotted rotors
brake fluid: ate super blue
car is integra with 140k miles. brake master cylinder is original and so are brake lines. they are solid with no leaks.
we were going down a steep 1 lane downgrade and the person infront me was going super slow so i had to hold the brake the entire way down and at the bottom of the hill, i braked to make a right turn and the brakes felt so mushy/faded. why are my brakes fading so fast? look at the discoration of the rotors...

 

[barlowc]

How long have those pads and rotors been on?

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
steep 1 lane downgrade and the person infront me was going super slow so i had to hold the brake the entire way down and at the bottom of the hill.


That should be pretty obvious. Did you downshift into 1st or 2nd gear? This is the reason automatics have a gear selector.

 

[Chris142]

Downshift!

 

[garlicbreadman]

brakes and rotor were changed together about 5k miles ago. i dont engine brake because i dont like the engine in high rpms because of the short gearing but this isnt the topic.

my brakes smelled so burnt too, but no smoke

 

[GSCJR]

Rotors have been overheated.

 

[Kool1]

I've overheated my brakes before on steep hills like you did and sometimes they were fine afterwards. Does your brake pedal now pulsate or does your steering wheel shimmy? If it does, I would suspect warped rotors. If not, I would sand the rotors to get rid of the bluing and keep driving.

 

[heynow]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
i dont like the engine in high rpms because of the short gearing but this isnt the topic.



Do your braking in short bursts, don't apply them continuously for long periods.
Ask a big rig trucker about downhill braking and overheating brakes

High rpm won't hurt your engine as long as it's not bouncing off the rev limiter.

 

[salv]

ceramic pads are known to wipe out rotors. switch them back to oem semi-metallics. oem is always the best choice for a balance of performance and longevity.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Our F350 had sticky calipers in the rear for 2 years, rountinely, the rear brakes would start smoking ... they never turned blue!

 

[The motor guy]

I notice alot of people seem to lightly ride their brakes down hills or bridges in my case. lol no hills in houston. I have a feeling this is way worse than just getting on them harder and letting off after 4 seconds or so and allowing them to cool. I've seen brake lights the whole time down huge bridges when I never even had to touch mine. People also ride 1/2 car length behind the person in front causing them to have to do this.

 

[demarpaint]

They've been overheated, try using a lower gear and pump the brake pedal when going downhill to help to avoid this in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if the pads are glazed as well.

 

[spasm3]

Couldn't help but notice, man are those wheels pitted or what? Almost looks like small cracks there too. And are those cracks on the rotor hub near the wheel? if so get new ones pronto!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Couldn't help but notice, man are those wheels pitted or what? Almost looks like small cracks there too. And are those cracks on the rotor hub near the wheel? if so get new ones pronto!


Good eye! The rotor hub indeed looks cracked, and right behind the lugs/studs!

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
brakes and rotor were changed together about 5k miles ago. i dont engine brake because i dont like the engine in high rpms because of the short gearing but this isnt the topic.

my brakes smelled so burnt too, but no smoke


Just because its at high RPM doesnt mean its hurting the engine, it mainly depends on the load. Coasting at 5000rpm is much different than WOT at 5000rpm.

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: salv
ceramic pads are known to wipe out rotors. switch them back to oem semi-metallics. oem is always the best choice for a balance of performance and longevity.


Semi-metallic chews up rotors more than ceramic

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
They've been overheated, try using a lower gear and pump the brake pedal when going downhill to help to avoid this in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if the pads are glazed as well.


This

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
brake pads: monroe ceramic

Pads are too hard and rotors have seriously overheated.

If you must use aftermarket, try NAPA "OEM"-type aftermarket pads.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: salv
ceramic pads are known to wipe out rotors. switch them back to oem semi-metallics. oem is always the best choice for a balance of performance and longevity.


Known by whom? I have over 50,000 miles on a set of ceramic pads (Akebono) and rotors (Brembo) on BOTH Volvos, each car has ceramic pads...had them for 4 years...barely any rotor wear at all. No lip on the edge of the pad wear area.

The OP rode the brakes and cooked 'em.

End of story.

 

[salv]

yes. this is what i was saying. oem...always. i won't back pads on any vehicle i put them on unless they are oem. if a customer comes back because they have a little squeak when coming to a stop due to hard pads,or hard pads wipe out the rotors in 5k, i don't go good for them. i tell the customer they opted for aftermarket to save money, and now they have to live with the consequences or pay me to do it all over again with oem pads.

 

[Astro14]

On airplanes with steel brakes (like most cars) - you don't "ride" the brakes or you cook them...pad against rotor causes heat build up with no chance to cool...separating the parts removes the heat source (friction) and allows cooling...so, you're better off with a firm push then release for a while than you are with gently riding them. That's what happened here.

The pad choice on this car was irrelevant. It was an operator error that cooked the brakes. That blue tinge to the rotors tells me (along with the smell) that they were seriously overheated. I would replace the rotors, pads and flush the fluid...and hope that the hub/bearings weren't damaged.

On airplanes with carbon brakes, things are different...they like heat...and you want them hot (minimal wear when hot)...so you ride them gently to warm them up as successive applications when cold actually increase wear. Further, on landing, you brake without letting up to increase that heat...just like the OP did with his car...