Back in the day ( talking early 90’s ) I owned a Sierra Ghia 4x4 estate and very nice it was too! Anyway, I bought a set of " things " which were made up of a circular alloy plate to match the hub faces, which slipped over the studs, sandwiched between wheel and hub. Bonded to this was a rubber disc with a slight curvature to the outer edges. With me so far? The rubber filled the back of the wheel and the curved edge allowed it to sit snugly in position. The effect of this was absolutely zero brake dust or other contaminant coming through from the inside of the wheel. This resulted in the wheels remaining cleaner and looking good for a considerable period of time.
Car is long gone now and the “discs” went with the car, I remember they were available in different sizes to suit different wheels and stud patterns. Anyone remember these? I’ve searched to the best of my ability but haven’t found anything available. I would have a set on the NC1 in a shot if any were still being produced
anyone know what I’m on about? And before we get going with cooling of brakes being ineffective with these on etc etc, my car is road going only and never had an issue with the Sierra, which was driven back then in a “spirited” manner
I know exactly what you mean, I wouldn’t use them but can understand why as a daily driver you would want them.
For me looking at clean calipers and discs are part of the enjoyment/beauty of having a nice car.
No offence meant.
They did/do prevent the brakes from cooling as the manufacturer intended. May not be an issue in normal use but for more energetic motoring they could cause premature over heating and fade.
And absolutely non taken! It’s acutually a good point you’ve raised about the caliper/ disc scenario? My 16" wheels are “filled” with them and being in good condition, do look nice!
Thanks to all for comments! I did mention not to get going on brake cooling right at the start? Interesting though just the same as some wheel “trims” fitted to other makes of cars are often almost solid and do a similar job but from the outside? Horses for courses I guess? Still no one knows if they are still available, would really like a set on mine
I had a set of those back in the day on my BMW. I didn’t experience any brake fade but for some reason there was a tendency for the wheels to come slightly loose! Since then I just don’t believe in putting anything between the hub and the wheel.
A much better approach would be to go for low dust pads like EBC or such like. I use EBC at the moment and the dust is noticeably less than other pads. Also, discs seem to last longer.
Also try a wheel sealer/wax which makes them easier to clean.
Totally agree! OK, I’m certainly not a driver that would/could induce brake fade but for those that see this as a big issue, surely must be driving beyond the limits of the car ( and the road )? Fair enough if car is used in anger at track events or other Motorsport scenarios, then these devices might not fit the bill? They probably wouldn’t look the part too! I did say right at the beginning though, I didn’t want that sort of comment, very subjective and dare I say perhaps a bit of a dream for some? Anyway, looks like these aren’t available anymore so I guess I won’t be fitting a set after all.
I came close to a brown trouser moment in a hired Renault Megane (new and immaculate with maybe only about 300km on the clock) picked up at Avignon rail station. The brakes were appallingly bad, either grab hard lock-on (one can get used to that) or fade to nothing, which happened when the Motorway north of Avignon suddenly ground to an emergency halt from a steady 130kph. No handbrake option either because it had a stupid auto parking brake.
From 130 down to about 50 the brakes worked as one would expect, but then I needed to push harder and harder on a rock hard pedal for absolutely nothing whatsoever, and so instead I slammed it into lower and lower gears for engine braking and If I’d not been next to the hard shoulder I’d have simply coasted into the Audi that had been more than two hundred metres in front. By the time I was down to 30 kph the Audi was long since stationary, so I bailed out onto the hard shoulder and finally ended up beside him. His passenger gave me a thumbs up and then pointed down to the car and gave it a thumbs down. For once SWMBO was very, very quiet.
A couple of minutes later the brakes worked again. I phoned the hire company when we reached where we were staying in Valreas and they sent out a mechanic who changed all the pads. His comment was that one should never use Renault’s OE pads, finishing with “Ces plaquettes de frein sont très dangereuses” as he dropped them into the rubbish bin.
That was my third extremely bad experience with a modern Renault, but the first with bad brakes.
