Driving down Mona Vale Road, Beacon hill Road, into Wollongong or any other ridiculously long stretch of downhill road and you feel your car has Parkinson’s disease. The cause of this is the disc rotor arc of the brakes is getting so hot the metal twists and causes the brake pad to pulsate over the high and low spots of the rotor as the wheel turns. This transfers through the car as a shudder.
It is avoidable if you change your driving habits and use the gears rather than riding the brakes for extended periods of time. However this article is not a “How-to Drive” article, here is how you can fix it.
Some cars are worse than others with this, Honda Odyssey, Ford Falcon and Territory and several Subarus. Some clients are worse at causing this to happen too but we won’t go through that list.
Often when the disc rotor is machined this can make the fault return quicker. This is because the brakes use dissipation to cool down. Removing metal from the rotors gives the brakes less metal to dissipate and the shudder returns sooner rather then later.
In most cases we have seen genuine brake rotors are better than the aftermarket options at reducing this however in most cases they can be up to eight times the price.
The next best option we have been trying is the newish technology that DBA has released called Kangaroo Paw. It is a different pattern of the veins inside the rotor that allow the heat out quicker but reducing the open surface areas between the veins, thus reducing the chances of the metal twisting. We have experimented with these on several vehicles including our Hilux which is used for towing and to date have had great success.
The product can be a little expensive, however we believe that as early adaptors get on board with it, and more people realise how good it is, the price may come down as it will no longer be a premium product.
Would you like to get Kangaroo Paw fitted to your vehicle with your brake change? Call us today to discuss this with us.
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