Disc brakes are not without their flaws. Don’t get me wrong – the disc brake is one of the simplest, most intuitive braking systems available for automobiles. Let’s just quick go over how they work. The brake disc is directly connected to the wheel axel, and the brake assembly is mounted in a position that sort of hovers over the disc. The brake assembly includes the caliper, piston and pads. When the brake is engaged, the pistons are actuated, and this causes the brake pads to come into contact with the brake disc. The friction materials in the brake pads are responsible for creating the friction between themselves and the brake disc, and this friction causes the brake disc’s rotation to be slowed, which in turn slows the vehicle.

Brake discs have been in use for a long time, and over that time period they’ve been subject to a number of upgrades and innovations. The most modern, most advanced brake discs have few vulnerabilities compared to their predecessors, however more inexpensive options continue to be plagued by some of the afflictions that caused early brake discs to fail.

One of the most common complaints related to brake disc performance is disc warping. However, some engineers contend that warping is actually a common misdiagnosis of a different problem. Here is the basis for that contention. A common remedy for perceived brake disc warping is to refinish the disc. However, engineers have observed that shortly after refinishing, the problem presents itself again. Some engineers explain this problem as being caused by the discharge of inappropriately installed friction materials on the brake pads, which means that the problem in such cases is not warpage of the disc but improper installation of the pads.

What engineers have demonstrated is that despite their fairly simple design, there still are things that can go wrong with brake discs. That said, brake discs are an exceptional braking system, and despite their few vulnerabilities, they’re likely to continue to be very popular braking choices.