Brake disc cleaner. Is it necessary to use?
Content
What is a brake cleaner and how does it work?
During braking, the pads are pressed against the disc with great force. In this case, friction occurs with large contact loads. The material of the pad is softer than the metal of the disc. Therefore, the block gradually wears out with the formation of wear products. These wear products partially crumble onto the road. But some part settles on the surface of the brake disc and clogs into the micro-grooves.
Modern brake pads are made from a variety of materials, from metal to ceramic. But regardless of the material of manufacture, the wear products that remain on the disc impair grip. That is, the effectiveness of the brakes is reduced. The second negative effect is accelerated wear in this friction pair. Fine abrasive particles accelerate the wear of both discs and pads.
In parallel with this, the braking performance is affected by the presence of corrosion. It often happens that after the winter settling of a car in the garage, the disks are covered with a thin layer of rust. And the first few dozen brakings will take place with low efficiency. And subsequently, corrosive dust will fill the disc microrelief, which will also negatively affect the brake system.
Brake disc cleaners have two positive effects: they remove contaminants from working surfaces and remove corrosion. And this in theory significantly increases the braking force and service life of the pads and discs.
Popular brake disc cleaners in Russia
Let's take a quick look at a few tools for removing dirt from car brake discs, drums and calipers.
- Liqui Moly Bremsen- und Teilereiniger. The most common remedy in Russia. Produced in bottles of 500 ml. The active active ingredients are polyhydric solvents of petroleum origin, mainly heavy fractions, as well as active substances that neutralize corrosion. The tool has a high penetrating effect. It penetrates well into difficultly soluble contaminants, such as resins, thickened lubricants, fats and other solid deposits (brake pad wear products) and breaks them down.
- Lavr LN Inexpensive quick cleaner for discs and drums. Sold in 400 ml aerosol cans. Breaks down wear products of brake pads and degreases the working surface of discs and drums.
- 3ton. Available in 510 ml bottles. Average cost tool. It penetrates well into the grooves on the discs and drums, dissolves hard, tarry and oily deposits and promotes their removal. Has the effect of removing rust.
There are several other less common brake cleaners. Their composition and principle of operation practically does not differ from the above funds.
Reviews of motorists and expert opinion
With regular use, all of the above tools, as well as their other analogues, will maintain the efficiency of the brake system at the proper level. That's what the auto makers say. And what do the motorists themselves and the masters at the service station say? Below we have selected some of the most common brake cleaner reviews on the Internet.
- After application and wiping with a rag, the brake disc (or drum) visually becomes noticeably cleaner. The gray tint disappears. Rust spots on the work surface disappear or become visibly smaller. A more pronounced luster of the metal appears. That is, the visual effect is noticeable immediately after application.
- Braking efficiency is increased. This has been repeatedly tested and proven both in real conditions and on the test bench. The increase in braking force, depending on the state of the system as a whole and the degree of contamination of the disks, is up to 20%. And this is a significant indicator, given that apart from the use of inexpensive auto chemicals, no other work has been carried out.
- Regular use increases the life of both discs and pads. Usually the increase in the resource does not exceed 10-15%. Subjectively, motorists and service station masters see the point in the advisability of using a brake cleaner from an economic point of view, especially if the brake system is expensive.
The conclusion from all of the above can be drawn as follows: brake cleaners really work. And if you want to always use the brake system to the maximum, then the brake disc cleaner will help with this.
