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Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Tom Gullen

Recently took car in for recall, and they gave me this piece of paper:

i.imgur.com/eSntAEF.jpg

I'm a complete i****, can someone tell me:

- What brake discs I should replace

- What bake pads I should replace

Guessing all of them? Just want to know what to instruct garage to do.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - galileo

If I had a Dodge Challenger with brake pads down to 2 or 3 mm I'd change them ASAP. I'd think it was false economy not to replace the discs at the same time, new pads on worn discs is not ideal, especially with a big, fast car.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - FP

It seems the discs, or some of them, are lipped and concave. No point in putting in just new pads.

It looks to me that all discs and pads need replacing.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - galileo

I think these cars weigh 2 tons or more. 0-60 in just over 5 seconds and capable of 150 mph.

Your choice, John F, of course, but I would imagine if you can afford to insure one of these and the fuel to run it, brake pads and discs for your own safety would seem a worthwhile expense.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - skidpan

'Waste not want not'. Assuming the brakes are OK (it should stop just as well whether the pads are 1mm or 6mm) I would put another thousand or two miles on it,

This again shows just how much JohnF knows about cars.

Whilst a set of pads with only 1mm of material left will work fine in normal light use start working them hard and you will soon find that they fade pretty rapidly since there is no material to dissipate the heat. On a 1.5 tonne hatch with 150 bhp that would be bad news, on a 2 ton car with the performance of a Challenger (which the owner probably likes to extend occasionally (why else would you buy one) it would be catastrophic.

If you can afford such a car you should keep it maintained properly (actually that applies to any car).

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Andrew-T

<< Whilst a set of pads with only 1mm of material left will work fine in normal light use start working them hard and you will soon find that they fade pretty rapidly since there is no material to dissipate the heat. >>

I don't know whether Challengers have special braking arrangements, but I don't think the amount of material in a brake-pad is great enough to 'dissipate much heat'. Pad material being a relatively poor conductor, I would also guess that when only 1mm thick, heat might reach the metal backing (and onwards) faster than when it is 6mm thick ? (Which of course, might raise the temperature of the fluid in the caliper cylinders)

But most heat will be dissipated via vented disks, which this vehicle will surely have.

Edited by Andrew-T on 01/05/2021 at 09:47

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Bolt

<< Whilst a set of pads with only 1mm of material left will work fine in normal light use start working them hard and you will soon find that they fade pretty rapidly since there is no material to dissipate the heat. >>

I don't know whether Challengers have special braking arrangements, but I don't think the amount of material in a brake-pad is great enough to 'dissipate much heat'. Pad material being a relatively poor conductor, I would also guess that when only 1mm thick, heat might reach the metal backing (and onwards) faster than when it is 6mm thick ? (Which of course, might raise the temperature of the fluid in the caliper cylinders)

But most heat will be dissipated via vented disks, which this vehicle will surely have.

I`d be more worried about pads breaking up, at that thickness they stand a good chance of breaking up, if had to do an emergency stop, used to see it often when people neglected brakes where the pad so low they hardly worked as friction material had broken up!

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Andrew-T

<< I`d be more worried about pads breaking up, at that thickness they stand a good chance of breaking up, if had to do an emergency stop, used to see it often when people neglected brakes where the pad so low they hardly worked as friction material had broken up! >>

I will never forget driving about 200 miles in a Pug 309 (business pool car) with only 16K miles, which made horrible grating noises while braking, and I realised the pads were down or close to the metal backing. Luckily most of the journey was on major roads so I slowed down using gears as much as possible.

I was staggered that a car was in that state after that mileage, and also that no-one else had thought to do anything about it.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - skidpan

A few mm of thickness will make no practical difference to the temperature of the brake fluid.

Did I mention the temperature of the brake fluid?

But that raises a new question, has the fluid in the Challenger been changed? if not it needs doing at the same time as the discs and pads are changed.

Forget the physics, a pad with 1mm needs changing NOW not in a few thousand miles.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - John F

A few mm of thickness will make no practical difference to the temperature of the brake fluid.

Did I mention the temperature of the brake fluid?

You mentioned brake fade which nowadays only occurs on the race track, or perhaps descending an Alp with a heavy caravan. Boiling brake fluid causes it. Very hot surface brake pad material can also cause it irrespective of how thick the pad is. Indeed, with severe use it is more likely to occur with new pads yet to bed in.

Forget the physics, a pad with 1mm needs changing NOW

Agreed, apart from forgetting physics, an understanding of which is essential for fully understanding the workings of a car.

However, a 10mm thick pad has at least 8mm of use. With normal driving, front pads should last at least 40,000 miles - probably double that on the rear (e.g.my heavy Audi, still has 3-4mm after 71,000 miles). If the OP has 3mm, at 5000 miles per millimetre, he should be able to do well over 6000 more miles before they fail the MoT 1.6mm limit.

I repeat - waste not want not.

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Bolt

Guessing all of them? Just want to know what to instruct garage to do.

I think you guessed correctly!

Dodge Challenger 2015 - What brakes do I need to replace? - Xileno

This thread seems to have gone as far is it can in terms of helping the OP, some different opinions have been given, it's up to him now to act. I don't think there's anything more to add so I'm locking the thread.

Xileno, moderator