TBM Brakes: Frequently Asked Questions

[pist0lpete]

I have a question. I see the cloverleaf and other shaped rotors all the time on streetbikes and go karts. I have always wondered what the momentary loss of contact between the pad and rotor does to pad wear?

[TBM Brakes]

Originally Posted by pist0lpete

I have a question. I see the cloverleaf and other shaped rotors all the time on streetbikes and go karts. I have always wondered what the momentary loss of contact between the pad and rotor does to pad wear?

great questions!

We find our pads last much longer than our competitors, but it has more to do with the rigidity of the caliper and the zero drag. That's the key to the whole thing. No more tapered pads, no more dragging calipers, etc causes our pads to last much longer. Every situation is different, but in many cases racers are seeing our pads last 3 to 4 times longer than the their previous setups.

[TBM Brakes]

Number 4:
WHY DO MY PADS WEAR TAPERED?
Virtually every brake company in the industry has a significant problem with tapered pad wear. Regardless of whether they stagger the piston sizes or not, the taper is significant. The actual cause is caliper flex. As caliper flex increases, the more the taper.

TBM Brakes, because of the caliper rigidity, reduce the flex so effectively, that it will only be seen under the most adverse conditions, and even then, far less than any of our competitors. The reason is that we have simply produced such a rigid unit that the minimal flex even at extreme line pressures results in very little spreading thereby reducing the pad taper.

The significance of the strength of the caliper results in 3-4 times pad life in our caliper as the “Zero Drag” effect, combined with the caliper rigidity effectively increases the pad life by eliminating cocking and reduced pad temperatures. THE SINGLE BIGGEST CAUSE OF A “MID CORNER PUSH” IN A RACE CAR IS BRAKE DRAG. Virtually every caliper on the market creates wheel drag to some extent and significant drag when they super heat on the race track. If you don’t believe it, try to spin your wheel immediately on entering the pits. Can you afford that horsepower loss at the rear wheels?

[camcojb]

Good info.

[dontlifttoshift]

Do TBM calipers require a residual valve?

[TBM Brakes]

Originally Posted by dontlifttoshift

Do TBM calipers require a residual valve?

Great question!

We recommend 2lb residual valves front and rear regardless of master cylinder height. While TBM Calipers will operate fine without them, it does create a slightly “deeper” pedal do to the zero drag design. The 2lb. residual valves cure that issue.

[DBasher]

I also had wondered why the wave rotors hadn't been common in the street/track car world. I've seen them on drag, motorcycles and even rock buggies for a few years now.

Great information, please continue!