[s-cars] Aluminum Brake Brackets

[Tom Green]

It was not mentioned how long the brackets had been installed on the  
vehicle, and how frequent the
inspections were, but left to speculate the assumption would have to  
be less than yearly.  This is
hardly a prudent preventive maintenance plan for any part in the most  
hostile corrosive environment
to which you could subject these parts.  Steel brackets would be a  
better choice if this is the plan.

The racing applications get checked before every race and not just a  
cursory once-over, so that
application hardly has any relevance to the neglected daily driver.   
The aluminum alloys used in
aircraft skins live in a friendlier environment but get thorough  
periodic inspections.

You should not try to educate aircraft structural engineers in the  
production of aluminum alloy parts.
"Billet" is badly overused and since billets are cast at the foundry  
all these parts start out as cast
aluminum.  The ECS bracket was machined from one of these billets.

Although 6061 T6 is one of the most corrosion resistant alloys, it  
gives up strength for those properties,
and is still subject to the same inter granular corrosion these other  
brackets exhibited.  The surface
treatments can help, but road debris and tool and fastener scoring  
degrade the once impenetrable
barrier.  There is no install and drive until the pad light comes on  
BBK available.

Surely your wheels could use a good cleaning twice a year.  When you  
remove them for a thorough
cleaning, check and clean the brake brackets and calipers also. Half  
the reason you bought those
"Big Reds" was for show anyway.  Check those brake lines and C/V boots  
at the same time.  Gee,
has it really been that long since I flushed the brake fluid?

Tom '95 S6
          '95.5 S6 avant
Knoxville, TN



On Thursday, April 8, 2011, at 4:11 PM, "Bares, Vittorio" <Vittorio.Bares at nuance.com 
 >  wrote:

> I think it's a prudent issue to consider. There are lots of billet  
> alum brackets being used in racing today.
>
> My shop indicated that the ECS bracket was *cast*, and with bad  
> alloys.
>
> My brackets were machined from a solid block of T6061 aluminum -  
> these will not split like the ECS ones.
>
> Vittorio -
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com 
> ] On Behalf Of Erik Addy
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 3:52 PM
> To: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: [s-cars] Al brack brackets
>
> For all you guys talking about brake brackets, I would think twice  
> about using
> any sort of bracket that was just machined out of aluminum by some  
> local shop,
> or apparently ECS.
>
> The ones on? my car (which a local Audi shop had machined locally)  
> split on one
> side, resulting in total braking loss (all fluid leaked out broken  
> hose).? In
> addition to being potentially lethal, it was also fairly expensive,  
> as it
> required one new 993 caliper, new SS lines, and new brackets.? Oh,  
> the bracket
> that didn't fail was obviously very close to failure.
>
> I'm not saying a good bracket CAN'T be made from aluminum, I'm just  
> saying that
> it would require the right design, and the right alloy.
>
> When it came time for replacement, I went with steel from apikol.?  
> Very nicely
> made, BTW.
>
> Just my $0.02.
>
> Erik