UFO brakes (WAS: Insurance Bashing)

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

UFO brakes are a nickname given to the internal caliper brakes used by
Audi on the 91 200 quattro *wagon* (not on the sedan) and on the early
nineties V8s. Audi figured they could better braking by increasing the
swept area of the front brakes. To do this without putting bigger wheels
on the cars, they figured out a way to mount the calipers on the inside
of the rotor, thus being able to extend the rotor all the way to the
inside edge of the wheel. This has been leading to some cooling and
other problems that make the rotors warp very, very quickly (sometimes
when the cars came off the truck, I've been told at the dealer).

Audi switched to using some new material in the rotors sometime in 92 (I
think) and is still using remanufactured rotors as new rotors are hugely
expensive. The remanufactured ones ain't cheap either, but it's
better...

Look for a cage like structure around the front brakes, visible through
the wheels, to see if a car has UFO brakes. They're not necessarily a
lot of trouble, but the potential is there...
- peter, peterhe@microsoft.com, redmond, wa
  91 200qw
  94 acura legend gs
  80 mazda 626
  O-

>----------
>From: 	Al Powell[SMTP:APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu]
>Sent: 	Saturday, April 13, 1996 3:09 PM
>To: 	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>Subject: 	Insurance Bashing
>
>Terry Moore <terrym@nando.net> said:
>
>> What are UFO brakes.  I have made an offer on a 91 200TQ.  Does this car
>> have UFO brakes?  Should I be concerned?
>> 
>> PS:  I didn't respond to the insurance bashing last week, so send me a 
>> metal (sic)
>
>I'm sure others will help on the brakes - glad you didn't take the 
>insurance bashing personally.  It's the *companies* I get frustrated 
>with...the people who make a living selling the insurance are 
>generally pretty nice folks. They're stuck with the company line (and 
>rates) just like the rest of the "employed community" is....and if 
>you work for GEICO, you have my sympathy, and my encouragement to 
>find an honest employer.
> 
>
>Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
>Ag Communications                   Fax:    409/862-1202
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>
>