FYI - UFO Brakes

["Paul C. Waterloo" <74543.407@CompuServe.COM>]

After looking at many cars with UFO's, I still could never understand what they
actually looked like. I could easily identify them with the large metal discs in
them, but could never figure it out.

Well.... had my car two days and had to take the wheel off to look at them,
here's my description:

I think they should of called them INSIDE DIAMETER CALIPERS vs. internal
calipers, it would make more sense to me.

The disk that you see attaches to the wheel hub just like most brake rotors do,
they use the wheel bolts holes to align/secure them to the hub, and they have
another small hole with an allen head bolt to secure them in place when the
wheel is not installed.

The disk then protrudes from the hub out to the outside diameter of the rotor.
You can see most of this when looking through the wheel, especially on the BBS
mesh style wheels.

The disk attaches to the rotor at the OUTSIDE DIAMETER of the rotor, where the
rotor has the vents between the two side plates of the rotor. It is attached
around the complete outside diameter of the rotor.

The rotor is actually only a donut plate that HAS NO PORTION OF THE INSIDE
DIAMETER OF THE ROTOR ATTACHED TO THE WHEEL HUB. The disk on the O.D. provides
this support.

The brake caliper is then set up on the INSIDE DIAMETER of the rotor, versus the
outside diameter, like most cars. In other words, the portion of the rotor that
the caliper stradles is on the ID of the rotor versus the OD of the rotor, hence
the weird set up of the rotor.

They do look like they are really pretty heavy duty, my car seems to have
awesome brakes. The car has 90 K on it, and I think it has the original rotors
on them. The discs have dates of 10/90 on them. The last owner didn't change
them.

IS ALL OF THIS CLEAR AS MUD NOW? Hope it confused you a little bit.

Paul

91 200 Q
87 5KSQ (for sale)


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Paul Waterloo                    TEL: (860) 267-7714
HydroAire Incorporated           FAX: (860) 267-7387
875 Old Hartford Rd
Colchester, CT  06415          EMAIL: 74543.407@compuserve.com
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