wardo Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I remember reading someplace about quenching discs after getting them good and hot to increase their performance, can anyone explain the reasoning as well as specific procedure to me? Thanks, Wardo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinell Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Ride around with the brakes half on until they start to discolour and then pour water on the discs before they cool down. It seems to work but it doesn't last long... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliechitlins Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I never look at them to see if they discolor; I'd probably run into a tree. I just do it for about a minute. Sometimes 2 or 3 times. It works great. Some swear by dirty water. I used to keep a bottle stashed by a creek in my favorite riding spot in case I needed to quench. As for why it works...I don't know. Some think it does something to the pads, but I don't see it. I always pour water on the disk; and I doubt I'm washing anything off the pads. But it's hard to imagine it has anything to do with the hardness/temper of the disk because it's probably cast iron. Hmmmm........ Whatever it is, it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin j Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 this is one of the most curious things to me, I would love to know a serious explanation of why it works. Seems way too low temperature to affect the metallurgy. best explanation I have heard is that the water/steaming cleans out the film from the pads surface, like steam cleaning. Makes sense, but no authoritative source for that, I just heard it somewhere. It does work. I'm just curious as to why. k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughesy Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Well here's the theory I read on Montain Bike website years ago, it was that by heating the disc up all the grease and oil that is held in the minscule imperfections on the disc's surface and released by the heat and then washed away by the water. The actually "Quenching" of the disc doesn't alter the braking characteristics because it doesn't alter the coefficient of friction of the disc, but removing the tiny paticles of grease and grime does. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardo Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Thanks for the responses, maybe I should have called my post "steam cleaning discs". The rear brake on my 4rt isn't as powerful as I'd like, so I followed the procedure and it did make a difference. One contributing factor is that I have a Mitani brake pedal, which is far shorter then stock, and thus offers far less leverage. Are there brake pads that offer more "bite" than the stock units? Thanks, Wardo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun1664 Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 If the effect is to clean the disks then couldn't the point be proven by giving both disks a good spraying with Brake Cleaner before you start a ride. The result should be the same shouldn't it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan bechard Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 If the effect is to clean the disks then couldn't the point be proven by giving both disks a good spraying with Brake Cleaner before you start a ride. The result should be the same shouldn't it ? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, it is the difference between cleaning an engine of a car with spray on cleaner and rinsing it off, and spraying it with a steam jenny. Hands down the Steam jenny will bet it substantially cleaner. Besides that, it is cheap, effective, repeatable, and easy. As far as maintenance things on your bike it just does not get any better. As a side note, one of the other things that came up in the last discussion about this, was the possibility that the rapid heating and cooling cycle could cause any dispersed air to head on up the tube and out to the top of the master. That was a debated point. Also, as you do this right after installation of pads, you are in effect seating, or matching the pads to the disc by the steady application, which also helps breaking effectiveness. I myself believe it is a steam cleaning, but at some point, I just do not care, it has proven effective time and again for multiple people on troublesome brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d. sileo Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 From my experiences, The high heat makes the metal disk grow, the rapid cooling keep that new growth in place. I do this to all my new bike. Don't forget to replace the pads , some times they look fine, but a fresh set with the correct dimensions makes alot of difference in performance. If you have been running the same pads all season , you probably would be amazed by the results of a fresh set of brake pads......I see this more times than i care to mention...My 2 cents ......D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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