Is a front brake guard needed?

[JonB]

Found a rusty piece of metal on my driveway a few weeks back, found out its the brake guard from one of the front discs.

I've done nothing about it and the van has been through an MOT without it and passed.

Does anyone know if it's essential and if its a bit of a 'job' to fit a new one.

Kinda looks as though its a full brake and disc off job which to me looks like hours of fun and frustration.

[lloydy]

A lot of people run without them, and yes it's a disc off job, which I think is more involved on a 2WD?

[dekhelia]

The splash guard stops the disc getting wet (obviously, heh). I'd rather have dry discs if I had to slam the anchors on in the rain.

E D I T: it's not that big a job: caliper off, disc off, splash guard on.

[ghost123uk]

Are they for keeping the disk dry ? I always assumed they were stone guards. My van has had non fitted for years with no apparent issues.

iirc, Brickwerks sell them.

[CovKid]

Stop the discs from getting wet - thats just plain silly.

Whoever told you that? When the roads are wet, the difference they'd make would be practically nil.

[R0B]

^^^WHS^^^

[ghost123uk]

I was just being gentle / polite

[clift_d]

The most plausible explanation I've seen is that they keep brake dust off the suspension etc.

[CovKid]

I took time out to explore this a bit more. Heres one I read on the Net (which to be honest I just shook my head at):

"Because dust and grime can more easily make its way into your braking system, prolonged use without a dust shield can lead to accelerated buildup of road grime and dirt. In severe cases, this can lead to malfunction and increased difficulty with maintenance."

Sorry, that sounds like a load of old flannel to me. I've heard people on my local market come out with a better pitch than that. Dust and muck won't be frightened by a silly metal plate. It'll get in regardless. I've never seen any evidence to show that the so-called 'dust shields' contribute in this way at all. Arguably they may protect disc surface from damage due to millions of small stones bimbarding the surface but thats the only thing I could put forward as 'plausible' Even car manufacturers don't actually seem to know why they fit them......

[AdrianC]

I took time out to explore this a bit more. Heres one I read on the Net (which to be honest I just shook my head at):

"Because dust and grime can more easily make its way into your braking system, prolonged use without a dust shield can lead to accelerated buildup of road grime and dirt. In severe cases, this can lead to malfunction and increased difficulty with maintenance."

Sorry, that sounds like a load of old flannel to me. I've heard people on my local market come out with a better pitch than that. Dust and muck won't be frightened by a silly metal plate.

Indeed. Just remind me, there's holes in the wheel itself, right? And quite big ones in a lot of aftermarket alloys, right? Does dust & muck & water not go in through them?

[kevtherev]

With the wheels rotating at speed it would be less likely that any debris would get through any gaps to the disc IMO.
Looking at the colour of my alloys I would say the air flow is outward, or at least negative.

They are there to protect the disc surface and pad contact point, gathering abrasive grit or stones, that accelerates pad wear.


so I'm told

[CovKid]

Aye, and if there was a reason to have one, you'd think it'd be on the outside to stop brake dust going all over your alloys Kev.

I'm inclined to think they just increase the chances of getting a small rock wedged in there followed by an alarming (and unexpected) thumpity-thump noise just as you're driving through quiet and peaceful countryside without a care in the world - and giving you a minor heart attack.

Perhaps we're missing a trick here. We could rebrand them as "OE genuine T25 rock catchers" and make a fortune at VW events - selling them for just £199 per pair.

[Jakemate]

To be fair I think they fit them just for show, bit like engine covers which are fitted for noise insulation and to help keep parts intact in a road traffic collision !!!! (Apparently)

I have no cover on either of my front discs, passed mot with no problems and I reckon my discs will run cooler without them.

How many motorbikes do you see with disc covers ?

[what2do]

How many motorbikes do you see with disc covers ? [/quote]

Motocross bikes used to have the front disc fully enclosed by a plastic cover. They were very efficient at catching stones and not releasing them!

[nevill3]

I think they are like the new Ferrari F1 brake ducts, they modify the air flow to cool the brakes and increase the downforce to give higher apex speeds