ckl Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Just wanted to confirm that after a somewhat long drive (1/2 hour), the front brakes get awefully hot. What I mean by that is when you put your hand close to the brakes, you can feel the heat radiating from it. As a matter of fact, even if you just walk past, you can feel the heat from the wheels. On my other car, on the same drive, the brakes are nowhere near as hot, but that is a passenger car though so not as heavy. Reason I ask is because my gas mileage is around 15L/100km (16mpg) and I'm wondering if the brakes have anything to do with it. I don't think I have ever achieved Dodge's claim of 12L/100km city. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Brakes get hot and the brakes on the pre-2012 models are undersized, so some heat is definitely possible. You should be able to touch your rim without burning your hand. Do you have any pulsating feel when braking, or any other signs that they are getting overly hot? dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I don't get any pulsating feeling when braking. I just notice that when I get out and walk towards the front of the car, I can feel the heat coming from the front wheel. So I stop and place my hand near the wheel and can confirm it's damn hot. I don't notice this from my other car. Just curious if this was normal or not. Maybe I'll go out and buy one of those IR thermometers and check the temp but even if I do I don't even know what a normal reading would be. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Front brakes do a much higher percentage of the braking than the rears. How hot they get is highly dependent on how you use your brakes. Do you ride with your foot resting on the brake pedal? Do you drive it like you stole it? Are you in constant stop and go or do repeated high speed stops? As stated, the 09's have undersized brakes, so, yes, they may get hotter than other vehicles which have adequately sized brakes. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 One of the pistons in the caliper may not be letting the pads fully retract. Are there any circular marks on the discs? rolly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) Do you ride with your foot resting on the brake pedal? Do you drive it like you stole it? Are you in constant stop and go or do repeated high speed stops? As stated, the 09's have undersized brakes, so, yes, they may get hotter than other vehicles which have adequately sized brakes. Actually no I don't do any of that. I've been through a couple of dealer brake jobs due to the undersized brakes so i know they are weak. As such, I try my best *not* to put myself into a situation where heavy braking is required under normal circumstances. So I coast to stops instead of stopping at the last second, I gear down when descending hills, etc. etc. You could say I baby the brakes more than I any other car I've owned. Edited October 27, 2015 by ckl dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 One of the pistons in the caliper may not be letting the pads fully retract. Are there any circular marks on the discs? I'll have to check when I get back to the car. If it is a stuck caliper, then it seems that both sides are stuck as they are both consistently hot. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lytefall Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I recently had a stuck caliper. The heat coming off it at first was as you described. I could feel it radiating just walking past it. When it first happned it was summer and outside temp was mid 30s celsius so I noted it but wasn't overly concerned. It actually didn't happen again for a few weeks but the next time it did it, it was worse. Then within a couple of days the heat coming off it was unreal. I couldn't even get my hand close to the rim without feeling like it was burning. Caliper was fully seized and the rotor was destroyed. Luckily the dealership replaced it under warranty even though I was just out of my time frame. You may want to get it checked out just in case it's heading that way. rolly and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 If it gets to hot it can ruin your wheel bearing also (happened to me) in an 09 RT dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Valley Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Have an 09 and had 4 front brk jobs and 1 rear. I hate this part of the car but but the rest is just great. Find we are always looking at new cars but mie is worth squat. Enough of my rant. Someone says newer cars like crew have heavir brakes. Can I uprade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Have an 09 and had 4 front brk jobs and 1 rear. I hate this part of the car but but the rest is just great. Find we are always looking at new cars but mie is worth squat. Enough of my rant. Someone says newer cars like crew have heavir brakes. Can I uprade? Yes you can. Use the search function and search for "big brake upgrade" Here's one thread: http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/topic/7807-brake-upgrade-for-2011/?hl=%2Bbrake+%2Bupgrade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty256 Posted November 14, 2015 Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 Switch to aftermarket good quality pads and rotors and you will have less problems. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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