Brake Disc Explodes Under High Friction Load!

What Happens to the Brake Disc When You Stomp on the Brake and the Gas at the Same Time, for a Long Time?

Brakes are the unsung heroes of high-performance driving. A great set of brakes can help you carry more speed further into the corner, shaving precious lap time, and giving you the confidence you need to push harder.

Mario Andretti once famously quipped, “It is amazing how many drivers, even at the Formula One level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.” On the street, they keep you safe, and out of harm’s way.

Jalopnik turned us onto the video below. It’s from some crazy Finnish folks with a hydraulic press YouTube channel, called Beyond the Press. As you might have guessed by the name, the destruction isn’t entirely hydraulic press-based. In this case, the hapless victim is a brake rotor.

The brakes on your car work with a combination of hydraulic pressure and friction. When the pedal is depressed, hydraulic fluid cases the caliper pistons to push the brake pads into the brake rotors, spinning with the wheel to slow the car down.

This friction creates heat, and it’s not uncommon to see race cars with glowing orange rotors behind the wheels. This is due to the intense temperatures generated.

In the video, the car — an older Ford Fiesta — is jacked up, with a wedge placed in one wheel, and the other is removed. Since the car has an open differential, only one wheel is able to spin.

With both the gas and brake pedals fully depressed, heat builds up fast. The pad friction material is worn through. And metal on metal contact occurs between the pad and rotor.

Sparks fly. The rotor glows orange. Fire begins shooting out from the caliper. The heat causes the rotor to crack. It eventually explodes in dramatic fashion, leaving only the center hub portion intact.

While this is a dramatic example, it’s a good reminder to keep your brake system well-maintained, and to pay special attention when you begin modifying your Mustang.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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