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I can almost guarantee the problem is caused by the brake pads glazing over. The working surface of a brake pad will become work hardened, which drastically low
by cc439 8y ago
I can almost guarantee the problem is caused by the brake pads glazing over. The working surface of a brake pad will become work hardened, which drastically lowers their friction coefficient, once pushed past their designed temperature limit.
The Model 3 (3,800lbs for the long range model) is a fat pig of a car compared to other, conventionally powered cars in its class (3,300lbs for a BMW 3 Series) but this is countered by Tesla fitting them with relatively enormous brakes (14" rotors up front, 13.5" in the rear, larger rotors have more heat absorbing capacity for the pads).
If I had to guess the root cause for this problem, I'd say it is likely down to Tesla's focus on minimizing aerodynamic drag causing a lack of airflow within the wheelwell and across the brakes out the wheel itself. Either that or they chose an absolutely terrible brake pad compound but that just doesn't seem likely in this modern era. Either way, the brakes are getting so hot after a single stop that CR's cooling procedure (a reasonable one I might add) is inadequate to keep the brake pads from drastically overheating. This also explains why braking performance was still compromosed after letting the car cool overnight. The work hardened surface will perform poorly until it is literally ground off from further heavy use of the brakes.
- dragontamer 8y ago> I can almost guarantee the problem is caused by the brake pads glazing over. That's actually a very reasonable explanation. I can't say I'm a car expert, but your logic at least sounds correct.
- justin66 8y agoCan't brake pad material also adhere to the surface of the rotor as well, requiring that they be turned to remove the material? I think that's what people mean when they talk about the rotor being "glazed," a related problem to what you're talking about. This is all a potentially expensive repair.
- magduf 8y agoUsually, when pad material adheres to the rotor, people call that "warped rotors" because it feels like the rotor is warped when braking. It's not usually uniform, I think. As for expense, brakes are simple and the parts generally cheap, at least for mass-market cars. You can get a full set of pads and rotors for less than $100 from Autozone.
- justin66 8y ago"Warped" rotors, yes, I've heard that term. Not something that comes up in conversation as much as it used to. They are a lot cheaper today but the cost of rotors varies tremendously depending on the manufacturer and their volume. I gather they turn rotors a lot less than they used to because they're so darn inexpensive to replace, but I'm pretty sure it's still economical for some of the higher-end stuff.