Braking style and sticking calipers

[OctaneV8]

Following a suspected sticking caliper, and previous experiences of having to replace calipers on another car,

it got me thinking can braking style be a contributor to calipers sticking?


Would moderate braking cause sticking calipers, is it better to apply, say 60% pressure in shorter bursts vs. 40% pressure for longer bursts?

or is it just preventative maintenance, replacing fluid every 2-3 years.


Possibly unrelated but recently watching an animation of how the caliper works, I see that one pad gets applied before the other side (but perhaps this is for a split-second).


On the road I've always tried to be smooth on the brakes, carrying momentum, rolling up to lights, creeping in traffic etc.
if I need to brake I try to plan ahead and brake gently and pulsed on/off on/off when approaching turns. (yes I think regen braking on an electric car is a great feature!).

On my last 4x BMW cars, at some point in years of ownership I've experienced sticking calipers which got replaced by garage.


Most recently I've got a car which only gets used on the weekend, sometimes not for a few weeks. No issues when I first got the car but after a few months, symptoms after 15 min motorway drive, vibration from the rear, finding one brake hotter than the rest.

I've cleaned the brake caliper assembly and applied silicone grease to slide pins, and also the pads tabs. I've not covered many miles since but on 2x 30 min drives it seems to have remedied and the car feels back to normal (already slightly better mpg and more alive). I've got new calipers ready to go on, just in case the issue returns.

Edited by OctaneV8 on Tuesday 18th March 18:02

[GreenV8S]

I think the animation you're referring to was just to illustrate how floating calipers work. The opposing pads always apply equal and opposite force unless the caliper is faulty.

Driving style makes a big difference to how hot the brakes get, how much wear happens and how much dust is generated. Poor driving habits can aggravate all of these. I suggest aiming for good driving habits for their own sake, and not just to reduce the amount of maintenance the brakes need.

[OctaneV8]

Thank you, yes that's right, brilliant design isn't it. Typically when I get a car, within a few months I'll replace the discs, pads, sometimes calipers, and they're good for many years. I'll put it down to the previous owners, and carry on braking smooth.

GreenV8S said:

I think the animation you're referring to was just to illustrate how floating calipers work. The opposing pads always apply equal and opposite force unless the caliper is faulty.

Driving style makes a big difference to how hot the brakes get, how much wear happens and how much dust is generated. Poor driving habits can aggravate all of these. I suggest aiming for good driving habits for their own sake, and not just to reduce the amount of maintenance the brakes need.

[Master Of Puppets]

The vast majority of 'sticking' calipers we do in the garage are related to corrosion due to lack of servicing, often it's pads
stuck on the carrier, or sliders seized in the carrier, caliper pistons also rust especially if the rubber dust seal is perforated
and letting in water.

None of those could be said to be related to driving style as such, possibly if they were being stamped on repeatedly
enough to cause excess heat like on track, but then anyone that goes on track would have well serviced calipers.

[Smint]

Yes almost always neglect, poor or non existant brake servicing.
As well as cleaning and correct lubing it pays to exercise the pistons in their bores a few times too.