Anyone check the temperature of their brakes

[Tinstar]

Are there any of you that have checked the temperature of your disk brakes after 30 or 45 minutes of heavy use. Are the front and rear disk about the same temperature and what temperature were they?

[kalynzoo]

My tire monitor (Tire Protector USA...there are may companies)also monitors the temp. This summer when my aux brake got caught up I was warned when the temp was 180 and smoke was coming off the front brakes. No immediate damage, got to finish the vacation, but I needed a brake job on the Saturn when we got home. Going down the Grapevine (I-5 very long 6% grade) at the bottom you can smell everyones' brakes. I usually stop at the town at the bottom of the grade to let everything cool and take a little break myself, as it is about 1.5 hours from home. Just walking around the coach I can feel the heat. Not so much now with the engine brake, but for sure when I had the gas RV.

[gatorcq]

It all depends on the Chassis.
On Freightliner there is no need to as quoted by the Camp Freightliner school.
Even going down a steep hill.
3 to 5 seconds = 5 mph slower
7 to 10 seconds = 10 mph slower
15 to 20 seconds = 20 mph slower.
The first real indication of getting warm to hot (not to worry) is your nose.
Hope this helps. If you have a Freightliner Chassis I suggest Camp Freightliner School in Gaffney in South Carolina. Another option is Freightliner access 24/7 hotline. First

[10forty2]

kyle86 wrote:
I have a problems with my brakes sticking. I smelled burnt brakes one day so I started checking the temps with a laser thermometer. Normal use they see about 150 degrees. When they get stuck I see 300+ degrees. The front pair are the ones sticking which are brand new USA dexter hubs that the previous owner installed. I know they are stuck because when I'm on a downgrade hill and hit the brakes and then release, the truck stays still. If I reverse a couple feet then they unlock and roll foreward. Sorry to hijack the thread just posting in case someone may know what's going on.

Sounds like you need to get those calipers looked at. Most likely, the caliper slider pins need cleaning/lubing, but there could be other problems causing it as well. If allowed to constantly keep the brake pads engaged, they will, 1) wear out the pads faster, 2) Glaze them so they are not effective at stopping, 3) Wear out the rotors, and 4) Possibly heat up the wheel and maybe cause a tire failure as a result of being overheated....an/d or all of the above.

[ncrowley]

I slow down to a speed that the exhaust brake will hold. The transmission will shift down as I slow down So it is combination of the exhaust brake and gear that will keep me from speeding up. That way I am not always using the brakes to slow down. I may have to go pretty slow on a steep grade. I drive out west and I seem to be always going over some mountain pass. I am often going down about 40 - 45 mph.
When I was in Camp Freightliner, they said to go down the grade no faster than you went up the grade.

[Ivylog]

X2 on what WyoTraveler said. Mel, did you ever do the test to see if your exhaust brake was engaging/working? Did the shift pad show 4 or 2 when you had it on and took your foot off the gas? Once you start smelling your brakes it's past time to find some other way of slowing down... hopefully not a runaway ramp with your 1994 Allegro Bus.

Yes I temp my front brake disks, but it's usually at a rest stop and 140 is the highest I can remember seeing after one stop from 25 MPH. I temp my tires/140 Max, wheel bearings/125 Max and brakes/140 Max to make sure something is not out of the norm. The 140 on the disk could be more from the tire temp than the actual braking as I use my Jake Brake to slow down all the time.

[WyoTraveler]

If your brakes are getting that hot you are over using them on down grades. You should be gearing down, going slower and letting your engine do the work on down grades. Every summer near the bottom of hwy 16 in Wyoming they have several RVs burn up due to over use of their brakes. Very dangerous to let your brakes get that hot.

[kyle86]

I have a problems with my brakes sticking. I smelled burnt brakes one day so I started checking the temps with a laser thermometer. Normal use they see about 150 degrees. When they get stuck I see 300+ degrees. The front pair are the ones sticking which are brand new USA dexter hubs that the previous owner installed. I know they are stuck because when I'm on a downgrade hill and hit the brakes and then release, the truck stays still. If I reverse a couple feet then they unlock and roll foreward. Sorry to hijack the thread just posting in case someone may know what's going on.

[Kayteg1]

I have seem mine red hot once, what I believe is close to 2000F.
Not that I wanted to touch them to check.
Had my lesson in underestimating the grade.
In most situations it is front that slows mostly and those brakes always get hotter.