Benefit to Floating rotors
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,600
Likes: 7
From: Minnesota
Most MC floating rotors are really semi-floaters as the outer disk is almost bolted solid to the carrier with stainless steel rivets. My HD ones are anyway.
True full-floaters move on the carriers (so much so that they can rattle), allowing them to self-center in the caliper for reduced brake drag and will float during repeated thermal cycling.
True full-floaters move on the carriers (so much so that they can rattle), allowing them to self-center in the caliper for reduced brake drag and will float during repeated thermal cycling.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Most MC floating rotors are really semi-floaters as the outer disk is almost bolted solid to the carrier with stainless steel rivets. My HD ones are anyway.
True full-floaters move on the carriers (so much so that they can rattle), allowing them to self-center in the caliper for reduced brake drag and will float during repeated thermal cycling.
True full-floaters move on the carriers (so much so that they can rattle), allowing them to self-center in the caliper for reduced brake drag and will float during repeated thermal cycling.
The other main benefit of floaters is reduced heat sink into the hub and hence wheel bearings.
Last edited by grbrown; Mar 21, 2014 at 10:41 AM.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 430
Likes: 2
From: Dirty City
The primary point of floating discs are to compensate for fixed (non-floating) calipers. The result being more even pressure and therefore better braking force and more even heating.
The secondary benefit, as grbrown pointed out, is reduced heat transfer to the wheel bearing via the hub. The down side to this is increased rotor heat, which increases fade and counteracts the anti-warping benefit of a floating rotor.
The secondary benefit, as grbrown pointed out, is reduced heat transfer to the wheel bearing via the hub. The down side to this is increased rotor heat, which increases fade and counteracts the anti-warping benefit of a floating rotor.
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