This means you won’t see the bracket surrounding the caliper as in the 2-piston caliper above. 4 piston calipers are usually a fixed position design. Also, some rear single-piston calipers have a mechanism on the back for the parking brake.ĭual (2) Piston Calipers are usually sliding calipers with brackets, but some 2 piston calipers are fixed position with opposing pistons – one on the inboard and one on the outboard side.Ĥ Piston Calipers are almost always going to have 2 inboard and 2 outboard opposing pistons. However, on some applications, the bracket is built into the knuckle of the vehicle. Single (1) Piston calipers are always sliding calipers that move slightly as the brake pads wear. Below we examine different types of brake calipers based on the number of pistons they utilize. How Many Pistons Are in a Brake Caliper?īrake calipers vary widely.
When the brake pedal is disengaged by removing your foot from the pedal, the drop in brake fluid pressure causes the pistons-and therefore the brake pads-to retract. This forces the pads to make contact with the rotors. When the brake pedal is engaged, brake fluid is sent from the master cylinder into the brake caliper, and the pistons are pushed out behind the brake pads. Pistons are responsible for enabling the brake pads to make contact with the brake rotor and bring a vehicle to a stop. Starting With the Basics: What Is a Brake Caliper Piston?īrake calipers are essential components of an overall braking system, and the pistons are the key components of brake calipers. 4 and 6 piston calipers are a little more tricky but you can still usually see the outline of the 2 or 3 outboard pistons.īelow, we discuss what brake caliper pistons are, and detail the differences between a variety of different types. If you count the arches, you can usually tell how many pistons are in the caliper.
Generally, on 1 and 2 piston sliding calipers, you can frequently see “arches” on the face of a caliper. Modern vehicles typically have open-wheel designs to make it easy to visually confirm how many pistons the calipers have.
Quite frequently our Brake Finder will ask, “how many pistons do the front/rear calipers have?” Don’t worry! You probably don’t even have to take off your wheel to find the answer.
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How To Tell How Many Pistons My Brake Calipers Have?
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