Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 03:04:46 GMT From: "CliffM" <cmarkellnopsamaone.net> Subject: Re: 9-5 Rotor Life
"Four Weis" <mweinopsamcom> wrote in message news:38C48A84.7C4725Cnopsamcom... > Is your 9-5 an automatic transmission? I have heard the same complaint with > Volvos and Toyotas when the transmission is an automatic. The theory I have > heard is that while a manual can slow down using the engine (via the solid > connection through the clutch), the automatic coasts, therefore requiring the > application of the brake for any slowing down. This heats up the pads and > rotor and when the car comes to a complete stop, more brake pedal pressure must > be maintained to keep the car from pulling forward, causing the hot rotor to > cool down unevenly(only one area has pressure from the pads), resulting in > warped rotors sooner. A manual transmission in neutral does not want to pull > the car forward like an automatic in Drive, and requires less brake to keep the > car stopped. > My wife and I both own 1999 9-5s - I have a manual sedan and she has an auto wagon. One thing I have noticed trying to keep both cars clean is that her front wheels get trashed pretty quickly with thick gobs of brake dust, and my manual tranny car only gets a faint whisper of dust during a week of driving. I use the engine for braking - downshift, etc, and the car slows down when you take your foot off the gas. Driving her automatic definately requires a lot of braking in town driving. It's so easy to get the car going fast that you kind of have to put out the anchor to slow it down.