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I noticed when looking at a Porsche 918 the other day that the brake calipers are not the same position on the front wheels as the rear ones. I then noticed that they are laid out the same on a BMW M3.

I thought that potentially this was something that all cars did, however I saw that a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has them all mounted at the rear of the wheel (which seems more "normal" to me, for some reason).

What's the reason that Porsche and BMW have chosen to place the calipers at a different location on the different wheels?

James Monger
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1 Answers1

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I don't believe there is a special placement in consumer vehicles. Most are designed with space in mind and ease of servicing. With the energy being transferred from the spinning rotor to the stationary brake system, the force would likely be the same from any clock position the caliper is in. Therefore, position probably isn't as critical.

Things manufacturers consider when choosing mounting location;

  1. Available space around suspension
  2. Adequate mounting area
  3. Ease of servicing/bleeding
  4. Cooling and heat dissipation
  5. Damage/debris avoidance
  6. Vehicle purpose

This is a great video that explains it - Brake Caliper Location - Explained from Engineering Explained.

CharlieRB
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