Powersports Brake Calipers
No matter whether you use your side-by-side or quad for carrying out minor work tasks on your property, hauling heavy loads around your yard, or exploring new trails in the wilderness, your machine has to be able to slow down and stop when you need it to so that you can stay safe sitting behind its wheel or handlebars. When an unexpected obstacle appears on your way, you step on the brake pedal or squeeze the lever to actuate a master cylinder that transfers that energy to the brake calipers through hydraulic brake lines. Each caliper holds cylinders that can push brake pads to the brake rotors to slow down and stop the vehicle through friction.
Your ATV or UTV can bring you a lot of fun, especially if you run your vehicle fast, but it is not so fun when you cannot make your machine stop in case of an emergency. If you feel a vibration, hear screeching and grinding noises coming from the wheels, it is time to replace your brake pads. When you don’t hear noises, brake pads look fine, but you still cannot achieve the required stopping power, check the brake line for leaks. If the problem is in one of the calipers, you can choose to replace it or restore it using one of our caliper rebuild kits.
Some models of UTVs and ATVs may feature drum brakes or single-disc rear brakes on the rear axle. To service your brake calipers, first, put your vehicle on the stand and lift it above the ground. Take the wheels off. Undo the bolts holding the calipers on the wheel hubs. To remove the brake pads, you’ll need to use a C-clamp. Compress the pistons through the pads to push the brake fluid back into the reservoir. Make sure that you have room for it there. It is recommended to clean all of the parts from brake dust with a special aerosol. After that, you can coat pins holding the brake pad brackets with some grease or replace them. You can also replace protective rubber boots and cylinder O-rings. Reassemble the caliper and pump the brakes a few times.
