Quote:
Originally Posted by verticaldoug
I think the braking track on the newer carbon rims looks slightly bigger. The newer brake pads by all the wheel companies have a larger surface area. They claim the new diagonal grooves on the pads channel air over the track and brakes to help cools while moving. I think the science of polymers and resins has really progressed in recent years. If you think the advances Boeing has made with carbon fiber in its airplanes and how suppliers like Toray had to respond, it makes sense the technology will trickle down to other uses.
All these little changes probably add up but the manufacturer claims are still probably exaggerated.
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I have no doubt that changes in the materials and construction of the rim brake track can aide in the dissipation of brake heat, and therefore limit temperature - but the claim was about brake pads reducing rim temperature.
I don't buy the claim about grooves in the pads keeping the rims cool. The pads only cover a small area of the rim, while the rest of the rim surface is open to the air, and the grooves are only a small part of the pad area. A tiny bit of extra air on the rims isn't going to make a significant difference (That being said, a little extra pad ventilation can improve pad/rim contact when operating at high temperatures, but the question isn't about brake force, it's about heat dissipation). I think the idea that the pads reduce rim temperature can be chalked up as another questionable marketing claim.