Porsche Makes Video Explaining Brake Squeal

Porsche has made a video which explains why you no longer need to panic when you hear brakes squeal. While it can mean that it is time for a trip to your friendly neighborhood garage, it is also perfectly normal for the brakes in a high powered car to have brakes squeal as part of its normal functioning.

Porsche’s video helps dispel a few myths and subtly highlighlights the size and strength of the brakes used in Porsche models. In the video, it is explained that even when the most expensive designs and materials are used, pressing a pad to use friction against a metal disc that is spinning at a high speed causes vibrations. These vibrations essentially transform the car’s rotor into a speaker that has the capability to case a squealing sound. The bigger the brakes, the more is the surface area and thus there is more leeway for very small variations in pressure along the pad’s contact patch. Porsche explains in the video that the as the larger brakes have larger pad surfaces, the distribution of pad pressure can vary when the brakes are used at low speed, increasing the likelihood of brake squeal.

Another point to keep in mind is that high performance brands like Porsche use advanced materials like carbon ceramics and the emphasis is on the stopping power and not on noise reduction. Posche might use some engineering innovations to muffle the sound, but in the video it is made abundantly clear that even brakes in fine condition can exhibit some squealing.

Most brakes have a tab that will come into contact with the rotor when the brake pad material is almost completely worn out and that is when the squealing signals that it work is needed on the brakes. If this is not taken care of soon, the squealing can turn into grinding unless the brake pads are replaced quickly.