Confused about which lubricant is best for your caliper slider pins? Read this first!

Sliding caliper pins allow braking pressure to force the brake pads against the disc. Calipers are prone to seizure as this movement is very small and caliper pins get very hot. Seizure of the sliding pin is the main cause of caliper failure and typically due to application of incorrect lubricant. Caliper pin lubricant needs to allow  these micro movements over a wide temperature range, be compatible with the rubber boot and prevent fretting corrosion.

The picture shows fretting corrosion on the caliper pin of a Nissan X Trail - it's  a severe wear pattern that occurs between heavily loaded metal surfaces that move only slightly but repeatedly and is commonly found on improperly lubricated caliper pins and shows as pitting of the surface. It is especially common on heavy vehicles such as 4x4's. The pitting leads to corrosion which stops the caliper sliding resulting in incomplete release of the brake disc. This extra friction on the disc causes reduced acceleration and fuel efficiency. Which lubricant should you use for you sliding caliper pins? This is a link to a useful review of brake lubricants

http://www.youngsgarage.uk.com/Brake%20Lubricants.htm

In summary!

Copper Grease - NOT a lubricant but an antiseize compound. It will swell rubber as it's petroleum based and yes the copper particles in the grease are 'high temperature' but NOT the grease they are suspended in which will dry out. NEVER use it on caliper pins

Silicone Grease - This is the ingredient of all of the 'high temperature' 'synthetic' brake lubes available. Silicone is a very poor metal to metal lubricant even if dry lubricants like PTFE or Molybdenum disulphide are added and will not prevent fretting corrosion. It is compatible with rubber and resists heat so it is promoted as a brake grease. For an insight into the limitations of silicone as a lubricant follow this link; http://www.dowcorning.com/content/discover/discoverchem/si-lubricants.aspx 

Red Rubber Grease - Made from vegetable oil -- not a lubricant and NOT to be used anywhere near the caliper pins

The type of grease sold here is the only lubricant you should be using on the brake caliper pin as it was specifically developed for this purpose by Dow Corning. The grease is a synthetic polyalkylene glycol with lithium soap.

TIP - when fitting new brake pads make sure they do not sit too tightly in the anti rattle clips, take a grinder to the ends so they are slightly loose.

You will receive a 25g pot - ideal for the toolbox.  A medium tube of toothpaste contains around 25g. This is more than enough to lubricate 8 caliper pins. Royal mail charge £3.00 to post this as as a 'small packet' !!

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