Full vs semi floating brake discs

[Aluisious]

So I've run around with my new Galfer floating brake discs for a weekend or two now, and they seem to have solved the bad shuddering problem I was having with hard braking. There is still some runout, but I imagine the floating discs are covering some of that up because they're working great.

Which makes me wonder...why do OEM discs come as semi floating? They barely move at all, so I figure it's mostly a heat isolation thing. It can't be more expensive to make floating rotors, so why don't they do that? Is there some reason semi-floating is better?

 

[louemc]

So I've run around with my new Galfer floating brake discs for a weekend or two now, and they seem to have solved the bad shuddering problem I was having with hard braking. There is still some runout, but I imagine the floating discs are covering some of that up because they're working great.

Which makes me wonder...why do OEM discs come as semi floating? They barely move at all, so I figure it's mostly a heat isolation thing. It can't be more expensive to make floating rotors, so why don't they do that? Is there some reason semi-floating is better?

Semi-floating are free to expand with heat, contract cooling back down = no warp, and they are quiet.

Full-floaters are free to center, without drag, as well as expand/contract, and that freedom movement is a rattle noise. Serious types are OK with rattle (like a Ducati dry clutch) The general bike public wouldn't put up with so much rattle.

 

[hyperdookie]

+1, I think it comes down to noise.

 

[Aluisious]

Ah yes I forgot the noise thing. I haven't even noticed any noise from my discs. Maybe I can't hear it over the fairing rattling where I ziptied it instead of using screws

 

[Xof711]

Semi-floating are free to expand with heat, contract cooling back down = no warp, and they are quiet.

Full-floaters are free to center, without drag, as well as expand/contract, and that freedom movement is a rattle noise. Serious types are OK with rattle (like a Ducati dry clutch) The general bike public wouldn't put up with so much rattle.

Dead on!

 

[KazMan]

Full-floaters are free to center, without drag, as well as expand/contract, and that freedom movement is a rattle noise. Serious types are OK with rattle (like a Ducati dry clutch) The general bike public wouldn't put up with so much rattle.

But if you could demonstrate to the gen pub how much longer the front wheel would spin because of the lower drag maybe they would reconsider. I am always so tempted to cut out that little shim so I could have full floaters on my R6

 

[fast4d]

FULL floating rotors such as braketech is noisy at low speeds.

 

[weak_link]

I have free floating AP's on my Ducati and they make a neato jingle jangle sound that goes nicely with the noisy clutch and pipes. That's about the only advantage I can 'feel.'

 

[louemc]

But if you could demonstrate to the gen pub how much longer the front wheel would spin because of the lower drag maybe they would reconsider. I am always so tempted to cut out that little shim so I could have full floaters on my R6

The "gen pub" is on their own. Only the individual can decide what is important to them (and how important that is).

Not all brake calipers are the same, (and change with age anyway).

I (like Weak Link and other demented souls) happen to like the rattle of full floater rotors, it's a music (like castanet's) to our ears.

 

[Z3n]

The "gen pub" is on their own. Only the individual can decide what is important to them (and how important that is).

Not all brake calipers are the same, (and change with age anyway).

I (like Weak Link and other demented souls) happen to like the rattle of full floater rotors, it's a music (like castanet's) to our ears.

My SV had full floaters on it and I loved the rattle of it too.

 

[Cycle61]

I was testing mine to see if they were the floating type, but they both sank.

Anybody got a fishing pole?

 

[Hooli]

Full-floaters are free to center, without drag, as well as expand/contract, and that freedom movement is a rattle noise. Serious types are OK with rattle (like a Ducati dry clutch) The general bike public wouldn't put up with so much rattle.

Jesus God, yes are full-floaters noisy! I finally got around to installing a set of Alth rotors on the Suzuki I bought a couple of years back. They rattle and bang so much that other people look at me when I'm on rough streets.

 

[norcal-sti]

Still a reference to floating when it comes to the calipers. Full float is opposing brake pistons on both sides. Semi Float is the caliper shifts and has pistons on one side only. MCs front brake most are full float calipers on front and semi float on rear caliper.

i think you're confused here...high-end calipers w/ opposing pistons (brembo, etc) are rigidly mounted. they don't 'float' because they don't have to. the pistons squeeze the rotor from both sides. lesser expensive 2 piston (front) or 1 piston (rear) calipers 'float' because that allows both the pad pushed by the piston and the non-moving pad on the other side to both contact the rotor w/o the rotor having to flex. the terms 'full float' and 'semi float' aren't used when referring to calipers, just rotors. or yamaha mx bikes.

 

[fast4d]

check them when they rattle too much. I had to get new carriers/button for my braketech rotors because the runout became excessive (due to my fault).

 

[louemc]

Jesus God, yes are full-floaters noisy! I finally got around to installing a set of Alth rotors on the Suzuki I bought a couple of years back. They rattle and bang so much that other people look at me when I'm on rough streets.

There Ya Go , Loud Rotors save lives

Except in Berkeley...Those pedestrians would step off the sidewalk, Mid block, right in front of My Harley with Bad Dog pipes and..Performance Machine, Dual full floating disks.