What Are Common Brake Caliper Positions?

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Where Is a Brake Caliper Located?

The brake caliper serves as housing for the pads. As you apply pressure to your brake pedal, fluid is pushed through lines to drive the piston out of the caliper and into the pads. The caliper piston forces the pads against the rotors to slow or stop the wheels.

The brake caliper assembly sits inside the wheel. It’s connected to the master cylinder with hoses, tubes, and valves so brake fluid can flow.

This red brake caliper is in a right hand leading position.

Brake calipers are mounted over the disc in different configurations. For the most part, passenger vehicles have the front wheel calipers mounted to the front portion over the disc, while sports cars rely on the back. Regarding the rear wheels, most carmakers mount the calipers over the front of the disc. However, there are exceptions to these standards.

Here are a few possible positions for brake calipers:

• Right hand trailing: Mounts on the right side of the car, rear edge of the rotor
• Right hand leading: Mounts on the right side of the car, front edge of the rotor
• Left hand trailing: Mounts on the left side of the car, rear edge of the rotor
• Left hand leading: Mounts on the left side of the car, front edge of the rotor
• Side inlet: Calipers with brake fluid inlet in the middle of the inboard section of the caliper, offering more mounting flexibility
• Right hand: Right-hand side caliper
• Left hand: Left-hand side caliper

Calipers with equal bore sizes, where all four pistons are the same, can be mounted in either direction.

This is an example of a right hand trailing position for the brake caliper.

What Determines Brake Caliper Position?

Why are some brake calipers positioned to the front while others are rearward? Multiple factors go into this decision:

• Steering rack location. Front brake calipers are usually on the opposite side of the steering rack. This design allows the engine to be placed further back for better weight distribution.
• Suspension geometry. Calipers are often placed after the suspension was designed.
• Maintenance. Manufacturers must consider the location to ensure bleeding is easier. While putting the calipers at the bottom would help lower the center of gravity, having them closer to the top makes it easy to bleed the brakes. That’s why the 3 and 9 ‘o’clock positions are the most popular. It provides a balance between the two.
• Vehicle purpose. If the vehicle is meant for off-roading, more mud, water, and dirt fly up at the calipers. In these vehicles, the calipers are often moved out of the way to ensure better protection.

How Are Front and Rear Brake Calipers Usually Positioned?

Here is a left hand trailing caliper located behind the wheel.

Let’s look at what you can expect with most vehicles, considering the factors laid out above.

Front Brakes/Longitudinal Engine Configuration

With this configuration, the steering rack is toward the front of the engine. It could also be under the front of the lower part of the engine. In some cases, the steering rack is behind the engine, which forces the transmission and motor up, raising the hood’s height and center of gravity. As a result, the driver seating and roof height are also raised to maintain a good line of sight.

The steering rack, when placed in front of the wheel center, allows for the inner wheel to steer at a larger angle than the outer wheel. In this configuration, with the front engine and rear-wheel drive, the front calipers are usually to the rear of the wheel center.

Front Brakes/Transverse Engine Configuration

Transverse configurations include the transmission and engine mounted in front of the wheel center. This design is cheaper to manufacture and takes up less space.

Most front- or all-wheel drive vehicles contain a steering rack toward the back. Because of this design, the brake calipers must be mounted in front of the wheel center.

Rear Brakes

Rear brake calipers are arranged to provide the best setup for the suspension. Other factors that must be considered include compatibility with the parking brake when integrated with the caliper and damper position. Most car manufacturers secure the rear damper to the knuckle for a better damper motion ratio that leads to an enhanced ride experience.