New Tool from Giro Disc: Piston Spreader
Contributing: Matt Freeman
Giro Disc’s new brake piston spreader is all about saving time. Its sturdy build and purposeful design make it everything a well build tool should be. It’s perfect for use in driving schools and for those competing in time trials, where changing brake pads under a time constraint has always been an issue. The race-orientated Brembo calipers found on the Evo already facilitate the process of changing pads, but dealing with both hot and very worn pads was still a nuisance. It’s easier to forgo burnt and scraped hands; on track days there are plenty of far more important issues to worry about.
This tool provides a cost effective and time saving solution to the age old problem of changing brake pads. Brakes work by pistons in the caliper pushing against the pads to provide stopping power. As the pads see use and wear down, they get thinner. As a result, the piston must push out farther to compensate and maintain a constant travel distance between the pad and the rotor. When a worn pad is changed, the piston needs to be pushed back in order to fit the new pads into place. Before, this was a difficult process, but with this new tool, the whole job is completed in the same time it used to take us to change the pads on only one side of our project Evo.
The Giro Disc piston spreader is made from steel and is powder coated for durability. The slider is cadmium plated, and the pivot bushings are all made from nylon and will ensure a smooth life-long action.
The spreader was engineered around the popular Porsche 4-piston and GT2/GT3 6-piston setups as well as most 4-piston Brembo, Wilwood, AP, Alcon, and many other performance oriented calipers. To help accommodate almost any caliper, the amount of throw on the spreader is adjustable and has three settings. For wider 6 piston calipers, the spreading plates can be inserted, and then the whole unit can be turned 90 degrees and the plate sides for 4 piston calipers will push all 6 pistons in.
Any enthusiast who does their own brake work should consider adding one to their toolbox. After the first use, the Giro Disc piston spreader will have paid for itself.