TE 21 Disc Brake rotors

Does any one know the minimum thickness of the discs, before they need to changed? I know when new they are 1/2 " thick.  I have asked RT,  - e-mail returned with no answer. Nick Simpson - his info. sheets are in transit between Wales and France. If you can help me it would be appreciated. Also what is the spec for the brake disc pads?   I look forward to hearing from you.  Best regards,  Clive Taylor  Tauranga NZ - 5058 NZ Posted by Clive Taylor 14/05/2014 09:41:34

According to one web site I found, the specification for E type jaguar discs is 12.6mm new, minimum 11.4mm. This will be a fairly good indication of what you might consider acceptable, in the absence of any Alvis sourced data. However, you should not guess or make assumptions when it comes to your car's braking system!  Dave Posted by DaveT 14/05/2014 11:23:50

Clive, I have in front of me a copy of the Lockheed Hydraulic Brake Company Ltd - Disc Brake Systems for passenger cars - Service Manual (2nd edition 06/64 reprint)  With respect to pads I quote - ---------pads are to be renewed when the friction material has worn to a minimum thickness of 1/8" for the Heavy duty caliper and 1/16" for the Medium and Light duty caliper.  Interestingly I can find nothing on the minimum disc thickness.  Regards - Richard Posted by RichardWallach 14/05/2014 11:38:57

The Alvis document "Revised Instructions Dunlop Disc Brakes" which came with my TD21 SII Manual of Instructions, it states "examine brake pads and renew if friction pad is worn to 0.25" (6.3mm) Posted by Philip 14/05/2014 11:52:16

When these cars were new the disc rotors did not wear at the rate modern ones  do,probably a combination of asbestos based pads and better steel in the disc , so the question of specifying a minimum thickness did not arise. My '91 Mercedes  w124 has similar diameter discs  to my TE  .The thickness for the fronts is quoted as 12mm new 10 worn and the rears are 9mm new ,7.3 worn . The min. friction material thickness thickness is 2mm which is supported on  a backing plate of about 4mm. On the 3 litres with original Dunlop calipers there is only a thin recessed securing plate on the pad hence the need to replace pads when they get down to a 'minimum permissible thickness 0.25" ' . Posted by Peter Martin 14/05/2014 17:32:46

Hi Guys, Many thanks for your various replies so far. It is good to gain some information. Surely I can't be the only one who has had this potential problem? Here in NZ before I can get the car registered here it goes through a very stringent observation test and because the authorities don't have any data on these brake systems or the pads as well, they place the onus upon the owner to provide credible data.  Best regards Clive Taylor 5058 NZ Posted by Clive Taylor 15/05/2014 07:25:27