Cold Brakes

[kaashifv]

First off, you all may or may not be aware of the snowfalll we had recently...so anyways, i was backing out of my driveway, our street had not been plowed yet, so naturally the car got stuck, with winter tires...go figure!

After i got it out it seemed fine, until the next morning. I went to back up, took off the e-brake and put the car into R, then i let go of the brake and nothing happened, until i pressed the gas and i heard a pop/crack noise as if the brakes were seized! Now I am hearing this everytime i park my car for a while (say 4-5 hours). I think that it might be due to cold weather...i have already had the front brakes fixed as per the TSB.

Also anthoer question, my rims have been balanced and they still shake as if they were unbalanced, could this be due to ice buildup inside the stell rim, cause from the outside i can see buildup on the inside...

Good ol Canada...

[Yazovets]

If you park your car outside then you CAN get ice buildup inside the rims which will cause them to be un-balanced. However, also the balancing little pieces of metal stuck to the inside of your rims CAN fall off while driving which can also make your wheels un-balanced.

Your sticky brake situation sounds like cold weather. It's not really surprising given the -15*C overnight temps.

[LOV]

E-brake? You MUST NOT use your e-brake in winter time ,never.Thats probably why your brakes made the noise.

[warpedrotor]

The pop/crack noise may be caused by your tires freezing to the wheel wells from slush buildup, before you move your car next time check for frozen slush stuck between the tires and the wells/fenders. Mine did this last year, now I know to look for it and dig it out with the brush and kick it while the engine warms up. Sometimes it's just plain frozen to the ground! Not much clearance there. I think they mention in the owners manual not to use the parking brake in thaw-freeze weather, I use mine anyways as it adjusts the rear (drum) brakes each time (in theory).

Another note: Ha Ha You're getting all the big storms and we're not! (for now)

[Redline_Me]

My car is 5spd and i have to use the e-break. I don't leave my car in gear unless it's a very steep hill.

[workerant]

I thought it's always good to put on the leg brake.

[kaashifv]

Interesting....as to teh snow/slush stuck in the wheel wells...i a always make sure that it is clear! And i know when i heard that noise it was not due to this! I will check tonight when i go home if i hear that noise. My car right now is parked at the train station but in a parking garage...so we will see what happens!

Our previous camry (97) never did make this sound, and it never had such problems, even in the winter! Sometimes I think that they don't build cars like they used to!!

[Carzzz]

Whenever it is below -10C, i release ebrake on all cars... they tend to get sticky below -10C. Also, beware of the cold braking (usually the first 2-3 stops), the stopping distance takes slightly longer. Once i almost hit the car up front due to cold pads (unwarmed) on a really cold morning. The pads are regular pads, not racing one.