Is your car shaking or vibrating when you come to a stop? Time to get your brake calipers replaced? Are you wondering how much a brake caliper replacement for your vehicle will run you, or if it is possible to have only one replaced? Are the prices different for the front or the rear brake calipers?
In this article, we will cover how much is brake caliper, what exactly a brake caliper is, price differences in front and rear calipers, as well as the cost of just replacing one caliper.
What Is A Brake Caliper?
Brake Calipers are an essential part of the function of a healthy disc brake, some would even say the most important part of the disc-brake system – is the most commonly used brake system on vehicles used today. The brake caliper is the house of the brake pads and the brake caliper pistons and it acts as a clamp on the rotor.
Brake calipers operate off of a hydraulic pressure system that uses brake fluid, various hoses, and tubes, and brake caliper pistons to activate pressure points. The brake caliper clamps onto both sides of the rotor and holds the brake pads in place using friction to slow the car.
Not only do cars operate off this system, but so do bikes on a smaller lever-activated scale. There are dual piston and single-piston-designed brake calipers, with dual-piston being the most common as they are used on front-wheel drive cars. Single piston brake calipers are used on the rear wheels of vehicles because they require less friction to stop.
On every wheel, you will find a connected circular metal brake rotor. This rotor is a heavy metal plate suspended and surrounded by brake pads and the brake caliper. The brake rotor rolls with the wheel as the vehicle rides down the road.
When the brake pedal in a vehicle is depressed, it engages the vehicles master cylinder that compresses the brake fluid through the brake lines and into the brake calipers one or multiple pistons, squeezing the caliper pistons inwards gripping the brake pads.
There are outboard and inboard brake pads, the outboard being on the outside of the rotor towards the curb, and the inboard being inside the rotor towards the vehicle. The brake pads consist of the high friction material and when the brake pads compress on the rotor it causes the vehicle to slow to a stop because of the friction.
Spongy brakes, wobbling/vibrating to a stop, reduced braking distance, and pulling to one side when braking are all signs of damaged brake calipers. Ignoring any of these signs can lead to excessive wear on your brake system, including rotors, pads, and calipers. Potentially causing a seizure or total failure of your brake caliper.
Prolonged driving on a damaged caliper can lead to unpleasant smells or the brake light coming on the dashboard of the vehicle. The repeated friction of the brake calipers and pads compressing onto the rotor generates heat and over time this heat is what causes a large portion of the wear and tear on the caliper.
In the event of a total failure, there will usually be a loud mechanical snapping or breaking sound. In this case, do not operate the vehicle at all. If you continue, you risk the other brake caliper failing and the brakes becoming completely inoperable. Continuing to operate the vehicle after damage to the brake caliper could lead to you not stopping until you hit something in your path strong enough to stop you.
Not only do brake calipers come in multiple pistons, but they also have two different types. Floating calipers or fixed calipers. Fixed calipers are as the name suggests, immobile, they do not move. These are usually the more preferred out of the two but they are more expensive.
These are typically the brake calipers used on high-performance vehicles that have two, four, or six caliper pistons. The pistons are on opposite sides of the brake rotor versus floating brake calipers. Floating (or sliding) brake calipers do move and they are only on one side of the rotor, the inboard (vehicle) side.
How Much Does A Brake Caliper Cost?
How much is the brake caliper? Depending on the make and model of your vehicle a brake caliper should run you anywhere from $50 to $200 dollars with the average cost being $125. This price is only for the part itself and does not include the labor of putting the part onto the vehicle.
The cost of mechanic labor hours will vary from area to area with a range of $80 to $150 per hour, the average being $100 per hour. The brake caliper replacement job, unless something goes wrong, should take anywhere from 2 to 3 shop labor hours to complete.
The cost for the part will go up if you have a larger disc brake system with more pistons inside of your brake caliper. The cost tor labor will go up for a difficult job, for bleeding the brake lines, and any additional replacements that are found as they are taking apart your wheels (think brake pads, rotors) which is ultimately up to you if you fix.
Brake pads are not immortal. Every time they touch the rotor to do their job they are gaining wear and tear, as are the calipers. The caliper pistons come out to reach the pad and rotor and over time are fully extended and require a special tool to be rethreaded into the caliper.
With all of these factors into consideration, you are probably looking at a price range of around $300 to $900 dollars per replacement, $500 should be an average price and $900 would be for a complicated or high-end job.
You should expect to have to replace your brake calipers every seventy thousand to one hundred thousand miles. Brake calipers that are not maintained and left to fail will usually experience failures around one hundred and twenty-five thousand miles.
Failures on a brake caliper happen due to the moving parts that are included in the system. Sometimes it can be due to the piston not being able to leave the caliper, the brake pads become stuck on the brake rotor, or the caliper can seize and not move.
While the tools can be purchased, if you are not experienced in changing them yourself it is best left to the professionals as the brakes are such a vital element of the vehicle.
Fortunately, a brake caliper is not an item that needs frequent, maintenance replacement like the brake pads and rotors, but more needs replacement at failure.
Are Front Calipers More Expensive Than Rear Calipers?
Front brake calipers are the most common today as most cars are front-wheel drive. The front brakes require more friction to halt the vehicle, so they have a two-piston design versus the rear calipers’ one-piston design.
Despite this, the rear caliper’s part cost can sometimes be higher, and the labor usually tends to be the same because the process of removing the brake system and replacing the caliper is the same. Ultimately you should expect to pay the same for a rear caliper replacement as a front caliper replacement.
Can I Replace Just One Brake Caliper?
Most cars will come equipped with two brake calipers that are either in the front or the back. If you have calipers on all four wheels of your vehicles, usually only the two calipers on the same axle (front or rear) are affected.
You can replace one brake caliper in a pinch, but it is recommended that you replace both to avoid uneven wear on your vehicle or veering across lanes when braking. If you are responding to failure on one brake caliper, rather than doing preventative maintenance you are likely to have the other side fail in the near future.
For both calipers to be replaced you would double the prices mentioned above, putting you in the $600 to $1800 range for a dual brake caliper replacement job.
Your brakes are vital to the safety and effective operation of your vehicle, despite the high-cost tag, they are essential to a safe driving experience. If you are experiencing braking issues or have a seized brake caliper take it and have it fixed as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Brake calipers can be a costly replacement for your vehicle, but they are necessary for the function and safety of your vehicle. The brake caliper is the driving force of the halting of your vehicle.
$300 to $900 is what to expect for how much is brake caliper is, and you should not see a large price difference in front or rear brake calipers. While you can replace just one brake caliper, it is not recommended as it can be damaging to the vehicle and detrimental to your safety.
Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments down below.
If you are looking for a brake caliper replacement, you can expect to pay between $300 to $900 for a single caliper. Double for a pair.