vls

I've been developing a suspicion that that my front brake pads rub against the rotors even when the brake is not engaged. Today I checked the clearance when the car was stationary, in neutral but with the motor running and the handbrake off. The front pads seemed to be touching the rotors (I couldn't even get a fingernail between the pads & discs), whereas the rear ones were about 1/8 or 1/4 inch away from the disc - am I correct in assuming this is not normal, or is it a "feature"?
Other "evidence" - lousy gas mileage even with conservative driving (never better than 18mpg w/ 93 octane gas), the faintest of "rubbing" sounds when rolling, although that may just be tire noise, and an odd feeling that when I first place my foot on the brake, but before I apply significant pressure the car seems to roll more easily - with a real application of pressure the brakes kick in properly. The car only has about a 1000 miles on it at this point.

Another Drew

There's no mechanism to push the pads away from the rotors, so the rotors will probably touch with no brake pressure applied. The only thing that'll push the pads away is if the rotor have a slight warp to it.

If you are worried that there's too much pressure on the rotors, just jack the car up and give the wheels a spin. You should be able to spin it freely. A little friction is normal.<p>Andrew Lee
00 S4
APR chip
MTM catback
18X8.5 Fikse FM/5
Alcon B type (on order)