Should I remove my rear brake shields

#1

I have them apart right now and they don’t look like they serve a purpose.

#2

Rear brake shields serve as a fastening point for the rear brake lines. They also limit the amount of cooling airflow that gets to the rear brakes. Opinions differ(1) on whether rear brakes need more or less cooling. Brake pad choices play a role in that too.

(1) This is Ranger code for “no one agrees with me”.

#3

I was going to remove it since I wasn’t going to wait for a response but I couldn’t get a socket on one of the lower bolts that holds the park brake in position and I couldn’t get enough grip with a wrench so I left it on for now. Just got the rear brakes finished and have one more front.

#4

i’d leave the rears alone.

#5

I think of the parking brakes as “brakes of last resort” and keep them on the car. Which in turn means retaining the backing plate.

#6

also, when loading the car on the trailer by yourself, it is nice to have a working parking brake

#7

The parking brakes were already inop on both sides so they got removed anyway. Maybe i’ll get a line lock or something if i can’t live with wheel chocks.

#8

There’s nothing wrong with trimming and shaping your back plates to work the way you’d prefer… Removal isn’t always 100% necessary, but trimming and bending is sometimes an option.

#9

Removal of the backing plates is permitted by the rules. Trimming and/or bending is not.