Whenever you often drive under wet conditions, especially when you live in a place that is prone to rain, it is quite normal for your brakes to get exposed to moisture.
However, one of the things that you may have noticed is that the brakes actually make noise whenever you are driving in wet conditions.
So, is it normal for brakes to make a squeaky sound when they are wet?
Find out if it is normal for brakes to make noise when wet
It can be quite normal for brakes to make a squeaky noise whenever you are driving in wet conditions. The rotors and the brake pads are made using metal, which can rust when exposed to moisture. That squeaky noise you hear is simply due to the thin layers of rust grinding against one another.
For some people, this squeaky sound that the brakes are making when you are driving in wet conditions might sound like a cause of concern.
However, you don’t need to worry because this sound can be quite normal as long as your brakes are working properly. This is simply one of the daily things that brakes often go through, especially when you live in a particularly rainy area.
Can moisture cause brakes to squeak?
Driving in wet conditions can be new for some people who tend to live in dry areas. However, for those who live in humid regions that experience rain more often than most areas, driving in wet conditions has become quite normal to the point that they no longer worry too much about it. But that isn’t always the case for those who are not used to driving in wet conditions.
If you are new to driving in wet conditions, one of the things that you might notice is that your brakes tend to squeak quite often compared to when you are driving in regular dry conditions. This can be the case for a lot of cars, especially for those that are constantly exposed to wet roads and puddles.
So, is the moisture the one that is causing the brakes to squeak and make the squeaking noise?
Yes, moisture can cause the brakes to make noises that do not seem normal to you. The reason here is that your brakes are actually engineered using materials that are not really supposed to get exposed to too much moisture but can still withstand wet conditions fairly well.
You need to remember that a lot of the components that your brakes are made of are metal. One of the things that people know about metal is that, when exposed to moisture or wet conditions, rust can easily settle on the surface of the metal parts. In that case, because the different parts of your brakes, such as the rotors and the brake pads, have metallic components, it can be expected that rust will form on the surface of these parts when you expose your brakes to wet conditions.
So, if you often drive in wet conditions, the brakes are more likely to rust. A thin layer of rust may form on the rotors, brake pads, or both of them when these components are exposed to excess moisture.
The rust that forms on the surface of these components is responsible for causing the squeaking noises that you may have noticed after getting your car exposed to wet conditions. When the rusted rotors and the rusted brake pads grind against one another whenever you are braking, the friction from the rusted surface should be enough to make that squeaky noise that can be noticeable from time to time while you are driving.
As such, it all boils down to how your brakes can end up rusting. The noise that the brakes make is basically the product of the rusted parts grinding against one another. And because rust is rough, the friction is what is responsible for producing the noise.
Is it normal for brakes to make noise when wet?
Now that you know that the brakes can make noise whenever they get exposed to excess moisture, you might be worried about the rust that forms on the surface of your rotors or brake pads. But is it normal for brakes to make noise when wet?
While rust is never a good thing, what you should know is that it is normal for your brakes to make noise when wet because it can be quite normal for the rotors and the brake pads to rust as well whenever they get exposed to excess moisture in wet conditions.
We know that you might be surprised to know that we are saying that rust is normal for your brake’s components. However, what you should also know is that the rust that forms on the surface of the rotors or the brake pads is actually just a thin layer that won’t have any major effects on your brakes. Actually, the squeaking noise that you hear whenever the rusted parts are grinding against one another can be a good thing.
As mentioned, the squeaking noise produced when you are braking when the brakes were exposed to wet conditions and have formed a thin layer of rust is simply the rusted surfaces grinding against one another. The fact that these surfaces are grinding against one another is actually good because this allows the friction to smoothen out the surface and remove the thin layer of rust.
Think of it as rubbing sandpaper against a rusted piece of iron. The friction should be enough to remove the thin layer of rust that has formed on the surface of your rotors and brake pads. And that shouldn’t be a problem because of how the problem is basically getting fixed on its own.
How do you fix wet brakes?
As mentioned, wet brakes that make squeaky noises are normal. You shouldn’t have any problems unless you notice that the brakes have significantly diminished in terms of their performance. In such a case, there might be another problem that may or may not be related to your brakes getting exposed to excess moisture. But, other than that, you don’t need to fix anything.
Still, if you insist on fixing the “problem” because you find the squeaky noises annoying, you can always replace your rotors and brake pads with new ones. It is best to go with high-quality replacements that are less likely to rust than the cheaper ones. That way, you will notice that your brakes won’t end up squeaking or even rusting as often as the more affordable ones do, even when they do get exposed to wet conditions.
Sources
Cartalk: Brake noise in the rain
Club Lexus: Why do you get temporary brake noise after wet conditions
Your Mechanic: When raining brakes grind first few stops and then clear up
