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The brake caliper straddles the disc (rotor) and contains the
hydraulic wheel cylinder(s). It is mounted firmly to the spindle,
which allows it to deliver the torsional force of the wheel to the
chassis via the control arms.
Single piston, sliding, or "floating caliper" disc brakes have been
used on the front wheels of passenger cars for many years. With
standard single piston calipers, the caliper "floats", or slides on
its mounting bolts or pins to apply both friction pads to the
machined surfaces of the rotating disc. The caliper's piston seals
are designed to retract the piston enough to allow the pads to
lightly contact the rotor without any drag. Some calipers have as
many as four pistons actuating the friction pads. These calipers are
fixed in place; i.e., there is no lateral movement.
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