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New Chevrolet Brake Patent Is Heavy On The Bow Tie Badges

GM has filed a patent for a rather unique new brake rotor design for Chevy vehicles. The new Chevrolet brakes design includes no less than five individual Bow Tie logos, with four badges circling the disc and one added to the rotor hat.

While it’s certainly not uncommon to see a variety of different disc designs, including things like slotted or drilled rotors that offer better heat dissipation qualities on high-performance models, this is the first time we’ve seen brake rotors branded with an automaker’s logo.

The patent description provides a little more inside into the thought process here. According to the patent abstract, this particular filing “relates to a brake rotor having a decorative insert,” which is apparently “desirable to provide a method to effectively and lastingly mark components without adding prohibitive cost to the manufacturing process or compromising component quality.” No word on which vehicle, or vehicles, these new Chevrolet brakes are intended for.

It’s an interesting idea, and while it’s possible this is for purely aesthetic reasons, we’re not convinced that’s the real motive behind the patent. After all, if it is just for aesthetics, why would Chevy add a Bow Tie badge to the rotor hat, the same spot that’s covered by the wheel when mounted on the car? It just doesn’t add up. Plus, how many damn badges does a car need these days, anyway?

No, this is almost definitely not for aesthetics. Rather, we think the real reasoning behind the Chevrolet brakes patent has to do with mechanics easily and quickly certifying whether or not a part is a genuine OEM piece, or if it’s a knockoff / aftermarket substitute.

But we’ll cover that in a follow-up post. In the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

Also, check out the complete patent filing here (PDF format).

Source: Car and Driver via the US Patent and Trademark Office

Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. They are just for estetics.

    Drilled and slotted rotors on the street are only for estetics too. They do nothing for cooling brakes or outgassing pads.

    Reply
  2. Could possibly be a wear indicator, if the depth of the logo was to the minimum rotor thickness. When the logos are gone the rotor can’t be remachined. The one on the hat would always be there so you know the wear indicators should be present on the wear surface as well. That’s my best guess

    Reply
    1. This is what I believe…Currently they can’t deny warranty claims due to have aftermarket rotors although some dishonest service staff may try to convince you otherwise…

      Reply
  3. Guarantee this is to give a Chevy dealer a chance to decline warranty work if there are aftermarket rotors on a vehicle.
    Apple does it all the time with RAM and Hard Drives.

    Reply
  4. Contest on who can put more of their logos on a car.
    Chevy “Bow Tie” or Ford’s “Eco Boost”.

    Nothing still come close to the early 1990’s Dodge FWD Daytona Shelby.
    The “Shelby” was on everything.

    Reply
  5. Someone lost a bet ? Can’t be on purpose ? What good will it do ?

    Reply
  6. What about “floating” bow-tie particulates in the GM-approved oil and coolant??

    Reply
  7. Dumb idea, this serves no purpose. Even the slotted crossdrilled rotors are a gimmick and a marketing trick. When you remove mass from a rotor, you reduce its ability to absorb heat. They get hotter faster. The outgassing problem was for previous early brake pad friction compounds, it’s no longer a thing. The rotors warp faster, and have the potential to stress crack.

    Reply
  8. When it come to warranty they can only deny the claim if the rotor is at fault. They will not replace someone else’s rotor or cover someone else’s work.

    The only general problems a rotor has is the fact the pads were never bedded in and uneven material get applied to the rotor surface creating a pulse. Or a case of Rotor Thickness Variation due to a bad bearing hub. Both are mistaken for warp. Cast iron will not warp enough to cause the brake pulse.

    Cracking is a problem as cast iron will only defect a small amount then crack.

    It is just a decorative thing nothing more.

    I may add my 3 year old rotor on my truck and suv look like new with the anew GM treatments they are using. Still no rust.

    Reply

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