In disc-brake systems, a caliper is a set of metal jaws that clamps down on a wheel’s brake disc, or rotor, when the driver applies the brakes. The caliper presses brake pads against either side of the disc, creating friction that slows the disc’s rotation and thus the wheel to which it is attached, slowing and stopping the car. Unlike brake pads and rotors, calipers typically last many years and for tens of thousands of miles, but occasionally they seize or begin to leak and need to be rebuilt or replaced.
