I haven't had this, but I have only ever had standard offset rims and don't spend much time in sand.
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Inner pad wear is most likely going to be due to early signs of caliper failing then falsely attributed to a stone guard....
As seals age and piston gets less compliant the pressure is greater on the inner cylinder.
More noticeable on the rear calipers with just the two pots and single crossover.
On my now retired D1 and 130 I would logged over 500,00km with probably half that on dirt. The rattle guards came off on both vehicles within first months of corrugations.
THE ONLY TIME inner pad wear was apparent was as calipers started to fail... but all you do is flick the pads inner to outer to buy time before caliper overhaul ;)
Stone guards are there to look good.
Steve
This is inside my trailer wheels after coming across the Central Road on the way down from Darwin to Perth.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/807.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/808.jpg
That was after I gave it a pressure wash at a car wash. The dirt is set like concrete. I'll post a picture of the inside of my D2 rear wheel when I take them off to clean them. It has also rained a bit here in Perth and I have been driving around for a good 2 - 3 week so the dirt is actually less than what it was. I'm happy to have at least my rear guards in as all this dirt would be getting sprayed on my rotors and than dragged past the pads. The front wheels however have no guards but the insides of the rims are dusty but have no build up what so ever.
Happy Days
You can see here the obvious step in the mud at the guard.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/803.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/804.jpg
There is far less dirt on the rotor side.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/805.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...016/05/806.jpg
Happy Days
Now I see it all blown up in detail like that. You can also see the dirt on the rotor side is much finer and doesn't have the larger stones in it.
Happy Days
Yes the caliper area is cleaner behind the guard but that doesn't mean the pads have worn any differently?
Mud on the caliper or inner rim of wheel does not imply it will effect pad use?
My point is that aberrant pad wear is likely not a function of having intact guards.
Keeping the inside of wheels clean is another point altogether.
Lumps of mud can unbalance - is it more probable without guards - perhaps? but it would also be easier to spot and clean out without removing rim????
With regards to the query on brake piston set up - This thread was initiated by a puma driver - defenders run four pot fronts two pot rears. On the rear a pot on each half of the caliper applies pressure to each of the pads. It is very common to have a sticky pot (usually the outer) thereby you get aberrant pad wear. Your D2 has a sliding caliper setup - very different.
My argument is simply that on defenders with opposing cylinders - aberrant pad wear is most likely to do with caliper seals as opposed to a bit of sand and dirt being flung around the inside of the wheel.
My new defender has intact guards - when they start to rattle they will be removed and binned.
S
If there is that much mud on the inner rim, you can bet that there would be just as much sprayed in the surface if the rotor which is then dragged between the rotor and the pad. This has to cause extra wear. How much maybe unknown but having the guards in place must make a difference.
I had a WRX and I removed the guards for better brake cooling but they have their place on dirt.
Happy Days.
surface if the rotor which is then dragged between the rotor and the pad
meh? perhaps... the reason the clay has stuck to the rims is because it is hitting a surface and having time to dry... wet clay that may just stick the spinning rotor would be unlikely to get between pad and rotor, the pads are all but touching the rotor when driving and this would act to keep the rotor clean.
I guess it will be one of those each to their own - my experience is that having no guards for tonnes of distance on dirt has done no significant harm... its not like defender brake pads wear out quickly or are expensive to replace if they do?
I think Ill bow out of this one with just the simple observation that if someone is experiencing uneven pad wear (inner to outer) pulling the caliper & overhauling the seals and pistons will be of more benefit than putting on stone guards.
S