Well I have a 93' Si hatchback, and the rear driver side wheel, the lug nuts get extremely hot, I am concerned what it is about. The Si has a rear disc setup, does it have anything to do with that? Or is this a relatively common thing people run into. Please help!

 

friction causes heat. when you step on the brakes the pads squeeze the disc causing friction and heat. how hot are you talking about? and is this right after you just get done driving the car? if so they are gonna be hot probably too hot to hold.

 

It's a common thing... the heat comes from the friction created from braking and driving.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by selasornayr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's a common thing... the heat comes from the friction created from braking and driving.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, your studs will conduct the friction heat to the studs and wheel. On one track day last year, my rims got so hot after some exercise drills, I actually burnt my fingers when I touched it. The brakes still worked and were no worse for wear (track compounds) but if it was a dedicated track car, I would have thought about ducting (totally not necessary on the street).

 

what he said

 

If one side is substantially warmer than the other, I would be concerned about the pads being frozen/siezed. I'd test it by taking the caliper off and seeing how easily the pads come off. If you have to use a hammer+screwdriver to remove them, they're probably siezed. They should be a tight fit but able to be installed/removed by hand.

Replacing the brackets that surround the pads should fix this situation (a lot of people replace pads but don't replace the brackets, which catches up with you), unless they're poorly made aftermarket pads, in which case you may have to file down the pad guides a little (the two wings on each end of the pad - and remember, just a little). Living in the rust belt doesn't help clearances either.

 

the caliper is not sliding freely on that side.

it shouldn't get that hot after a drive, not even really after track time since the back only does ~30% of braking.