Is there no way to avoid warping rotors?

[hattaresguy]

A lot of brake problems are caused by cheap Chinese rotors and pads.

If you use good quality parts, and everything is working to spec, you can wail on most cars brakes on public roads and not come anywhere near the limit.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
^ so basically you have to slam on the brakes then.

I dont even know forsure if this is pulsation im getting, and i dont even think its from warped rotors but most likely just uneven pad wear or deposits.


Let me give this a try.

When you apply your brakes at ~50% and at slower speeds, does it feel like they grab good for half of the diameter of the rotor and then grab less on the other half while having no shake or shimmy in the steering wheel? Then if you really stomp on the brakes, do they work as you would expect? If so, I have this problem in two SUVs that I service and both of them I installed Autozone ceramic pads and rotors due to costs constraints. At first, they were fine, but as they racked up the miles of soccer mom type driving the problem increased. I would re-bed the brakes and they would be fine again for 5K miles and develop the same symptoms. I think that upgrading pads would solve the problem, because it did solve the problem on my Audi when I upgraded to Akebono Euros. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Carnoobie]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
^ so basically you have to slam on the brakes then.

I dont even know forsure if this is pulsation im getting, and i dont even think its from warped rotors but most likely just uneven pad wear or deposits.


Let me give this a try.

When you apply your brakes at ~50% and at slower speeds, does it feel like they grab good for half of the diameter of the rotor and then grab less on the other half while having no shake or shimmy in the steering wheel? Then if you really stomp on the brakes, do they work as you would expect? If so, I have this problem in two SUVs that I service and both of them I installed Autozone ceramic pads and rotors due to costs constraints. At first, they were fine, but as they racked up the miles of soccer mom type driving the problem increased. I would re-bed the brakes and they would be fine again for 5K miles and develop the same symptoms. I think that upgrading pads would solve the problem, because it did solve the problem on my Audi when I upgraded to Akebono Euros. Just my 2 cents.


No mine grab equally and perfectly no matter the braking power I put into the pedal.

 

[johnsmellsalot]

When I first bought my PT, the brakes had a slight pulsation. This wasn't a big deal for me because brakes are easy to fix. I went over each lug nut to check the torque and each lug nut turned a full turn before the torque wrench clicked at 100 ft. lbs. The brakes don't pulsate at all now. I think you should use a torque wrench and tighten your lugs in a star pattern. You can usually find the torque specs in your owner's manual or a Haynes service manual.
Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
I consider myself pretty gentle on my brakes, cause i want them to last and dont want them warping. Harder braking, more braking, more riding the brakes = more heat. If I ride them harder like going down a hill I never hold it for long and let go whenever I can to let the heat escape. But to me the big key that pretty much not many do is when youre at lights (especially long ones). If I just finished a session braking hard or at a long light and I know the brakes are really hot, I pull ebrake so I can let my foot off the brake. This prevents any high spots forming on the rotors.

But no matter what I do, over time I will always get some shimmy and light pulsating feel in my brake when I brake. Nothing super noticable but I feel it. I cant afford to be doing run out tests every 6 months. Is there no way to prevent rotors from warping and staying perfectly smooth like when theyre new?

Do you think a lot of drivers drive with warped rotors (even if its slightest warp) and whats the long term effects?

Cause honestly, as much as I would love to, I cant be replacing my rotors and front pads everytime they get warped.

 

[Robotaz]

Your rotors aren't warped unless you are racing your car very hard on a track for extended periods. They need to be sanded. End of story.

 

[Robotaz]

Sand the rotors and learn to be the pads properly in the future. Problem solved.

 

[mechtech2]

Rotors can bend and warp from all sorts of reasons other than racing.
Uneven metallurgy, internal or external rusting, bad from the get go, etc.
And what if we heat brakes up in one panic stop, but are not racing?