Brake rotors keep warping

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Originally Posted By: daman
Rotors warp(i've put a dial indicator on them before)and when turned they get even thinner warping even easier next time,i haven't found a good cheap set yet,just drive more sensible don't do 40 up to a stop sign or red light.
Some drivers just don't get it. If there are brake lights & grid lock 3/4mi ahead why drive 60 mph to stop sooner. If you coasted down to it by the time you get there it may be moving again. I just don't get that feeling of accomplisment winning the race to the stop light.
 
Originally Posted By: willix
Originally Posted By: daman
Rotors warp(i've put a dial indicator on them before)and when turned they get even thinner warping even easier next time,i haven't found a good cheap set yet,just drive more sensible don't do 40 up to a stop sign or red light.
Some drivers just don't get it. If there are brake lights & grid lock 3/4mi ahead why drive 60 mph to stop sooner. If you coasted down to it by the time you get there it may be moving again. I just don't get that feeling of accomplisment winning the race to the stop light.

I don't either but i see it all the time,,last rotors i replaced because of warpage i think i was 20 years old.
 
I have had success with cheap rotors, and failures with expensive ones.
There are no guaranties anymore.
Are the rotors warping, hot spotting, internally expanding, or do they have uneven deposits?
 
i have never had problems with store rotors..... i just try to be gentle for a day or two (i have a belief that they should heat and cool slowly a few times before hard stops---probably just myth) and they always seem to work fine.
 
I read the judder articles and waffled back and forth until a couple of hard stops at unexpected yellow lights removed most of the judder. They were right because warp can't be removed that way.

Then I noticed that I never cause judder and in the same cars other people do so judder is driver dependent. Drivers that stop and hold at red lights are increasing judder. Drivers like me that stop and edge forward to prevent the hot pads from sitting in one place are preventing judder.

Drivers that cause judder are going to cause it no matter how cheap or expensive the parts are and will cause it over and over. Replace or retrain the driver and judder will disappear.

If you live in the rust belt you must clean the spindle and rotor mount surface and test or you are installing warp from the start.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
AnothEr vote on bEdding in the brakes. I actually bed mine from 65 to 10 mph with hard enough lock that I'm not triggering the abs. Drive for 20 mins after and avoid braking to let the rotors cool. When done correctly the rotors will have a blue or brown heat staining sheen due to the heat tempering


On my previous brake job I went to the trouble of bedding in the pads/rotors with a lot of high speed stops in a row, followed by a long cooldown without touching the brakes. This time around I decided not to bother and just drove the car normally, and didn't make any hard stops at all during that time. I see no difference between the two situations, my rotors weren't warped the first time and have been just fine so far for the past few thousand miles this time too.

So I honestly don't think that bedding in the brakes is all that important on a normal daily driven car. On a car that spends a lot of time on the road course it would be more important though.
 
Rotors can and do warp and it's not always just a bedding in problem. Your brakes are hot from normal use and you run into a water puddle and the rotors can warp.
 
Originally Posted By: severach


Drivers that stop and hold at red lights are increasing judder. Drivers like me that stop and edge forward to prevent the hot pads from sitting in one place are preventing judder.


I've always done the same thing for the same reason, but never really knew why. Most of the time I can anticipate a stop way in advance and coast-decelerate for most of the way. Other times, like when coming around a sharp corner to a line of red tail lights, there's no way around a heavy brake to a complete stop. Inching forward seems smart to me in this case since there isn't air flow to cool the rotor, and the pad, especially if you keep the brake appplied, is dumping all of its heat right there in that one spot.
 
Originally Posted By: punisher
Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

There is a theory that rotors don't warp, the pads deposit uneven material on the rotors which make them pulsate. Supposedly you can repair with emery paper or a hard high speed stop.


Beat me to it. Never assume a rotor is warped just because of wheel shake during braking. Too many times pad deposits are the problem. People assume a rotor is warped, machine it and remove the pad deposits, and that fixes it for awhile, till the pads/rotor get hot again and start the cycle over.

I fixed many a problem by cleaning the rotor surfaces with a Roloc on an angle grinder. I also learned (due to a bad arbor on the brake lathe) that cars can tolerate way more than max runout and still stop smoothly.


Many believed this was my problem the first time it happened and it was actually warped rotors. I believe the rotors have warped again and it's not being caused by these deposits.
 
I picked up a set of the Napa Ultra Premiums. They're twice as expensive as the ones I bought from Advance Auto, but hey're also made in the U.S.A. I'm sick of messing around with these cheap, tin rotors from China!
 
Iron is iron. Unless they are defectively made there won't be any difference. But if China is involved they may be TOXIC! I'd wear rubber gloves!

I'd love to see a set of rotors that was truly warped. If it was a solid rotor that might actually happen but a vented design is extremely difficult to warp.

And before anyone says "I use a dial indicator" you could just as easily be measuring pad deposits.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Iron is iron. Unless they are defectively made there won't be any difference. But if China is involved they may be TOXIC! I'd wear rubber gloves!

I'd love to see a set of rotors that was truly warped. If it was a solid rotor that might actually happen but a vented design is extremely difficult to warp.

And before anyone says "I use a dial indicator" you could just as easily be measuring pad deposits.


Iron may be iron, but that doesn't mean a manufacturer uses the same amount of iron as another.

http://www.badbrakes.net/

http://www.aa1car.com/library/raybestos_rotor_warning.pdf
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Iron is iron. Unless they are defectively made there won't be any difference. But if China is involved they may be TOXIC! I'd wear rubber gloves!

I'd love to see a set of rotors that was truly warped. If it was a solid rotor that might actually happen but a vented design is extremely difficult to warp.

And before anyone says "I use a dial indicator" you could just as easily be measuring pad deposits.


Apparently iron isn't iron because my original rotors lasted 10 years and 185K miles and never warped. The cheap "made in China" rotors I replaced them with didn't even make 30K and they warped twice.
 
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Iron is iron. Unless they are defectively made there won't be any difference. But if China is involved they may be TOXIC! I'd wear rubber gloves!

I'd love to see a set of rotors that was truly warped. If it was a solid rotor that might actually happen but a vented design is extremely difficult to warp.

And before anyone says "I use a dial indicator" you could just as easily be measuring pad deposits.


Apparently iron isn't iron because my original rotors lasted 10 years and 185K miles and never warped. The cheap "made in China" rotors I replaced them with didn't even make 30K and they warped twice.


That is also because your calipers and hardware are aging, and they may not be retracting completely. The rotors may not be the only problem.
 
I just don't have brake problems, here is what i do. I use premium pads,Hawk or performance friction ( nothing advertised as ceramic) rtv on the backs of the pads. I use the autozone rotors, the cheap ones. I bed the pads in per manufacturer. I replace my calipers and brake lines at around 100k whether they need it or not. ( i save enough doing it myself to justify it). I bleed the calipers every pad change , complete fluid change every other pad change.
I never have problems, and no squeels. I also use a torque wrench on the lugs, i take it with me when i have tires put on. I loosen and torque them in the parking lot before i put any heat in the rotors.
 
Last edited:
The china rotors I bought were junk in 25K on my old Merc GM. Be careful with chineese rotors. If Wagner makes rotors for a Honda they are very good. Also use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts on all disc brake wheels. Very important.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Iron is iron. Unless they are defectively made there won't be any difference. But if China is involved they may be TOXIC! I'd wear rubber gloves!

I'd love to see a set of rotors that was truly warped. If it was a solid rotor that might actually happen but a vented design is extremely difficult to warp.

And before anyone says "I use a dial indicator" you could just as easily be measuring pad deposits.


Apparently iron isn't iron because my original rotors lasted 10 years and 185K miles and never warped. The cheap "made in China" rotors I replaced them with didn't even make 30K and they warped twice.


That is also because your calipers and hardware are aging, and they may not be retracting completely. The rotors may not be the only problem.


That is a very good point. If the caliper isn't fully releasing it can create higher heat on the rotor.
 
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