Brake Rotor Question

Maintenance/Repairs
21

Auto manufactures ask brake component suppliers to submit bids for the parts used in their vehicles.

The supplier that submits the lowest bid gets the contract.

So, quality isn’t the important thing.

Cost is.

Tester

22

Personally, I wouldn’t do either. I have never turned/replaced the rotors on a first brake job and never had a problem.

1 Like
23

Personally, I wouldn’t do either. I have never turned/replaced the rotors on a first brake job and never had a problem.

I have to, I am getting steering wheel vibration.

24

Then replace them.

Turning rotors makes them thinner.

And when they’re thinner, they’re more likely to warp again.

Like I always say, " Do a brake job once, but do it right."

Tester

1 Like
25

I usually cut .008" to .010" when machining rotors, there is .100" between original and minimum specification. Not every driver warps their rotors.

26

This one did.

Tester

27

Jman136 was referring to a “pad slap”, new pads, old rotors. It is common to develop a pulsation after a pad slap. Starting off with a fresh surface reduces come-backs; noise, vibration.

28

I haven’t had that problem, but I do use quality pads. I suspect that in a lot of your “pad slap” cases that resulted in problems, cheap pads were used.

29

They ask for bids that meet a certain spec, including thickness. So quality is a factor.

1 Like
30

You mean like some of Chryslers OEM brake rotors?

image
image900×675 306 KB

Tester

31

I’m curious about the rust on that rotor @Tester.could that be an isolated spot where the brake pad rested for a prolonged period holding salt water trapped against the rotor?

32

May have been cheap pads, didn’t ask what they cost or who installed them, just an observation on customer vehicles.

Several of the used car that I bought had new pads and warped rotors, I resurfaced the rotors and reused the cheap pads for five or more years.

33

nengun-1301-700-spoon-brake_rotors-b0135f9f
nengun-1301-700-spoon-brake_rotors-b0135f9f1898×1402 314 KB

I don’t remember where I learned this, so I don’t know how valid it is, but I was taught that if the cooling fins were designed like this, with the fins curved to draw more air, that is a sure sign of premium quality rotors.

34

What’s wrong with that rotor??? LOL

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rotor that bad before.