I have two Nissan Versas of nearly identical make (2007 and 2010).
On both, the OEM brake rotors both got wonky at about 70K miles. They started vibrating when brakes applied at say 45mph+.
When it happened to the 2007, I replaced discs with “Max” brand non-OEM discs and pads, which still work smoothly at 120K+, though I think I’ve replaced the pads once since.
However, when it first happened to the 2010, also at about 70K miles, I replaced them with the same make of “Max” discs and pads, but the vibration has started again after only about 10K or 15K miles.
These are nearly identical cars, so it’s “not fair” for the 2010!
Any suggestions on:
(1) What else could cause rotors to go wonky so early on the 2010?
(2) What non-OEM brands might be best for resisting this sort of wonkiness?
- crappy rotors
- buy the best quality rotors you can find. Generally those are the most expensive.
The quality of aftermarket rotors has gotten very poor, especially the cheap ones.
You also could have sticking calipers or parking braked that can overheat the rotors, especially if you live where they salt the roads.
Possible corroded wheel hub face and or wheel not allowing the rotor is be flush up against the wheel hub??..
Do any of the wheels seem overly hot after a drive where you didn’t use the brakes very much? Vibrations like this are usually caused by warped rotors, & excess heat is what warps the rotors. Driving habits can also be a factor. Are the driver & vehicle a consistent pair? As far as rotor quality, they are made of some sort a steel alloy I presume; but there are many different types of steel alloys, and more than one way to manufacture them; some are more expensive than the other.
Who drives the 2010 Versa? Some of our customers warp their brake rotors in the first 10,000 miles on a new car.
Hi George–
How do you tell if a wheel is overly hot?
Drivers on both cars are a comparable mix of myself, my wife, and a son. But probably we have taken the 2010 on more long distance highway trips (higher speeds, perhaps higher temperatures on braking??) The 2007 we use mostly in town.
OK, will check for that on replacement.
I’ll lube the caliper slides on replacement. Would brake pad wear be uneven if caliper is sticking?
Anything that can measure temperature would work. I do it by touch myself, I start by just holding the back of my hand near the wheel to tell if it is really hot, b/c if the wheel is very hot it could cause a skin burn by actually touching it. Since you have one vehicle with the problem and the other without, you could compare one against the other.
Both vehicles use automatic transmissions I presume.
A bit of advice . . .
Do NOT install Wagner Thermoquiet brakes
Under no circumstances
I’ve never had as many problems as with that brand
Noise AND warped rotors
They’re absolutely horrendous
I regularly warped the rotors on my old 2013 Camry, But I know it was my driving 
Hi George, or anyone reading. I just realized a probably important factoid. The car with the current warped rotor sometimes pulls to the left slightly. This happens intermittently and resolves quickly, so I just stopped thinking about it. I suppose that’s evidence of partial caliper sticking. If that’s the case, then I suppose I would notice higher temperature on the left rotor than on the right, and probably more pad wear on the left brake than on the right. Is that correct? If I just replaced the whole left caliper, then are there any good non-OEM brands that might be worth considering?
Centric is usually okay
The mainline Centric stuff is quality parts that I regularly used without issues. The economy C-Tek line is for used car lots and I recommend you stay away from that.
Sometimes not properly bedding in the new brake pads into the new brake rotors will cause brake pedal vibration.
Tester
Just want to update and resolve this post. Replaced left side front brake rotor, and vibration problem was solved. So it was warped only on the left side. Given that the car intermittently pulls slightly left, I think it’s probable that the left caliper (or perhaps just the caliper slides) are sticking, even though I lubed them up well before reinstalling.
I used a laser thermometer, aimed through the holes in the wheel at the rotors of this car and of my other similar car. Did it a few times for each. Interestingly, they both tended to be a little warmer on the left side rotors than the right side rotors. Still, I think you are on to something, as I’ve since found that the rotor warpage is only on the left side of this car. Perhaps the warpage only occurs on longer, higher-speed road trips in which the temperature difference might become more pronounced if the caliper is sticking.
Often brake “judder” comes from uneven material transfer of pad material onto rotors rather than any actual rotor warp-age. (This is why bedding in brakes can be important as noted by Tester). This can happen for many reasons including cheap pads or poor driving habits, such as tendencies to brake really hard and then sit with pads clamped onto rotors which creates hot spots on rotors. Many people who have done brakes have seen the evidence on the rotors - pad “footprints” that seem etched onto a rotor.
I’m somewhat obsessive about controlling speed with throttle more than brakes, and about making sure I brake in ways that provide even cooling. (E.g. if I do have to do some hard braking, I don’t just sit on the brakes afterward - unless completely necessary).
Dragging / sticking calipers, as you seem to suspect can end with similar effect in terms of overheating followed by uneven cooling.
That was not proper, imo
You want brakes to be even on both sides
So you should replace ALL front rotors and front brake pads
I’m a conservative braker that has always done bed-in procedure after changing pads. No uneven material was visible on rotor that was removed. Plus the fact that the juddering was only due to left rotor points squarely at caliper as main issue, I think.