Rotors Too???

[Loren]

No such thing as a warped rotor...

-Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths

[Dr. Dyno]

Originally Posted by Loren

No such thing as a warped rotor...

Agreed, it's a variation in thickness, but more a matter of semantics than anything.

[olds362]

Having turned rotors on my dad's brake lathe, I would say that they have appeared warped to me. When cutting them there appears an area of the circumference that is high on the outside and low on the inside (or vice versa). When the lathe is cutting it appears to be cutting iron, not material that is stuck to the rotor.

[tankd0g]

If you actually needed new pads, chances are your rotors are grooved, they should be replaced or you are just going to put grooves in the new pads and they are going to brake like crap and wear out faster. The only way I would reuse a rotor with new pads is if it has no grooves and I take a sanding disk to both sides to put "tooth" back on it to break in new pads. Without this you are likely to glaze the new pads and be complaining of "warped rotors" within a week because they will pulsate as they skip across the surface of the rotor rather than gripping it. I would NOT buy dealer rotors. The exact same thing can be had for $25 a piece at any auto parts store.

[ronbo1313]

[QUOTE= The exact same thing can be had for $25 a piece at any auto parts store.[/QUOTE]

Yes, you may buy cheap rotors but the quality of metal is poor, I prefer a quality set like BREMBO.

Also Toyota lug nuts are 76 ft lbs for tightening, I always make sure I tell anyone who removes my wheels and then I use my torque wrench to check. Over tightening is a cause of rotor "warping".

[tankd0g]

Originally Posted by ronbo1313

Yes, you may buy cheap rotors but the quality of metal is poor, I prefer a quality set like BREMBO.

Same metal with holes drilled in it and a higher price tag.

[Meander]

" Over tightening is a cause of rotor "warping".[/QUOTE]

How so If I may ask ?

[kevcules]

Originally Posted by Meander

" Over tightening is a cause of rotor "warping".

How so If I may ask ?[/QUOTE]


IMO..."over tightening" the nuts only does damage to the nuts and threads on the studs. Now....uneven torque on the nuts is what can cause rotors to warp, also thin rotors from pad wear, poor quality metal used to make the rotors , excessive heat, etc. Thicker high quality metal is what protects the rotors from warping ...... That's why you can buy the same rotor for $100 or one for $25......there is a difference.
Years ago it was common for rotors to be "turned" to get a nice gritty surface for your new pads to contact. Now since the rotors come much thinner and made with lower quality metal , they don't last very long and are usually fairly inexpensive to replace. I was surprised to hear that most of the auto stores and local garages around here don't even have the machine to turn the rotors anymore (at least that's what they told me) They said people would rather replace them now....
I don't believe the article that says warped rotors are a myth......

[tankd0g]

Originally Posted by Meander

" Over tightening is a cause of rotor "warping".

How so If I may ask ?[/QUOTE]

I really don't believe this myself, you are not even applying force to the business end of the brake rotor when you torque a wheel. However, over torquing does other bad things like break wheels and stretch/break studs. I haven't seen an actual "warped" rotor in my life unless you count rotors bent in crashes. What people feel as a warped rotor is actually a rotor that has an uneven distribution of braking material bonded to the surface of the rotor, which causes the brakes to shudder. Sometimes they can be saved by sanding or turning but it's just not worth it these days with replacements so cheap.

[Freedom55]

Rust is a big problem here because of road salt in the winter, mostly on the perimeter of the rotors and after 3 years or less the rotors have to be replaced; I've had personal experience with Japanese, European or American vehicles, same problems. The Korean vehicles my ex and I had did not seem to be as bad but we were not putting much less mileage on them so I can't say they are better as we're not comparing apples with apples. If they could only make rotors with a different material than cast iron...