Warped Brake Rotars

[donkeygong64]

my oem brakes i'm pretty positive are warped. Does anyone else have this problem? Or had this problem??

[Emerica459]

I had this problem. Replaced 4 wheel brakes and havent had an issue since. But with these hawk pads they are noisey as hell until i bevel the pads. I gotta do that about every 9 months then it gets noisey again. Oem isnt bad, just not meant to be beat on.

[civicSIracer]

my OEM honda pads warped my rotors but have been fine on hawk HPS pads on oem rotors

[donkeygong64]

my OEM honda pads warped my rotors but have been fine on hawk HPS pads on oem rotors

so you fixed the warped rotors by putting different pads on? Just sounds odd...

[T_Virus]

I had warped oem rotors too and my oem brake pads wear out uneven...Pepboy's couldn't even have them resurface anymore...so I had to buy a whole new breaking system...powerslot cyro rotors, akebono street performance pads and stoptech ss brake lines...

[jdm_ep3]

i just replaced my front and rear brakes today and lucky mine are not warped! mine is only a daily driver so all i put on is some duralast gold on them from autozone haha. it feels a little bit better now than before with the oem ones. plus i have life time warranty so when they are out ima just get new ones for free ftmw!!!

[musashi1219]

most people think shit is warped when it is just normal wear. Hard shit rubbing on hard shit causes wear. It is actually very hard to truly warp rotors. Let's make sure we are describing the right condition so we don't spread more aids on the Internet and by aids I mean poor information

[MugsyTheGr8]

most people think shit is warped when it is just normal wear. Hard shit rubbing on hard shit causes wear. It is actually very hard to truly warp rotors. Let's make sure we are describing the right condition so we don't spread more aids on the Internet and by aids I mean poor information truth, its probably just pad material built up on the rotor. there is almost no way your putting your brakes in a condition that would cause them to warp.

[dann_04]

my back rotors were warped to all hell, constant thumping while driving and when i pulled them off and put them on a flat surface they were soo warped that they would rock because they were curved. So, when you press the brake pedal does it shutter or thump back and forth? when you are driving do you hear thump thump thump? If you go up to 50mph and coast/downshift to a stop (without touching the brakes) and then get out and touch the rotors, are they hot? all these can be signs of the rotors being warped, the pads rubbing, or both. In my case pad came off the backing causing the rotor to overheat and warp(damn raybestos). Good luck, plus new brakes are always better than old brakes, so if in doubt change them or get a free inspection at a reputible brake shop.

[frm_808]

my back rotors were warped to all hell, constant thumping while driving and when i pulled them off and put them on a flat surface they were soo warped that they would rock because they were curved. So, when you press the brake pedal does it shutter or thump back and forth? when you are driving do you hear thump thump thump? If you go up to 50mph and coast/downshift to a stop (without touching the brakes) and then get out and touch the rotors, are they hot? all these can be signs of the rotors being warped, the pads rubbing, or both. In my case pad came off the backing causing the rotor to overheat and warp(damn raybestos). Good luck, plus new brakes are always better than old brakes, so if in doubt change them or get a free inspection at a reputible brake shop.

hes right. you can also check by using a dial indicator and make sure its secured to a non moving object when checking for out of roundness

[mormonboy]

warped rotors r caused by incorrect lug torque. make sure you torque youre lugs properly to spec everytime.

[stepintoliquid]

warped pedals r caused by incorrect lug torque. make sure you torque youre lugs properly to spec everytime.

lug nut torque settings and rotor wear are completely unrelated. why would you even say that? and what are warped pedals? jeez....

[mormonboy]

lolz. sorry its late. but warped rotors are often attributed to improper lug torquing specs. think about it for a second and youll understand why.

[dann_04]

over torqued lugs can cause rotor warpage, but it takes a while malform the rotor, and 5-10 ftlbs isn't gonna do it.

[HondaFreak]

most people think shit is warped when it is just normal wear. Hard shit rubbing on hard shit causes wear. It is actually very hard to truly warp rotors. Let's make sure we are describing the right condition so we don't spread more aids on the Internet and by aids I mean poor information


truth, its probably just pad material built up on the rotor. there is almost no way your putting your brakes in a condition that would cause them to warp.

100% correct.
Your rotors may "glaze" over or have "hot" spots in them, but on a DD your never going to actually "warp" your rotors. Part of the problem with OEM brakes is that they are more than likely never tempered correctly from the factory. All brakes should be broken in correctly to avoid the issue's the OP is having. Not applying your parking brake after working your brakes hard will also alleviate some of the glazing or transfer of material to the rotors. NASCAR cars don't even warp rotors, and we have all seen the under car shot of the brakes glowing orange.

Christian

[lil_Eggy]

100% correct.
Your rotors may "glaze" over or have "hot" spots in them, but on a DD your never going to actually "warp" your rotors. Part of the problem with OEM brakes is that they are more than likely never tempered correctly from the factory. All brakes should be broken in correctly to avoid the issue's the OP is having. Not applying your parking brake after working your brakes hard will also alleviate some of the glazing or transfer of material to the rotors. NASCAR cars don't even warp rotors, and we have all seen the under car shot of the brakes glowing orange.

Christian

i would agree that proper seasoning of the brake rotor is important....i've read it everywhere, the powerslot rotors even come with instructions on/in the box

[T_Virus]

i would agree that proper seasoning of the brake rotor is important....i've read it everywhere, the powerslot rotors even come with instructions on/in the box

yeah powewrslots rotors do come with instructions for the break in period...

my stock rotors were resurface twice too...

here is something that I've read...

Warped Rotors Means Pulsing Brakes

When you apply the brakes, you feel a pulsation through the brake pedal and even the steering wheel. You wonder how the brakes and steering are interconnected and what is causing the pulsation. How can it be prevented, and how can it be corrected? And most important, is it a safety issue?

The cause of pulsation and vibration are warped brake rotors. When brakes are applied, the brake calipers press the brake pads against the rotors that rotate with the wheel. If the rotor is warped so the surfaces are not parallel, the caliper pistons are rapidly pushed in and out as the pads contact high and low spots. These pulsations will cause the entire wheel to vibrate. This vibration, often call 'shimmy,' is transmitted to the brake pedal and steering system components to the steering wheel.

While this pulsation can be merely annoying during normal stops, it can be dangerous in a panic stop from high speeds, especially if the warping is severe. Pulsation can affect the proper operation of the anti-lock braking system. Also severe vibration can damage or cause premature wear to the brake system. The damage can be progressive as the warped rotor wears unevenly as it rubs against the brake pads.

There are several causes for warped rotors. It can result from normal wearing of the rotors. It will often occur if you let the brake pads wear to the point where is there is metal-to-metal contact between pads, or what's left of them, and the rotor. Thus, the importance of routine brake pad inspections. Warping can occur if the brakes are very hot after a long trip, or many applications, and then the vehicle is driven through a puddle of cool water.

Incidentally, warped rotors are a bigger problem with the latest models compared to earlier ones fitted with disc brakes. That's because to decrease weight, and thus improve fuel economy, automakers have made brake rotors lighter and more susceptible to warping. Heavier brake rotors can absorb more heat so they are less likely to warp with sudden changes in temperature. While much more expensive vehicles do use carbon fiber and ceramic rotors, most still just use lighter weight, and more warp-prone, steel rotors.

Often pulsations start after a tire has been changed and there is dirt, corrosion or rust on the inner surface of the replaced wheel. This can cause uneven clamping leading to rotor warping. This uneven clamping can also occur from improper tightening of lug nuts. For example, not tightening in the usually recommended two-step, criss-cross tightening technique, and using the improper torque (bolts, lug nets, etc. all use manufacturer-specified levels of torque.) A torque wrench must be used on modern wheels. Air impact wrenches will not torque down the nuts properly. If there is brake pulsating after changing a tire, loosen the nuts and re-torque as soon as possible and you may be able to prevent warping problems.

Can warped rotors be repaired, or must they be replaced? The answer depends on the amount of rotor run-out -- that is the amount the rotor wobbles. In some case, if run-out is more than 0.001 inch, pulsating can occur and other manufacturers allow run-out up to 0.003 inch. Determining run-out requires special equipment.

Often the brake rotors can be repaired, or made "true" on a machine that shaves off a small amount of rotor surface to make the surface smooth and even. However, there are limits on the amounts of material that can be safely removed. If this results in rotor thickness less than specified by the manufacturer, usually stamped into the rotor itself, the rotor must be replaced. This is more likely to happen with the thinner, lighter rotors found on today's vehicles.

Recently, a new technique called Brake Align? has become available. Here specially tapered shims that are located between the rotor and hub to compensate for rotor run-out. According to the company, run-out can be corrected to within .001 inch. Brake Align shims are available for most American and Japanese vehicles.

[na14yu]

As some others have alluded to, it's actually pretty difficult to warp your rotors. I've put 50k miles on the EP and abused it with many laps at Laguna Seca and Buttonwillow, and I'm still on the stock rotors. My front rotors have some nice grooves in them that you can see and feel with your fingers, but they don't vibrate, shudder or make any noises like a warped rotor does.

[EPSU3]

i think my rotors are warped because the pads drag more at a certain point in the rotation. They're pretty beat though to, wearing unevenly with ridges.

[zzfinaldropzz]

my rotors are super warped... the brake pads makes sounds every five seconds.. sounds like the pads are rubbing against the rotor.. like " psh psh psh ... psh psh psh .. psh psh psh " haha like that. every five seconds... I need new brakes and rotors......

[56chevydan]

Just remove your rotors and have them turned. Do a light sanding of the inside of the circle in the middle of the rotor and the hub area where the rotor seats and spray a light coat of high temp paint on those surfaces so rust won't re-occur there and make future disassembly a problem.
When the paint is dry put a new set of pads on and you're done.

[Zzyzx]

The "Warped" Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking System
by Carroll Smith

Quoted from http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml


In fact every case of "warped brake disc" that I have investigated, whether on a racing car or a street car, has turned out to be friction pad material transferred unevenly to the surface of the disc. This uneven deposition results in thickness variation (TV) or run-out due to hot spotting that occurred at elevated temperatures.

Take it as you will, but your looking at uneven pad material deposits, not a "warped rotor". Problem is these deposits cause hot spots that encourage the creation of cementite. An extremely hard Iron Carbide that is a bad friction material, bad heat sink... and wears differently then the rest of the rotor. meaning even if you get the rotors machined, these cementite spots on the rotors surface will more then likely create hot spots once again, causing that pulsing feeling to come back.

[donkeygong64]

my back rotors were warped to all hell, constant thumping while driving and when i pulled them off and put them on a flat surface they were soo warped that they would rock because they were curved. So, when you press the brake pedal does it shutter or thump back and forth? when you are driving do you hear thump thump thump? If you go up to 50mph and coast/downshift to a stop (without touching the brakes) and then get out and touch the rotors, are they hot? all these can be signs of the rotors being warped, the pads rubbing, or both. In my case pad came off the backing causing the rotor to overheat and warp(damn raybestos). Good luck, plus new brakes are always better than old brakes, so if in doubt change them or get a free inspection at a reputible brake shop.

mine would be as what you described as shuttering.
But in addition, to a relatively slow stop, with my brakes on, not in gear. I can feel my car slow, then keep going, slow then keep going

[oldskoofame]

it could just be brake fade
it's not THAT easy warping rotors

[FCobra94]

it could just be brake fade
it's not THAT easy warping rotors
No, it's not brake fade and you're right; it is not easy to warp rotors, but it is easy for friction material to transfer unevenly to the surface of the disc adn that is what this guy is suffering from. That means it's time for new rotors [/thread]

[EPSU3]

yeah, i'm assuming that i'm suffering from material deposits. I've already had my rotors turned down last year, and according to the service records I got from the previous owner, I'm at 68k and the pads were changed at 30k. Not sure how long oem pads last, i know it depends on the driver.

[Dorachagi]

So just to jump on this thread, my brakes do the shudder judder thing under hard braking, and it's even more so if I'm turning at all. Last night they did it when taking a sharp turn under braking and coming to a complete stop, and then while completely stopped and not moving I pushed the brake pedal hard and it juddered for a moment and then slowly went lower, not all the way to the floor but lower. Just had new pads put on by the dealership last month, so they should be alright. It could be the rotors, but they were checked at the same time and that wouldn't account for the shudder last night at a dead stop. Gonna bleed the brakes this weekend, I have an autocross on Sunday. So any suggestions or ideas? Just air in the system, or something weird with the ABS? Pedal feel was rock solid last month after getting it back, but very quickly it became squishy again. I always thought the brakes on the EP3 were it's weakest link, not at all keeping up with the suspension, but now that I'm reading this it sounds like most of you don't ever get the brake shudder thing so I'm thinking something isn't right with mine, even if the dealership didnt spot it. PLEASE help if you can, if I can brake better by Sunday it will help alot to kick some auto-x ass.

[Zzyzx]

If the pedal was stiff before and is soft now... that says two things. 1. possible air in the brake lines and 2. Glazed rotors/pads.

that shuttering you feel is most likely the ABS kicking in.


For autocross, Pull the ABS fuse. the car deals better with trail brakeing with out the abs trying to counter act it.

[Dorachagi]

I'll bleed the brakes saturday and pull the ABS fuse on sunday before the race, will post back to let you know the results. And as always Zzyzx, thanks for the great advice.