recurring brake rotor problem... - Page 2

s1ngletracker · 12-16-2009

yep, thats what i was referring to. Now to figure out which pads i'm gonna run, as well. Where do you go to figure out which kind of pads you will run? Any good sites with reviews and such?

**Kracka** · 12-16-2009

I think a good place to start would be talking to the shops and guys that actually race and have tried numerous different setups. RRE and Archer both highly recommend the Porterfield R4-S (carbon/Kevlar) for street, autocross, and light-duty track DSM's. You can also check out the EBC Green and Red compounds, the recently revised Red pads with Kevlar are supposed to be very good but historically EBC's offerings haven't been all that spectacular. If you're looking to keep things cheaper though you can just get some Metal Master Semi-Metallic pads. My advice though is to stay away from anything Hawk.

s1ngletracker · 12-16-2009

why no hawk? Seems like a lot of chumpcar guys like hawk stuff.

**Kracka** · 12-16-2009

None of the Hawk pads are anything special. Overall, they're louder and dustier than their competitors while having no clear advantages or benefits. They may have been something special 10 years ago but they stood still while the industry progressed.

s1ngletracker · 12-16-2009

Gotcha. I can't say i'm totally impressed with the hawk street pads on my jeep. They refuse to work when its wet (kinda scary actually) and they do require you heat them up a bit before they become effective at all. They don't make too much noise or dust though.

**Kracka** · 12-16-2009

Are they the Hawk ceramics? Ceramic is good at being quiet and low-dust, but its performance isn't much better than typical OEM replacements.

s1ngletracker · 12-16-2009

yeah, ceramic

sleepydsm · 12-17-2009

Did you ever figure out your pulsation?

With my OEM 2G wheels, the backsides corrode so much that if I remove the wheel, and it goes on a different way, there is a vibration/pulsation from the front.

Are you sure the surface where the rotor sits was clean, free of rust, etc? (they pretty much always need to be cleaned)

I forgot what kind of rotor you used, but once and awhile a defective part makes it way on to a car. Bad machining/cheap casting/bad runout/etc.

s1ngletracker · 12-18-2009

Its been manageable, I haven't yet changed my rotors again. I just don't have the skrill for it right now, and I want to do new pads at the same time, maybe even rebuild calipers to make sure everything is kosher. I'll do it come spring before rallyx/autox season.

But yeah, I wire brush both rotor hats and wheels before installing... so i think its good.

s1ngletracker · 03-06-2010

Just to bring this back up from the dead...

I just overhauled my rear brakes. They were completely ineffective, so I think that more stress was being placed on my fronts. Probably not the only cause, but I'm sure it didn't help anything. One rear caliper was completely frozen (both piston and slider) while the other one just had a frozen slider. I got rear loaded calipers, installed new rotors, and bled out the entire system pretty well.

Unfortunately, the pulsating in the fronts is getting worse. At this point i'm pretty convinced it is in part the crappy unknown pads that are on there. I'm gonna order some new pads and rotors and see if that fixes it. If that doesn't help, my last course of action is new front calipers. Then there would literally be nothing else it could be.

s1ngletracker · 03-07-2010

side note, has anyone used Axxis ULT brake pads?

I want some decent front brake pads, but I don't really feel like spending $150-200 on a super nice set right now, as I likely won't actually be doing any track days with this car, so I don't need a race set of pads. I just want something that will hold up well on the street/autox/rallyx.

These seem like a decent set for those purposes, and can be had for $77.50 shipped.

iceminion · 03-13-2010

I worked at goodyear for several years, I am not the best brake specialist in the world, but I am probably one of the most experienced here in said field.

Your rotors are warped, you need to replace them, Ive always used crappy pads with no problems, and I decelerate from illegal speeds to 30mph often.

I worked for auto value, and when we stocked rotors, we threw them as frizbees, and dropped many, just because you bought "new" rotors, does not mean that they are true.

check the warranty status on your rotors, and warranty them.

You have to understand that napa uses the worst quality metal from china, old cars melted down do not make good rotors, the inconsistency of the metal causes warping sometimes.

brembo blanks are the best quality OEM rotor money can buy.

1QUICK4 · 03-13-2010

1 out of 3 NAPA rotors I install are warped out of the box. I swear the stock boys must drop kick them off the truck.

Try resurfacing them, I cut every new Napa rotor I install now.

Andrew7dg · 03-13-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceminion

I am not the best brake specialist in the world, but I am probably one of the most experienced here in said field.

when we stocked rotors, we threw them as frizbees, and dropped many, "

WTF!?

Point back to the cleaning of your hubs to see if that is causing the issue.

Also take your rotors in to have them turned, That will tell you for SURE if your rotor is warped or not. O'reilly does this service for you. if they aren't turnable they will tell you and not charge you. or just ask them to see if they are turnabout to begin with

s1ngletracker · 03-13-2010

rotors don't normally 'warp' in the traditional meaning of the word, I believe it has to do with pad transfer, hot spots, hardening of the metal and uneven wear. As Kracka has said, and in my own research, it mainly does have to do with pad transfer.

Also, when they were new, they didn't vibrate at all. I would say that eliminates being thrown like a frisbee from the equation.

Are they crappy metal? Probably. They are NAPA premium rotors. Should they last longer than a few weeks before warping? Also probably.

And I'm really trying to asses the root cause here. Getting them turned would fix the problem for a few weeks.

I've got some Axxis ULT brake pads on the way! Then i'll get my rotors turned (or get some centric 120's) and see what happens.

s1ngletracker · 03-21-2010

Alright, so I got some old rotors turned, got the AXXIS pads installed, and burnished in very thoroughly. Going by the books this time. Giving the brakes some time to cool off, and then i'll be out to test them a bit more. I have a good feeling about things this time

After 3-4 brake jobs in the last year, I'm ready for these to last a while.

I closely inspected my calipers, I really can't imagine anything being wrong with them. The sliders move like butter, the pistons move smoothly and easily were pushed back in to make room for the new pads. I'm gonna rule them out.

**Kracka** · 03-21-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceminion

You have to understand that napa uses the worst quality metal from china, old cars melted down do not make good rotors, the inconsistency of the metal causes warping sometimes.

brembo blanks are the best quality OEM rotor money can buy.

You do realize a lot of Brembos are made in China with varying consistency right? I'd take a Centric Premium over a Brembo blank if given the choice at an equal price.