[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Having my front rotors turned (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 3/29/2011 3:56:12 AM EDT
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My brakes developed a sound like a rockslide. Now one of the rotors is pretty deeply scored. I left them at a brake shop to be turned. One looks like it'll be OK, the other was very iffy.
What's the penalty for replacing an out-of-spec rotor? Will braking suffer, or is this just something they do to sell more hard parts? |
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Don't really understand the question but, there is a minimum spec set by the auto maker that says it can't be thinner than X. If the rotor is below that you reall should replace it.
Worst case if you don't, you kill someone cause your brakes fail. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I will generally turn my rotors once before replacing them.
Brakes are the most important part of a vehicle in my opinion. If in doubt replace. When you have them turned they should tell you how bad/good they are and if they can't keep them in spec when they do it they should let you know. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV  Winner winner chicken dinner-the truth Unless you have some exotic or oddball ride rotors are reasonable, shop around at the big discount auto parts places Some folks I know claim the main cause of rotor warpage is gorillas with air impact wrenches who go nuts on your lugs, never hurts to keep an eye on the animals working on your toys |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. There's absolutely no reason I can think of that a vehicle would need rotors replaced twice a year. Maybe that tells us something about how good of a turning job you get for $10. |
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Some folks I know claim the main cause of rotor warpage is gorillas with air impact wrenches who go nuts on your lugs, never hurts to keep an eye on the animals working on your toys Agreed. Improper lugnut torquing and/or failure to clean the hub mating surfaces of rust are generally considered the leading culprits for lateral runout issues. FWIW, when doing brakes, I haven't turned a set of rotors in years. I either replace them if they're out of spec (or close to it) or, if the rotors are good, I leave them alone and change only the pads followed by the proper burnishing procedure. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. How many miles are you getting out of them? I am getting 50k out of a set of brakes on my truck. 
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Try owning a Mini Cooper. Guy at work has one. there is NO turning those rotors and factory service book tells you to replace rotors with pads regardless of condition.
I have found that once you warp them due to heat/cooling too fast and you get them turned, they will warp again very quickly. I just started noticing my Cobra rotors on my '95 Mustang GT have started the heat wobble last week. Time to start pricing out power slot rotors and Hawk pads for all 4 corners. 
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Quoted: The OP said that there was a horrible noise and deep gouges. Does that sound like normal wear to you? Likely, the pads wore down until the backing plate contacted the rotor. Periodic inspection and preventive maintenance will prevent this. I have owned dozens of cars/bikes, and have never replaced a rotor.Quoted: Next time, replace your brake pads before they wear down enough to ruin your rotors. Um, rotors wear out no matter how often you change your pads. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. Holy fuck, replaced TWICE a YEAR? What on earth are you doing to that poor Dakota? |
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Used to know a guy, that his family had very large paper route delivery business. Basic,ally paper route for grown ups. He, his wife and two adult kids sepweately delivered papers all night, every night in 4 different cheap econoboxes.
They went though brakes every three weeks on all vehicles. He aways bought those extended warranties on his brake pads and he basically paid for the brakes once and got free replacements from then on. Didn't seem ethical to me. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. Holy fuck, replaced TWICE a YEAR? What on earth are you doing to that poor Dakota? A couple years ago, I was replacing the rotors and pads 2x a year for a couple years on a cherokee. Once in beginning of summer and then again at end of summer. I was pulling a boat on one day of the weekend and the pwc the other day. During the winter I was commuting to school about 30 miles each way. Fronts only, back brakes lasted about 70k miles. |
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new rotors are cheap. i would just spring for new rotors (if you can) I'd upgrade them to cross drilled and/or slotted rotors. They'd be a nice upgrade and greatly improve stopping distance. YMMV I always thought this wasn't a good idea for daily drivers because you would need to buy bigger brakes to make up for the large amount of swept surface friction area you are losing. I would think you lose stopping performance on the same size discs. |
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Replace them yourself. If you can change a tire then you can change out the rotors, it's that simple. I'd pay somebody to do it but it would be just as much trouble to take it up there and drop it off as it is to just do it myself, so I do it myself. This, unless it's a Honda with press on rotors. Those are a mother to change without the proper tools. Rotors usually come off easy, if they don't smack it with a rubber mallet to loosen or get a couple of bolts to thread in the holes on the rotors to pop them loose. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. There's absolutely no reason I can think of that a vehicle would need rotors replaced twice a year. Maybe that tells us something about how good of a turning job you get for $10. That would be an interesting theory if it wasn't until recently that I started having them turned. The first 8 years that I owned the truck I replaced the rotors. The truck has always developed a bad vibration when braking. The rear brakes do not seem to be engaging much if any at all causing the front rotors to overheat, which then causes deposits on the rotors which build up over time. I've replaced everything on my rear drum brakes several times but from what I can tell the adjustment level doesn't always contact the adjustment screw, letting the brakes loosen up. I've started manually tightening up my rear brakes and the truck stops much better. However the last time I did this the adjustment lever for the rear brake on the right side was not making any contact with the adjustment screw at all. If I tow my boat the rotors get vibration a lot quicker, which is what causes me to replace them twice a year. I can replace them in April-May and by Sep-Oct the vibration is so bad that I need to replace them again. That's anywhere from 15k to 20k miles. |
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Most of the time the pads/rotors wear because the sliders bind up. The grease dries out, water gets in and they stick. I can't remember the last time I replaced pads/rotors because they legitimately wore out, its always because the sliders or sometimes the caliper pistons stick. And I drive fast and brake hard.
4x a year minimum, grease the sliders. I use molybdenum disulfide. Apply antiseize where the pads touch the calipers (and on all the bolts of course). |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV except on 4x4s.....rotors are cheap but labor kills you as you have to pull hub/bearing/axle to change rotor. I did new pads and turned rotors on the car. Next time I will replace them. |
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Replace them yourself. If you can change a tire then you can change out the rotors, it's that simple. I'd pay somebody to do it but it would be just as much trouble to take it up there and drop it off as it is to just do it myself, so I do it myself. That's what I did. The brake shop said that one rotor was barely in spec; the other was OK. Job finished. Car stops OK now. |
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Quoted: I'm about to do the brakes on my '02 Chevy 2500HD Dmax crew cab for the very first time. 192k.Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. Holy fuck, replaced TWICE a YEAR? What on earth are you doing to that poor Dakota? A couple years ago, I was replacing the rotors and pads 2x a year for a couple years on a cherokee. Once in beginning of summer and then again at end of summer. I was pulling a boat on one day of the weekend and the pwc the other day. During the winter I was commuting to school about 30 miles each way. Fronts only, back brakes lasted about 70k miles. |
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I figured as long as I'm doing it, I might as well do something a little decent. Is it worth it? It looks like I can get cheap ass replacement rotors from Advance Auto Parts for $70. Cheap ass pads for $30. Total: $100. TireRack.com carries fancier stuff. ATE Slotted Front rotors - $218. Hawk HP SuperDuty pads - $107. Total: $325. Am I gonna fall in love with what I get for the extra $225? |
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Hawk pads did make a big improvement in how my Ram stopped after doing a rear disc swap I think there worth it I'm stopping 6,00 Lbs of truck YMMV Hydroboost was another huge improvement. The one issue with just swapping rotors is the fact finding good quality ones it tough sometimes depending on vehicle most are China crap which leads to faster warping if pushed hard. |
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Quoted: Quoted: they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV except on 4x4s.....rotors are cheap but labor kills you as you have to pull hub/bearing/axle to change rotor. I did new pads and turned rotors on the car. Next time I will replace them. In my experience you normally don't need to pull the axle on a 4x4. This is just my experience with 86 suzuki, 81,86,88 chevy/gmc, 91 ford, 88 jeep, and 84 toyota. |
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+1
new rotors are cheap. i would just spring for new rotors (if you can) Turning rotors is bullshit, new rotors will be less than $50 at Advance or Autozone for any reasonable vehicle. Quoted:
Not sure where he got pulling all that stuff, but on my Yukon I have to remove the entire brake assembly, including the mounting bracket and its 220ft-lb bolts, which I've done 6+ times in the last month trying to track down a malfunctioning ABS sensor and replacing ball joints...
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV except on 4x4s.....rotors are cheap but labor kills you as you have to pull hub/bearing/axle to change rotor. I did new pads and turned rotors on the car. Next time I will replace them. In my experience you normally don't need to pull the axle on a 4x4. This is just my experience with 86 suzuki, 81,86,88 chevy/gmc, 91 ford, 88 jeep, and 84 toyota. Kharn |
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Back when work was busy as a landscape contractor pulling traliers full of palm trees , plants and mulch I would go thru two sets a year.
Always changed my own and put new rotors on every other time or once a year. Work trucks take a beating. I think the new rotors where around 80 to 90 bucks, easy to change. F 150 and a F350 trucks. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. There's absolutely no reason I can think of that a vehicle would need rotors replaced twice a year. Maybe that tells us something about how good of a turning job you get for $10. That would be an interesting theory if it wasn't until recently that I started having them turned. The first 8 years that I owned the truck I replaced the rotors. The truck has always developed a bad vibration when braking. The rear brakes do not seem to be engaging much if any at all causing the front rotors to overheat, which then causes deposits on the rotors which build up over time. I've replaced everything on my rear drum brakes several times but from what I can tell the adjustment level doesn't always contact the adjustment screw, letting the brakes loosen up. I've started manually tightening up my rear brakes and the truck stops much better. However the last time I did this the adjustment lever for the rear brake on the right side was not making any contact with the adjustment screw at all. If I tow my boat the rotors get vibration a lot quicker, which is what causes me to replace them twice a year. I can replace them in April-May and by Sep-Oct the vibration is so bad that I need to replace them again. That's anywhere from 15k to 20k miles. Your truck either has a defective master cylinder that is not producing enough pressure for the rear brakes, or a bad proportioning valve. The system is designed to 'split" pressure between the front and rear brake system. The proportioning valve has gone tits up, and is likley not directing enough fluid to the rear brakes. The front are doing all of the work, leading to overheating and excessive wear. So stop replacing the front rotors, and diagnose the real problem.....
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. There's absolutely no reason I can think of that a vehicle would need rotors replaced twice a year. Maybe that tells us something about how good of a turning job you get for $10. That would be an interesting theory if it wasn't until recently that I started having them turned. The first 8 years that I owned the truck I replaced the rotors. The truck has always developed a bad vibration when braking. The rear brakes do not seem to be engaging much if any at all causing the front rotors to overheat, which then causes deposits on the rotors which build up over time. I've replaced everything on my rear drum brakes several times but from what I can tell the adjustment level doesn't always contact the adjustment screw, letting the brakes loosen up. I've started manually tightening up my rear brakes and the truck stops much better. However the last time I did this the adjustment lever for the rear brake on the right side was not making any contact with the adjustment screw at all. If I tow my boat the rotors get vibration a lot quicker, which is what causes me to replace them twice a year. I can replace them in April-May and by Sep-Oct the vibration is so bad that I need to replace them again. That's anywhere from 15k to 20k miles. So, for at least 8 years, you've been driving around with busted brakes? Fuckin brilliant.
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Quoted: Okay, I'm gonna hijack my own thread here for some info. The Chilton's manual I am using says I need a special gauge to bleed the ABS brakes, and not to try it without the gauge. Why is this? I've never bled my brakes on my car with ABS. Remove the brake fluid cap. Press the piston back in one at a time, and then close everything up and drive. ABS still works fine, car brakes great. |
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Quoted: Quoted: they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. |
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they are almost as cheap to buy as turn anymore. I usually just replace as they warp easier with less metal for cooling. YMMV My Dodge Dakota goes through at least one to two set of rotors every year. I can get them turned for $10 each whereas new ones cost $35 each. That is $50 more to buy a new set versus having them turned. An extra $100 a year adds up when the turned rotors work just as well. There's absolutely no reason I can think of that a vehicle would need rotors replaced twice a year. Maybe that tells us something about how good of a turning job you get for $10. That would be an interesting theory if it wasn't until recently that I started having them turned. The first 8 years that I owned the truck I replaced the rotors. The truck has always developed a bad vibration when braking. The rear brakes do not seem to be engaging much if any at all causing the front rotors to overheat, which then causes deposits on the rotors which build up over time. I've replaced everything on my rear drum brakes several times but from what I can tell the adjustment level doesn't always contact the adjustment screw, letting the brakes loosen up. I've started manually tightening up my rear brakes and the truck stops much better. However the last time I did this the adjustment lever for the rear brake on the right side was not making any contact with the adjustment screw at all. If I tow my boat the rotors get vibration a lot quicker, which is what causes me to replace them twice a year. I can replace them in April-May and by Sep-Oct the vibration is so bad that I need to replace them again. That's anywhere from 15k to 20k miles. So, for at least 8 years, you've been driving around with busted brakes? Fuckin brilliant. Reading comprehension, try it. Here is what I said "The first 8 years that I owned the truck I replaced the rotors". That would mean I put new rotors on up until I recently started having them turned. |