I fear my fronts may be on the way out...

Quote, originally posted by KimberKenobi »

Jesus on Toast.

Soon I hope.

However, I find the rotors on cars manufactured since, oh, about 2000 to be garbage compared to on my older casr.

I'm beginning to suspect that my pads may be nearing the end as well.

I'm getting an odd side-to-side steering wheel vibration, much like you'd expect with a warped rotor, except it only occurs in the first couple seconds of braking, and mostly only when the brakes have had time to cool between stops.

For example, in highway driving, when I slow down for an exit ramp, I get a fairly severe wheel shake for a couple seconds, then everything smooths out.
When driving in city traffic, I rarely notice any shaking.

Speed does not seem to effect it, only time between stops.
If the brakes have 2-3 minutes to cool, the shake comes back.

Weird, huh?
Any ideas?

Either case, I'd get it taken care of ASAP... either can bite into your rotor and trash it, if it isn't already.

I am noticing the same thing on my 08 with only 300 miles. Did you ever resolve this?
If so.. what was the fix?

~Thanks!

Bump.. any resolution?

Elmojo doesn't log on too often, you might need to wait for a response.

No problem.. I was also hoping maybe someone else with the same problem would post. I'm going to give the dealership a call later this afternoon.

My fake Quest [Villager] needed new ones every stinkin' year.

last fill: 8.15 ltr/100 km [34.66 imp /28.86 US mpg]
best tank: 6.27 ltr/100 km [45.02 imp / 37.51 US mpg]
25,000 km: 8.25 ltr/100 km [34.25 imp /28.50 US mpg]

2 wheels: 1980 Honda 750 CBK, White [on the road!!!]
2 wheels: 1992 Suzuki GSE 500 [RIP]

THAT is freakin' awesome!!! That means I can get almost 3 years on my breaks X.x

On your Versa? or are we referring to your Xterra?

No way in hell could you get me to drive 96k miles on the same set of brake pads. 60k at the absolute most. And that's only if it was mostly highway.

The problem still exists on mine, but it's not to the point of bothering me yet. Other than the thing in the back of my mind going "this damn thing is going to get worse, you know that..."

Yes On my Versa. And why wouldnt you. When I replaced the pads finally they werent even down to the wear marks yet. Infact they still had the 2 cuts in them and you could easily see them

Why not? because i've never had a set of pads on any car last longer than 40k.

is your mileage mostly city or highway?

Mods: Four Kenwood 6.5" KFC-168ie 240W speakers.
Kenwood KAC-8104D
Class D Mono Power Amplifier 1000W, Kenwood KFC-W3011
12" Subwoofer 1200W
OEM Spoiler

Coming soon: Window Tint 35-40% all around, aftermarket rims, OEM foglights

EDIT:
Just read your last post E.V...My miles are about 95% or more, highway. I was driving 63 miles to work (yes, one way) and now live 6 miles from work. Like I said, I'm just over the 40k mark, and no problems yet. Just had an oil change/tire rotation, and they said the brakes looked good.

Also, I used to work in a Toyota dealer, and have seen several 'Yota's come in for their first brakes with 60k+ on them. Pretty impressive.

Its a combo of both.

See, this post just kinda proved my point... you say you're impressed with Toyotas you saw with 60k+ and good original brake pads, but then right above that you said your own personal highway mileage used to be 95%+... what's to say those 'Yotas didn't have similar conditions?

Even "highway" driving around here is very much hurry up and wait, if not outright stop and go. I have to count about 95% of MY mileage as being city, so my brakes are going to last a MUCH smaller number of miles.

At 26k. Still showing early signs of rotor warp, but not to the point that I'd bother taking it in.

And the Toyotas I was talking about were in fact mostly on highway mileage, you're right about that...I never said otherwise. I just thought it was an interesting point. And one of them was even a Sequoia.

I took the V to the dealership, and they turned the rotors on the front.
They did not re-bed the pads (rotors did not look heat cycled), so I went for a drive and re-bedded them

So far so good. No more vibration when braking.

Quote, originally posted by vincent_18 »

What is re-bedding the brakes? Cuz I just got the rotors replaced and its still happening. The vibration of the steering wheel that is.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

How to Bed-in Your Brakes
- by Dave Zeckhausen

Bedding allows your brakes to reach their full potential. Until they are bedded, your brakes simply do not work as well as they can. If you've installed a big brake kit, changed your pads and rotors, or even if you've purchased a brand new car, you should set aside some time to bed the brakes in by following the instructions below. Proper bedding will improve pedal feel, reduce or eliminate brake squeal, and extend the life of your pads and rotors. For more on the theory of bedding, please refer to this excellent article by StopTech: Removing the Mystery from Brake Pad Bed-In.

Caution: After installing new pads/rotors or a big brake kit, the first few applications of the brake pedal will result in almost no braking power. Gently apply the brakes a few times at low speed in order to build up some grip before blasting down the road at high speed. Otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise the first time you hit the brakes at 60 mph.

When following these instructions, avoid doing it around other vehicles. Bedding is often best done early in the morning, when traffic is light, since other drivers will have no idea what you are up to and will respond in a variety of ways ranging from fear to curiosity to aggression. An officer of the law will probably not understand when you try to explain why you were driving erratically! Zeckhausen Racing does not endorse speeding on public roads and takes no responsibility for any injuries or tickets you may receive while following these instructions.

1. From a speed of about 60mph, gently apply the brakes a couple of times to bring them up to operating temperature. This prevents you from thermally shocking the rotors and pads in the next steps

2. Make a series of eight near-stops from 60 to about 10 mph. Do it HARD by pressing on the brakes firmly, just shy of locking the wheels or engaging ABS. At the end of each slowdown, immediately accelerate back to 60mph. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP! If you stop completely and sit for any length of time with your foot on the brake pedal, you will imprint pad material onto the hot rotors, which can lead to vibration, uneven braking, and could even ruin the rotors. With some less aggressive street pads, you may need fewer than eight near-stops. If your pedal gets soft or you feel the brakes going away, then you've done enough. Proceed to the next step.

3. The brakes may begin to fade slightly after the 7th or 8th near-stop. This fade will stabilize, but not completely go away until the brakes have fully cooled. A strong smell from the brakes, and even smoke, is normal.

4. After the 8th near-stop, accelerate back up to speed and cruise for a while, using the brakes as little as possible. The brakes need 5 to 10 minutes to cool down. Try not to become trapped in traffic or come to a complete stop while the brakes are still hot

5. If club race pads, such as Hawk Blue, are being used, add four near-stops from 80 to 10mph. If full race pads, such as Performance Friction 01 or Hawk HT 14, are being used, add four near-stops from 100 to 10 mph

6. After the break-in cycle, there should be a slight blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face. The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life.

7. After the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes may still not be fully broken in. A second bed-in cycle, AFTER the brakes have cooled down fully from the first cycle, may be necessary before the brakes really start to perform well. This is especially true if you have installed new pads on old rotors. If you've just installed a big brake kit, the pedal travel may not feel as firm as you expected. After the second cycle, the pedal will become noticeably firmer. If necessary, bleed the brakes to improve pedal firmness.