The rotors on on M were freshly cut 5000 miles ago and now they are warped again. New pads were put on with the rotors too. Duralast on the rears and OEM on fronts. I normally dont brake hard or any high speed braking. The steering wheel has a shimmy/vibrating feel everytime you use the brakes now and no pulsating pedal tho.
Is it normal to have your rotors warped in just 5000 miles?
Warped Rotors
Re: Warped Rotors (tigerclaws1318)
Did you have them resurfaced at the dealer?
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tigerclaws1318
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Re: Warped Rotors (ly5598)
They were resurfaced at a local shop.ly5598 wrote:Did you have them resurfaced at the dealer?
Re: Warped Rotors (tigerclaws1318)
oh ok. The reason i ask is because the dealers have the "on car" rotor resurface machine which in my opinion works out better than taking the rotors off the car.
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tigerclaws1318
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Re: Warped Rotors (ly5598)
Yeah the thing about those is one little shake from that machine could ruin your entire rotor.
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maxnix
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Re: Warped Rotors (tigerclaws1318)
This is true. And few if any shops measure hub lateral run out. If not in specification, or even near the limit, rotor vibration will soon ensue.
For the meticulous, there is a shim system for truiing the rotors on the car usually done with indexing them first.
Many of us who have Q45 have gone to aftermarket blanks like Brembo (they are not plated), Porterfields, Powerstops, or (my favorite) the plated and drilled Stillen Brembo that Joe has on special occasionally. All are best with street pads unless you are auto crossing or driving in the mountains, in which case a switch will also benefit you.
For the meticulous, there is a shim system for truiing the rotors on the car usually done with indexing them first.
Many of us who have Q45 have gone to aftermarket blanks like Brembo (they are not plated), Porterfields, Powerstops, or (my favorite) the plated and drilled Stillen Brembo that Joe has on special occasionally. All are best with street pads unless you are auto crossing or driving in the mountains, in which case a switch will also benefit you.
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Andrew224
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Re: Warped Rotors (tigerclaws1318)
I had a similar situation in my '03 M.
I changed out the rotors and left the pads on because at the time they were still about 75%. After about 3,000 miles, the brake vibration returned. I then decided to replace the pads. During that processes, I found one of the brake caliper pistons on the driver's front to be, not frozen, but not smooth and free like it should have been. Had the caliper rebuilt and no more vibration.
Andrew
I changed out the rotors and left the pads on because at the time they were still about 75%. After about 3,000 miles, the brake vibration returned. I then decided to replace the pads. During that processes, I found one of the brake caliper pistons on the driver's front to be, not frozen, but not smooth and free like it should have been. Had the caliper rebuilt and no more vibration.
Andrew
Re: Warped Rotors (FC_NoVA)
Very informative article......thanks.
Re: Warped Rotors (FC_NoVA)
This article from Stoptech made me wonder something.....it says rotors don't warp and the varying thickness is from uneven deposition of pad material.
If that is the case .....when rotors are resurfaced shouldn't the material on the thick parts that is ground off just be pad material? In that case you could resurface the rotor without actually machining off any of the actual rotor metal. Then you would not make the rotor thinner each time it was resurfaced.....and could in theory resurface a rotor many many times.
What do you guys think?
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SteveTheTech
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Re: Warped Rotors (mjlyn)
That's possible but it only takes one good stop, and a not allowing the metal to cool sufficiently to cause a pulsation. Applying incorrect torque is the leading cause of pulsation potential. If you are tightening them without a torque wrench this could be your smoking gun. If this developed after the wheels were replaced and there were no panic stops since the repair I would bet a dollar on uneven torque.
Depending on what the OP is thinking of doing next, be it replacing them and being done with it or measuring runout and machining them to trueness, depending on whether the pulsation is in the steering wheel or you notice the shifter and the seat of your pants vibrating you will know where the point of origin is. I would strongly recommended having someone with a runout gauge take a look at it. Unless you want to take the easy route and invest in a good set of rotors.
To all the guys who do there own brakes there is a procedure that you can do right after replacing the components to ensure the pads and rotors bed correctly. I do this 95% of the time and almost never see a pulsation complaint return within 15-20k.
-Find a good stretch of empty road-Accelerate to ~40mph-Apply the brakes at ~2/3 application force-Start driving and allow some time for the brake to cool (1minute or so)(I use this time to make a U turn) -Once the coast is clear, accelerate to ~30-35 and apply the brakes at ~1/2 pedal-I usually follow the above procedure decreasing the speed for about 3 or 4 times, then take it out on the highway as a reward for it's good behavior.
If any of you guys are curious or interested in having an article on this let me know and I will get it handled.
Proper bedding ensures a truer mating surface for the pads and rotors. If you remove even a few thousandths of an inch you are effectively removing some of the heat dissipation capabilities.
Another side note for the anti dealer crowd. If you have an Infiniti dealer replace your brakes (w/ rotor resurfacing) and the rotors become warped they will usually replace them under the 12/12 warranty repair.
As I have mentioned to InfinitiMe and a few other members here, whenever you replace the pads and rotors (non-OE mostly) they tend to make a little bit of noise. This is usually noticed when reducing the amount of pressure on the break pedal and as the friction is overcome they tend to groan. That is a byproduct of having a different pad composition. Also wheel cleaner can cause build up on the rotors (and a nasty chemical reaction if they are hot) and actually stain the rotors cause the same noise. This is not usually a warrantable issue, if they can prove it. The last one I had was actually stained to the point the owner actually noticed it and changed his tone from furious to understanding. Really most of us are not out there to screw you.
Depending on what the OP is thinking of doing next, be it replacing them and being done with it or measuring runout and machining them to trueness, depending on whether the pulsation is in the steering wheel or you notice the shifter and the seat of your pants vibrating you will know where the point of origin is. I would strongly recommended having someone with a runout gauge take a look at it. Unless you want to take the easy route and invest in a good set of rotors.
To all the guys who do there own brakes there is a procedure that you can do right after replacing the components to ensure the pads and rotors bed correctly. I do this 95% of the time and almost never see a pulsation complaint return within 15-20k.
-Find a good stretch of empty road-Accelerate to ~40mph-Apply the brakes at ~2/3 application force-Start driving and allow some time for the brake to cool (1minute or so)(I use this time to make a U turn) -Once the coast is clear, accelerate to ~30-35 and apply the brakes at ~1/2 pedal-I usually follow the above procedure decreasing the speed for about 3 or 4 times, then take it out on the highway as a reward for it's good behavior.
If any of you guys are curious or interested in having an article on this let me know and I will get it handled.
Proper bedding ensures a truer mating surface for the pads and rotors. If you remove even a few thousandths of an inch you are effectively removing some of the heat dissipation capabilities.
Another side note for the anti dealer crowd. If you have an Infiniti dealer replace your brakes (w/ rotor resurfacing) and the rotors become warped they will usually replace them under the 12/12 warranty repair.
As I have mentioned to InfinitiMe and a few other members here, whenever you replace the pads and rotors (non-OE mostly) they tend to make a little bit of noise. This is usually noticed when reducing the amount of pressure on the break pedal and as the friction is overcome they tend to groan. That is a byproduct of having a different pad composition. Also wheel cleaner can cause build up on the rotors (and a nasty chemical reaction if they are hot) and actually stain the rotors cause the same noise. This is not usually a warrantable issue, if they can prove it. The last one I had was actually stained to the point the owner actually noticed it and changed his tone from furious to understanding. Really most of us are not out there to screw you.
Re: Warped Rotors (mjlyn)
Keep in mind that rotors does wear down from use, and the wear is not even. So each time you are machining the rotor, you are taking off as much material (deposit from pad or actual rotor) as necessary to produce a flat surface.
If you are using a super soft pad and is very light on the brake, I suppose you can have your rotor machined more than a few times before it must be replaced.
One of the first thing I learned from HPDE is to never put on the parking brake after rolling back into the pit. Sure enough, one of my student pulled his M3 back into the garage and yanked on his parking brake. He starting complaining about "warped rotor" for the rest of the weekend.
If you are using a super soft pad and is very light on the brake, I suppose you can have your rotor machined more than a few times before it must be replaced.
One of the first thing I learned from HPDE is to never put on the parking brake after rolling back into the pit. Sure enough, one of my student pulled his M3 back into the garage and yanked on his parking brake. He starting complaining about "warped rotor" for the rest of the weekend.
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maxnix
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Re: Warped Rotors (SteveTheTech)
Almost all rotors include instructions on how to bed new pads with the new rotors. Same procedure should apply when resurfaced rotors are used with new pads.