Rotor Question

[ishredNH]

I just broke 50k in my car and the front pads are about toast. Easy fix...Then I was informed that the rotors are still in great shape BUT on an STI I should also replace the rotors every time I do the brakes or I risk uneven wear and reduced life of the brakes. I asked about machining them and they said that I could go that route but by doing so I may risk warping them down the road. I know people have varying opinions on this so what do you think? I will be doing this myself. The dealership who told me about this knows I wouldn't be going through them for parts or labor. I searched through the forum thinking this would be an already answered question but I didn't see anything. Thoughts?

[Berge56]

If they say the rotors are still good then why replace. You can worry about wear down the road when the rotors need to be replaced. Doing them now would be premature. Just my :2cents:.

[-III]

If the rotors have life left, keep them.
Maybe have them turned for peace of mind, but more than likely not necessary.

[batorr]

i had mine turned at 90k and my car currently has 150k on it and they're still good. just use good pads on them none of that generic crap.

[SicRedGt]

Has Brembos'........Some Brembo have a coating on the rotor that is "required" to bed in a new set of pads. Dodge told us this with the Vipers. Allegedly you could never just slap pads on without new rotors, or cut rotors on a Viper.

Total, complete BS IMHO.

[Seraphinwolf]

Unless thinking of upgrading te grade of the rotor I'd leave them. If try warp they warp.
Tom I really don't see you push your GR. I'd just let them be.

[WeldingHank]

if they aren't pulsing or grinding, leave them be.

[javasti2004]

my 2 cents if you drive aggresivly and get on the brakes hard alot i would replace if you drive easy and normal you should be ok with turning and replacing pads. i would eather go with hawk or another company like ebc i would go with napa or pads like that i would never replace just the pads and not the rotors. im going to replace my rotors with center rotors hawk hp+ pads and braded brake lines braded line make a big differenc!

[Seraphinwolf]

Alone the fact that it took 50k for Tom to replace his pads says how much he pushes the STi.

[ishredNH]

Alone the fact that it took 50k for Tom to replace his pads says how much he pushes the STi.

Truth...I basically baby it except for on and off ramps :-) Sounds like turning the rotors seems to be the way to go. Thanks everyone!!

[squeethebee]

You know the warping would be because turning them would wear the metal down to a possible point of being thin enough to warp. But with the way you seem to push, I wouldn't worry about it, I recall STi's having pretty thick rotors to begin with. Also, whoever would be turning them should be able to tell you, after measuring them, if they would be too thin after a good turn. :up:

ed

[shtbxr22]

Measure the thickness. there is usually 2mm to play with between the new thickness and minimum machinable thickness. if there is at least 1mm left before they are to the lower limit, then get them turned. they should be fine. if less than 1mm, replace them. :D

[Seraphinwolf]

Truth...I basically baby it except for on and off ramps :-) Sounds like turning the rotors seems to be the way to go. Thanks everyone!!

Which leaves the brakes alone. :lol:

Don't want to risk messing up that purdy white paint? :)

[ishredNH]

Measure the thickness. there is usually 2mm to play with between the new thickness and minimum machinable thickness. if there is at least 1mm left before they are to the lower limit, then get them turned. they should be fine. if less than 1mm, replace them. :D

I said **** it and bought some DBA 4000 slotted front rotors and Hawk HPS pads. If I'm going to do it I'm going to do it right...Picked them up today from Synaptic 3 (Thanks for the great deal!!) Tried installing everything tonight but couldn't crack the bolts holding the calipers on :rofl:. I have ****ty tools.

Need.Torque.wrench. Should have it done tomorrow.

[Seraphinwolf]

Hand tool should suffice. Remember Tom that they are aluminium calipers so be careful! Did you use the wrench on wrench trick to get more leverage? Or ratchet with a pipe on it for longer fulcrum?

[ishredNH]

Hand tool should suffice. Remember Tom that they are aluminium calipers so be careful! Did you use the wrench on wrench trick to get more leverage? Or ratchet with a pipe on it for longer fulcrum?

I was suppose to have a lift and a garage to do all of this but my buddies dad decided to pull the engine on one of his hot rod projects. It's on the lift for at least a week. I'm goign to grab the proper tools tomorrow/today

[Seraphinwolf]

Just remember to take it easy on the bolts going in and out.

[ishredNH]

Just remember to take it easy on the bolts going in and out.

That's what she said :lol:

[Seraphinwolf]

Or he said! :rofl:

[shtbxr22]

saturate them in PB at least 3 times with 10-15 minute intervals. Brembos don't really like to come off the front.

[ishredNH]

Install successful! Thanks for the help!! Super easy but super pain the a**. My back hurts haha. I have no idea how you get those rotors off without destroying them. The rubber mallet/mini rubber sledge hammer just wasn't cutting it.

I was curious though. The outside pad on the passenger side was like 50% worn, the inside was almost toast. The driver side pads were both gonzo with the outside less worn than the inside. (all fronts) Any reason for the uneven wear?

[Seraphinwolf]

Excessive Number of sharp turns to one direction ratherthan even lefts and rights. Lots of offramps/on ramps will cause this. The SVX had this issue pretty much cause all I'd end up with is right hand turns.

[Seraphinwolf]

And donuts...
:hide:
When you do donuts you'll find you always favor one side so it'll put more stress on one side than the other.

[shtbxr22]

no butthead. i'll put my money on that the more worn pad had more resistance, possibly hanging up from lack of lubrication on the slides, corrosion etc. it's a good idea to pull the pads every 10-15k, wire brush the slides, and use some caliper slide grease. extends life tremendously. how do you think i got around 65k out of my stock front brake pads on my white car? I drive kinda hard too. :D (sometimes prevents pulsations as well.)

[ishredNH]

no butthead. i'll put my money on that the more worn pad had more resistance, possibly hanging up from lack of lubrication on the slides, corrosion etc. it's a good idea to pull the pads every 10-15k, wire brush the slides, and use some caliper slide grease. extends life tremendously. how do you think i got around 65k out of my stock front brake pads on my white car? I drive kinda hard too. :D (sometimes prevents pulsations as well.)

I lubed the slides pretty well. I thought I went overkill on it I but I guess it was the right choice. I'll pull them in 10-15k miles and redo it. When I do it next time should I lube the pad or the actual caliper or both?

http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/donuts-courtesy-of-lifeisajoke.com.bmp

[shtbxr22]

just the caliper should be sufficient. if you have a Wurth connection, I'd highly recommend "CU1100" grease

[shtbxr22]

http://www.stableenergies.com/Wurth-High-Adhesive-Copper-Paste/productinfo/CC-CU1100/

[ishredNH]

I actually bought something similar to put on the bolts holding the caliper on. I'll throw some on for good measure. Thanks for the help. :nes:

[Seraphinwolf]

1lb can!!! :eek: that's a lotta lube!!!

[Seraphinwolf]

And before anyone else gets to it.

"That's what she said!"