Auto Brake question

[clare]

Right - but when you fix it, fix it RIGHT.

[clare]

No, actually it is EXACTLY the same. EVENTUALLY both the rings and pads may seat and do their job, but both will have reduced life and reduced effectiveness.

[clare]

[AZ Nomad]

Worthless cliche. If it is brake replacement time, it is just the pads that need to be replaced unless the car has symptoms of warped rotors. If the rotors are good, leave them the f*ck alone. Replacing good components is insanity.

[clare]

I agree with you in principal, but the incidence of actual WARPED rotors is extremely low compared to pitted or collapsed rotors when it comes to pulsations. The so-called "material transfer", or intergranular corrosion that makes high spots or hard spots on the rotors is much more common - as is the pitting that results when that high spot pops off.

This intergranular corrosion and hard spotting makes machining rotors an uncommon solution today, because generally by the time it gets to the shop that corrosion is SO DEEP that machining it out gets you below the machinability limit of the rotor.

If I was equipping a new automotive shop today I don't think I'd waste money on a disc lathe because there is no way it would EVER pay for itself under today's conditions. There was a time it was a definite money-maker and the ability to do it inhouse rather than using a jobber shop was a big plus.

[clare]

If it is not grooved , pitted, or discoloured just scuffing with "40 grit abbrasive will allow them to seat just fine. HOWEVER, in at least half of North America finding rotors in that condition while requiring pad replacement is getting to be a rare occurrence. (Particularly on the inner surface of the rotor)

[clare]

Just for interest. Larry, where are you located? And yes, on a heavy duty vehicle this is more likely to happen than on a passenger vehicle or "light" truck.

[Sanity]

Take a look at the thickness of that rotor on a 3/4 ton (or 1 ton) and compare it to a rotor on todays cars. No comparison.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Then you should get a after market better replacement than OEM ones. The casted ones like old days. My brakes usually last at least 100K miles. Mostly driving on freeway.

[clare]

I agree with you IF the rotors are good. If there is wear you can see, feel, OR measure, they MAY NOT be "good componentsa"

[Lp1331 1p1331]

Clare, I am in San Antonio, so no salt and mostly fairly flat roads. For sure, 3/4-1 ton truck brake components are much heavier than modern cars, and even 1/2 ton trucks. The pads alone for mine are about 8" across and the lining itself is at least 5/" thick. I'm sure the rotors are thick and heavy. The company had bought a bunch of 1/2 ton Chevy and GMC vans before I started there--- I think they were 94-95's.They were junk. Besides shelling the rear ends out on every single one right out of warranty at between $800 to $1200, they did good to get 25K between brake jobs.FWIW, I probably get more mileage out of brakes than almost anyone there. I am the oldest one there. and am a pretty conservative driver. Now that I think about it, I have a friend who is about 70, and I am terrified to ride with him. He takes off from a stop just short of burnig rubber even if he is only going one block, then slams on the brakes just short of running a stop sign. His Lincoln Town Car gets

--maybe -- 20K between brake jobs, not to mention probably half the gas mileage it should get. So, how a person drives has as much to do with brake wear as the quality of the brakes. Larry

[Ed Pawlowski]

Not to mention where you live. When I lived in Philadelphia, I'd get 25,000 miles from a set of pad. Where I am now, I just traded in my '07 with

67,000 miles and the brakes were in very good condition, close to half the pad left. I put on more miles per y ear, but hit the brakes much less. Instead of a stop sign at every corner, I can drive home 25 miles and hit the brakes two or three times.

[Ron]

Correct.

[clare]

Cast iron rotors are extremely dangerous. Wrought iron is better, or maleable cast.. A straight cast iron rotor would shatter when it hids a puddle of ice water after hard breaking. I've seen it happen. (Rallye Mini Cooper in the early seventies)

Through-way driving is pretty easy on brakes compared to city and urban thoroughfare driving.

[clare]

San Antonio is likely one of the best places to live for brake life. You have no road salt and relatively low humidity, so corrosion is not a big concern, and you are not a "large municipal region" like the LA basin, so have less Urban Gridlock. Much of your driving would be relatively open road, except during rush-hour. (comparing to, say, the wachington DC area, NYC, Toronto, or Montreal or even Vancouver - or Dallas/ft Worth) - and like you say - FLAT - kinda like Saskatchewan - where you can watch your dog running away for a week.

[Ashton Crusher]

Most car makers do NOT recommend routine turning of the rotors when pads are replaced. And the worst that would happen if you don't turn them is that the pads last longer, hardly a reason not to honor the warranty on the pads. It's just another excuse the shops use to avoid doing inexpensive work.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, No doubt. My last brake job was done at 230K Km.

[Nate Nagel]

yeah, I never actually wore out a set of brakes before I moved to DC-land. Before that, I'd do a brake job when I bought a "new used" car and they'd last until the car wore out or I got sick of it.

nate

[AZ Nomad]

Bad rotors aren't subtle. If they're bad, you'll feel the vibration.

[Jim Yanik]

Smitty Two wrote in news:prestwhich- [e-mail]:

yeah,that's what I did the last time,on my Sentra SpecV. I also had to replace the left front caliper bracket and slide pins because the pins had rusted into the bracket,causing uneven wear on the pads. I had less than 1/16" pad material left on the outer pad,very lucky the rotor wasn't scored. the inner pad was nearly new.

I tell ya,the Internet is fantastic for parts shopping; it's saved me SO much money over buying local,even after paying shipping.