Rotors Warped

[JD1964]

My pads are ok but the rotors are warped. Too thin to turn. Is there a recommended brand of rotors or should I stick with the ones the local parts store stocks? I might spring for a performance pad / rotor combo if it aint too much. What do you guys like?

 

[General karthief]

Still 4 lug?

 

[JD1964]

Still 4 lug?

Yep, 4 lug

 

[General karthief]

I have not up graded my 4 lug, lets ask @a91what, we conversed about this a while back, I think he uses hawk pads can't remember what color,
I'm needing to do mine soon too
An I ain't go'n 5 lug.

 

[Dan02gt]

I run Stop Tech 4 lug rotors and have been happy with them.

 

[a91what]

I believe mine are stop tech drilled/slotted rotors. I usually use hawk pads but right now I am using ceramic pads. Very happy with the results

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'd ditch the pads anyway. Usually it's the pads that are the cause of the rotor "warpage" which is really uneven deposits of pad material on the rotors from when the rotors heat up. The pad literally melts onto the rotor from the heat...usually happens in a situation such as blasting down the road, getting the brakes hot, and then sitting at a red light with your foot on the pedal. Sometimes that's all it takes.

As soon as you get the new rotors hot with the old pads, same thing will happen. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of experimenting to find out what brand pads are more resistive, but there are usually tradeoffs.

Best way to avoid warpage is to not get the rotor face hot. Easier to do with bigger rotors. The fox rotor can only absorb so much. Doesn't help that the hub bearings are part of the rotor. While that itself doesn't contribute much to heat generation, the mass of material centered around them doesn't have an effective means to cool, so they hold heat longer than the Sn95 style rotor.

A little more info than you wanted to know.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

I have the Stoptechs on my F-150 with Stoptech ceramic pads and I like them. I have entirely different brakes (cobra) on my 5.0 but I run the Hawk HPS (ceramic) pads and so far they work great.

 

[02 281 GT]

I'd ditch the pads anyway. Usually it's the pads that are the cause of the rotor "warpage" which is really uneven deposits of pad material on the rotors from when the rotors heat up. The pad literally melts onto the rotor from the heat...usually happens in a situation such as blasting down the road, getting the brakes hot, and then sitting at a red light with your foot on the pedal. Sometimes that's all it takes.

As soon as you get the new rotors hot with the old pads, same thing will happen. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of experimenting to find out what brand pads are more resistive, but there are usually tradeoffs.

Best way to avoid warpage is to not get the rotor face hot. Easier to do with bigger rotors. The fox rotor can only absorb so much. Doesn't help that the hub bearings are part of the rotor. While that itself doesn't contribute much to heat generation, the mass of material centered around them doesn't have an effective means to cool, so they hold heat longer than the Sn95 style rotor.

A little more info than you wanted to know.

Speaking of this and Stop Techs, their website goes much more in depth on this phenomena.

http://stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

 

[88LXSleeper]

Autozone rotors and PFC pads worked well on mine after two years and several road course track days, follow procedure on bedding in of new pads.

 

[JD1964]

Stoptech look expensive. I'm trying a Power Stop rotor / pad kit from jegs. $137. Fingers crossed

 

[deathb4dismount]

I recently installed the centric c-tek rotors with hawk hps pads. So far so good, noticeably better than stock.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I used the higher end Centrics on my Daily driver's with good success. I currently have a set on the Taurus with OEM motorcraft pads. I drive that car hard and it's heavy and the rotors show no sign of pulsation

 

[Dan02gt]

Stoptech look expensive. I'm trying a Power Stop rotor / pad kit from jegs. $137. Fingers crossed

I run the Z36 Truck and tow kit on my F150 and they have been awesome for the past 40k miles of me towing my boat and driving the truck like it's a Mustang.

I also have the Z26 kit on 2 Nissan Versas that are work vehicles and driven like they're stolen. They also have been great. The auto parts store stuff would start warping and shaking after 5-10k miles.

 

[cleanLX]

For stock replacement stuff, I have had great luck with Raybestos.
I run drilled/slotted 6060PR(right) and 6060PL(left) rotors with ATD431M(premium semi metalic) pads. Stopping power is very respectable, dust is average and having hauled down from 100+mph to ~20mph at the end of the 1/4 mile to take the first turnoff (~300 feet) about 400-500 times they have never let me down or warped.
I personally do not like ceramic pads. I find when they are cold (first stop of your drive) they suck, when they are wet they suck, and they are hard on rotors. I've tried them many times on all sorts of vehicles and always go back to semi metalic. Maybe if I was doing autocross or something more demanding than driving on the street I would like them.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I have to point out that I have never seen the rotor have a build up of pad material on. And I do not want to count the number of nasty drums and rotors I used to have to take to the back or turn myself. I have seen ones as warped as a vinyl record left in the back deck of the car. The Granada front rotors the earlier Stangs used to steal would warp from using an impact air tool to put the lug nuts on.
If you get rotors red Hot and stand on the brakes at the stop light, (a bad idea, that we agree on. It will lead to uneven cooling. Better to have some airflowover hot parts.)And I bet that's the cause of warping in your senatio.

Because if it did melt into or into the rotor, the pads would stick and try to keep you at the stoplight. And the transferred material would look quite different in those spots.

Myth improbable, most likely busted, but I can not speak for every brand of pad and what Asian knock offs are using for brake material.

It would be good to know who is cruising, enthusiastically driving or driving the snot out along with their choice of parts. Are the ceramic ones as noisy as I guess on the street? What brand makes a horrid mess of the wheels in between car washes?

I'd ditch the pads anyway. Usually it's the pads that are the cause of the rotor "warpage" which is really uneven deposits of pad material on the rotors from when the rotors heat up. The pad literally melts onto the rotor from the heat...usually happens in a situation such as blasting down the road, getting the brakes hot, and then sitting at a red light with your foot on the pedal. Sometimes that's all it takes.

As soon as you get the new rotors hot with the old pads, same thing will happen. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of experimenting to find out what brand pads are more resistive, but there are usually tradeoffs.

Best way to avoid warpage is to not get the rotor face hot. Easier to do with bigger rotors. The fox rotor can only absorb so much. Doesn't help that the hub bearings are part of the rotor. While that itself doesn't contribute much to heat generation, the mass of material centered around them doesn't have an effective means to cool, so they hold heat longer than the Sn95 style rotor.

A little more info than you wanted to know.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I have to point out that I have never seen the rotor have a build up of pad material on. And I do not want to count the number of nasty drums and rotors I used to have to take to the back or turn myself. I have seen ones as warped as a vinyl record left in the back deck of the car. The Granada front rotors the earlier Stangs used to steal would warp from using an impact air tool to put the lug nuts on.
If you get rotors red Hot and stand on the brakes at the stop light, (a bad idea, that we agree on. It will lead to uneven cooling. Better to have some airflowover hot parts.)And I bet that's the cause of warping in your senatio.

Because if it did melt into or into the rotor, the pads would stick and try to keep you at the stoplight. And the transferred material would look quite different in those spots.

Myth improbable, most likely busted, but I can not speak for every brand of pad and what Asian knock offs are using for brake material.

I actually have. It's called pad imprinting and I dealt with this issue a lot on my previous G35. Those cars would warp the stock rotors and pads just backing out of the driveway.

But when material sticks, it's hard to really make it out in the shape of a pad. It's usually a line of material like this or splotchy like second photo.

Anyway, with the G35, it was bad enough that if I got the brakes smoking hot (I drive aggressively) and then park the car immediately, upon startup later on I actually had to give a little gas to "break" the wheels free and move. I also had imprints the shape of pads all over the rotors. Every 40k miles id do a new set because it got so bad. Worst car I ever drove with respect to brake warpage. The brakes stopped well, but any heat and you had issues.

I'm sure that's not the case in every situation, and some rotors prob do warp like a Pringle, but my latest experience tends to have me not apply much brake after a heavy stop, like bottom of exit ramp.


Oh any the ceramic pads I have on the mustang dust so badly I've cleaned the wheels twice in the 40 miles I've driven it since install. I'll prob be looking for an alternative now

 

[jrichker]

I actually have. It's called pad imprinting and I dealt with this issue a lot on my previous G35. Those cars would warp the stock rotors and pads just backing out of the driveway.

But when material sticks, it's hard to really make it out in the shape of a pad. It's usually a line of material like this or splotchy like second photo.

Anyway, with the G35, it was bad enough that if I got the brakes smoking hot (I drive aggressively) and then park the car immediately, upon startup later on I actually had to give a little gas to "break" the wheels free and move. I also had imprints the shape of pads all over the rotors. Every 40k miles id do a new set because it got so bad. Worst car I ever drove with respect to brake warpage.

I'm sure that's not the case in every situation, and some rotors prob do warp like a Pringle, but my latest experience tends to have me not apply much brake after a heavy stop, like bottom of exit ramp.


Oh any the ceramic pads I have on the mustang dust so badly I've cleaned the wheels twice in the 40 miles I've driven it since install. I'll prob be looking for an alternative now

Now I know why I downshift so much...
Not only is it part of the fun driving experience, it actually helps reduce the brake wear.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

@jrichker i wonder if engine braking causes ang more heat in a manual tranny than acceleration? I have been chewed out for "wearing out the clutch to save the brakes", but it does avoid a lot of brake fade.

@Mustang5L5 not many Infinity owners were DIY yet, so I may never have seen this without your pictures. And there is not much of any other explaination of those rotor pictures, especially the first one. And although I was joking about counterfeit Asian pads, keeping high performance pads luxury quiet, there might be some exotic, expensive "stuff" in those pads since asbestos is not allowed.

The OEM pads on our 2001 then 2005 Caravans may last 75k plus, but the wheels always look filthy after a couple of trips, and it is a sticky, black pad powder.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'd like to label my experience abnormal, but I had that car 178k miles and had issues with brake rotors and the pad material sticking to them its whole life.

Haven't seen it on the Mustang though. With the manual trans, and the big brakes, it's really hard to generate heat in those rotors. When cruising around town, they barely get warm. I've actually had to ride the pedal to get them warmed up so they bite better.

On my Taurus...well let's just say for a 4500 lb car in very impressed with the brakes. I get on them hard and sit on the pedal at a light without a care in the world and I have yet to get any shimmy in 40k miles.

Ultimately, I suspect it's just whatever material X manufacturer uses in the pads and/or rotors.

I wish I snapped pics where you could see the actual square imprint of the pad on the rotor in a few spots. I'll search and see if I have any. Was pretty wild