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Front Brake Rotors


nitrous1

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I've tried two different brands of brake rotors for the front of my STS and both sets have warped within about 5000 miles. I'm not looking for a high performance style rotor, just something that won't warp under normal every day driving. I'm always very careful to torque the wheels using a good torque wrench, and I know the calipers aren't stuck and I don't ride the brakes, but no matter what I do - my front rotors start to cause a pulsation in the brake pedal after about 5000 miles. Does any one have any suggestions?

Thanks

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Dan,

I just had the same discussion with Jim today as mine have done the same thing. I put Power stop crossdrilled on but they are still warping after about 13,000. I think the Power stop are just stock rotors that have been drilled. We need to find a better rotor and calipers also.

MARK 99STS

TURBOCHARGED

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Inspect your wheels very carefully for a bent flange; all wheels. Likewise your hubs. Check for runout with a dial indicator, if you doubt your eyes. Thoroughly remove any rust from the hub and rotor and wheel where they contact. Proper torque and sequence is important also.

I fought the rotor warping issue for longer than I care to admit before I found two bent wheels. And I have convinced myself that even the slightest amount of lateral runout can very quickly distort a rotor.

I am now more than happy with the OEM brake pieces (and true wheels). And none of the above should cost a lot of diagnostic / parts dollars.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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Had the front rotors done about 2 years ago. The old ones warped. I went with Bendix one piece cast rotors (good heat dissipation) and Bendix lifetime pads. Plenty of hard stops over that time and still smooth. This morning I had the rears done with the same Bendix setup. All is back to normal once again. Let us know what you decide on.

And like franey mentioned, in his post following mine, check the calipers. In both of my cases I had sticky caliper slides. On the fronts I had one side that was sticky but both rotors warped. On the backs I had one side that was sticking that caused the problem. Still running with the original calipers. I've been fortunate enough to get away with cleaning and regreasing the slides....knock on wood.

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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For what its worth , if you have original calipers, replace them, when they age they tend to stick just a little when they heat up. Resulting in excessive drag and heat build up , and warped rotors, When you jack them up and spin them they have had a little time to cool down and usually do not drag anymore. Also replace frount brake hoses on both sides at the same time , hoses tend to collapse on the inside and do not allow properflow back to the master cylinder. Last , do not buy those rotors made in china , sold by idiot zone and the likes. I recommend ones by BORG WARNER, OR BENDIX, both quality rotors by old american companies. They have never failed me, when i replace rotors , i do calipers, brake hoses and quality pads all at the same time. Maybe overkill, but i never have frount end brake shake and rotors last me 60 too 70 thousand miles. Good luck, remember PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER, be out if frount of your maintainence not behind it.

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I second the Raybestos PGD-Plus rotors, and Quiet Stop pads. Not the cheapest, but the quality is good and they are very quiet.

Half

This is the exact combo I put on the car last fall - along with new calipers at all four corners.

I checked everything out with a dial indicator (except the wheels themselves) when I put it together and as I recall, everything looked real good at the time. I'm getting ready to replace the front rotors again, because I can't stand having the brake pedal shudder every time I use the brakes.

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Power Stop rotors with Bendix HD pads. 57,800 miles on the rotors and pads without touching them. No warping, no squealing, no nothing but fade-free and consistent braking. The Power Stop rotors are the best investment I've made on ANY car I've ever had. I hope they make them for the 2001+ Mopar minivans because whenever I need to replace those rotors, Power Stop is what I'll be looking for.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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I have read that rotor warp is often not the cause of warped rotors but uneven buildup on the surface of the rotor. Do you bed the pads in when they are new? Can't recall the exact recommended procedure, but it's something like doing half a dozen 40mph to zero rapid stops in succession.

Replaced the pads on my STS at about 50K miles. Put on new pads, kept the old rotors and did not get them machined, bedded in the new pads and good to go. Up to 75K miles now, no worries.

The rotors on my wifes Dodge minivan had to be replaced at 100K miles or so, because the pads wore through with no warning scraping noises until the pad disintegrated and badly scored the rotor. Put on Bendix rotors and Bosch pads and bedded them in. That was 25K miles ago, no problems.

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In addition, the OE calipers have an anti-corrosion coating on them to prevent against rust, etc. This coating works. Even after 150k miles, my calipers are as black and shiny as the day they were installed...after I clean the brake dust off! If I ever install new calipers, I'll look for ones with a similar coating -- if that exists in the aftermarket world. If not, it's OE.

The Power Stop rotors are also coated to prevent rust. This coating works. My brother's C5 Corvette had rotors that were rusted on the hub part of them...looked bad through the wheels. He spent hundreds of dollars on brand new AC rotors, drilled and slotted. These rotors are already rusting in the same place because they were not coated. After using a coated rotor, I wouldn't have anything else on my vehicle.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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I have read that rotor warp is often not the cause of warped rotors but uneven buildup on the surface of the rotor. Do you bed the pads in when they are new? Can't recall the exact recommended procedure, but it's something like doing half a dozen 40mph to zero rapid stops in succession.

As Keith_99_STS said, warped rotors ain't always warped rotors. Here's some interesting reading on the subject.

http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm

http://stoptech.com/whitepapers/bedincontents.htm

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I can't say that I have read all the entries completely, but I scanned them all and nobody mentioned what I think the real problem is from my past experience with front brakes. The real key is the brake pads! What brake pads are you using? The lifetime warranty pad etc can destroy rotors. If the pads retain heat and have to much metal content they will warp the rotors. I have experienced this first hand. The cheaper the pads the better they are for the rotors even though they may only last 25,000 miles instead of 50,000. The oem pads are sometimes worth the extra money since they are the exact compound needed for the rotors.

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... nobody mentioned what I think the real problem is from my past experience with front brakes.  The real key is the brake pads!  What brake pads are you using?  The lifetime warranty pad etc can destroy rotors.  If the pads retain heat and have to much metal content they will warp the rotors.  I have experienced this first hand.  The cheaper the pads the better they are for the rotors even though they may only last 25,000 miles instead of 50,000.  The oem pads are sometimes worth the extra money since they are the exact compound needed for the rotors.

Well Said, Well Said!

(if i'm not mistaken...)

Guru always says 'use what the car was vaidated with'...

This is a perfect example.

Thank you for the explanation.

Good Day and GodSpeed!

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I need new rotors next brake job - and I have read all these discussions, but, I wonder if the recommendations for rotors come along with high speed braking experience - say 80-90 mph, where you really need smooth brakes.

My brakes are fine up to about 70mph, but, above that, they start shuddering.

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