rotors

hi, i am about to get new brakes put on my sl2 and i was wondering what where some signs of bad rotors. and which kind are better: slotted,cross drilled, mixture of slotted and crossed drill, or stock. the pads will probelly be sps Magnum Silver Street brakes.

Tell signs that you need a rotor are a grinding feel when stopping. Your pads are spent of all breaking material and the steel backing is now rubbing against the rotor. Replace pads and turn rotors. Since standard rotors are so cheap, just buy a new set. Another sign is a wobble every time you break. This wobble can also be felt through the steering wheel. The rotor is warped and needs replacing. Always remember to replace in pairs it is the least you can do. Don't replace one rotor at a time. Prefer to replace all four rotors or rotors and drums as well as the break pads/shoes.

Slotted/Drilled rotors are good for high temperatures caused by rapid deceleration. Since you will probably won't be racing your car, go for the standard rotor. Also slotted/Drilled rotors are more expensive then standard. Good luck.

well i do have a slight problem with going 80 and then realizing that there is a stop light about two hundred yards a way.

well i do have a slight problem with going 80 and then realizing that there is a stop light about two hundred yards a way.


Don't be cute dude, I meant that you will be using your car for racing I.E.: If you will be accelerating and decelerating at winding turns, using heel toe, riding the breaks, that sort of thing. If you are racing on the street, curb that now, don't be a danger to yourself or others. Good luck.

well i as not trying to be that usally is my braking habit that's y i thought of getting the slotted/ crossed rotors.

well i as not trying to be that usally is my braking habit that's y i thought of getting the slotted/ crossed rotors.
If you think it's worth it then do it. the only thing that will hurt is your wallet and your leadfoot overtime.

yea but if i don't have too.. now i know about rotors on front but is there anything about the drum besides the pads to them that tend to go like the front with the rotors.

I've never had a problem using OEM rotors and pads. Car stops just fine even in emergencies.


And OEM pieces are pretty cheap too.

Slotted/Drilled rotors are good for high temperatures caused by rapid deceleration. Since you will probably won't be racing your car, go for the standard rotor. Also slotted/Drilled rotors are more expensive then standard. Good luck.

I agree, no need for the slotted rotors even if you do quite a few hard stops because you don't see a light. It's only needed if you do alot of hard stops right after each other. Really, they are needed for people who race and have to brake often to slow down at a curve. That is when you get heat buildup. Sure, they get hot when you do a hard stop, but hopefully by the time you do it again they should be cool unless you are in the city, floor it at every light and slam on brakes at 60mph 50 ft from a red light every time.:iceslolan

Honestly, all I have ever done with the drum brake is have them inspected for functionality and have never done any work to them in my life. They don't really have as many wear parts to need fixing as often. Now, if you notice your front pads are wearing out faster than you though, your drums may not be working right so your front brakes are working too hard. Had this happen on a old blazer of mine, and it would go through pads in no time. I said I had never done any work to them because I sold the blazer soon after discovering the problem. No worries though, the dealer got it so I don't have to worry about some poor schmuk killing his/herself.

Your front rotors/pads do aroun 85%-90% of the stopping I believe.

Yea, that's true. From what I understand, when you brake normally, the front brakes do all the work to stop the vehicle. It's only when you brake really hard that the drums do anything at all, and then only like 30%.

Suddenly, it makes me wonder why the front brakes did wear out so quickly. I know the drums were bad, had that checked, but that still apparently doesn't explain things, huh? Maybe the pads were not being put on right or needed some adjustment and were rubbing while driving. Oh well, it's not my problem now.

That probably also explains why the drums last so much longer.

i never messed with the drums on my car even though my mechanic recommended replacing the shoes. never had an issue ever (didn't do hard stops either).

well i don't do them that much the only reason y i even brought up them is becuase my manuel says to inspect/replace becuase i am at 60k which is when both need to be done by the manuel specs

well i don't do them that much the only reason y i even brought up them is becuase my manuel says to inspect/replace becuase i am at 60k which is when both need to be done by the manuel specs
I believe how it works is that the pads/shoes wear to a certain point and once that point is reached, dealers/mechanics recommend that they should be replaced. they still have some life left, they just don't wanna be responsible when you ignore this and you wear the pads down all the way to the grinding of metal as Tacuvito described (i've done this in all the cars i've owned).:grinyes:

i have like 2 mm left on my front pads

change them =)

how long will 2mm last me though? on normal braking cause i get paid every 2 week not every week and my bank only says 126 cause of i just got new tires like 2 checks ago (i tend to go by checks when dealing with my bank account)

hi, i am about to get new brakes put on my sl2 and i was wondering what where some signs of bad rotors.

primary sign of bad rotors - thickness, measure and compare to spec.

other factiors resulting in replacement or cutting - warped, pitting, scored, swerl pattern, hot spots

for drum brakes i always recommond replacing the hardware(springs and such) because 1- its cheap, 2- the old hardware needs to come off to change the shoes anyway, 3- cover your butt

also check the brake fuild, i personially had better braking after the fuild change then the rotor/pads, but mine was very bad. DOT 4 is a compatible high temp upgrade for DOT 3

I believe how it works is that the pads/shoes wear to a certain point and once that point is reached, dealers/mechanics recommend that they should be replaced. they still have some life left, they just don't wanna be responsible when you ignore this and you wear the pads down all the way to the grinding of metal as Tacuvito described (i've done this in all the cars i've owned).:grinyes:

yes... you want to replace them BEFORE they fail :screwy:

Your front rotors/pads do aroun 85%-90% of the stopping I believe.

i don't know if its that much, i would guess closer to 65-75%, but yes the front do do more of the work

Maybe the pads were not being put on right or needed some adjustment and were rubbing while driving..

disc brakes are not adjustible, and the pads are design to be in constint contact with the rotor.

how long will 2mm last me though? on normal braking cause i get paid every 2 week not every week and my bank only says 126 cause of i just got new tires like 2 checks ago (i tend to go by checks when dealing with my bank account)

not long enought,get a loan if you need to. if your pads are allow to get worse they can damage other parts of your braking system (rotors, calipers)

are saturns brake set up any different from any other type of car? cause my dad says he knows to do the front but books a million and all the auto parts store do not have a haynes book on any of the s series

well i do have a slight problem with going 80 and then realizing that there is a stop light about two hundred yards a way.


Here's a solution: SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION. Why the hell are you doing 80 anywhere, let alone a surface street with traffic lights? Slow down before you kill someone.

i went 80 i think once that was guess i was racing my manger home in his f 250 no body won though becuase there was a cop up a head

yes... you want to replace them BEFORE they fail :screwy:

It's a bad habit i'm trying to kick. my other cars sucked anyway.

Why the hell are you doing 80 anywhere.


80 is a pretty common speed on the freeway.

na the spend limit was 45 but it does run parellel to a freeway which is 75 mph

na the spend limit was 45 but it does run parellel to a freeway which is 75 mph
I'd probably do 80 every sunday then:grinyes:

80 is a pretty common speed on the freeway.


Not around here.

I'd probably do 80 every sunday then:grinyes:


nice

disc brakes are not adjustible, and the pads are design to be in constint contact with the rotor.


Oh, sorry, I was talking about maybe my front brakes were not right so they were wearing out too fast, not the drums.

are saturns brake set up any different from any other type of car? cause my dad says he knows to do the front but books a million and all the auto parts store do not have a haynes book on any of the s series

nope, its a simple set-up, just make sure the brake line is looped the right way where its bolted to the fender, i think looped to the rear is proper way, loop it the wrong way and it will bolt up, but will rub and possiblely break with going down the road.

worst brake job i think i ever done was on a nissan pathfinder, but i can't say i like the caliper bolts on GM W-bodys ether.

cool thanks

had a 93 in the shop today with missrouted brakelines that rubbed thru...

here is the correct way - routed to the rear - http://www.saturnfans.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/17122/

worst brake job i think i ever done was on a nissan pathfinder, but i can't say i like the caliper bolts on GM W-bodys ether.


No car brakes are worse than some forklifts I've worked on. I tore down the brakes on a 12,000 pound Daewoo and it had a set-up like a great big clutch pack on each wheel submerged in gear oil. Older Clark C500's are a fun bunch too. Can't even really describe them, they're that weird.

had a 93 in the shop today with missrouted brakelines that rubbed thru...

here is the correct way - routed to the rear - http://www.saturnfans.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/17122/


i notice that that one had more rust then it did normal metal, is a little rust bad?

cross drilled rotors will help you stop better and run around the same price as slotted, but if you can just get them replaced with the standard rotors. slotted will give you medium stopping distance but will make ur pads last longer than cross-drilled. so if you HAVE to have anything but standard get the slotted.