Impala Brakes

[martybvu]

I have a 2001 Impala with brake issues!
Turned rotors at 24,000, replaced at 33,000, turned again at 40,000, dealer wants to replace again at 45,000!! They say driving habits are the cause! I say brakes are undersized for the vehicle!!!
Anybody else?

[ncso911]

All of the small Chevy's have a brake front brake problems. They are too small and too thin and the torque stix that are typically used can be way off.

Biggest suggestion is to have wheels torqued with an actual torque wrench. Next is to use the transmission to help slow you down (geardown). Next would be an after market system.

[GMMerlin]

Originally Posted by martybvu

I have a 2001 Impala with brake issues!
Turned rotors at 24,000, replaced at 33,000, turned again at 40,000, dealer wants to replace again at 45,000!! They say driving habits are the cause! I say brakes are undersized for the vehicle!!!
Anybody else?

Why are you turning the rotors? Pulsation problems?

Are you having someone rotate your tires?
Looking at the mileages between rotor services I can tell you that the lug nuts are not being torqued properly and this is causing your pulsation proplems.
Lateral runout is caused by the uneven clamping forces between the wheel, rotor and hub.
Properly torquing the lugs by using a torque stick (when used properly, torque sticks do provide proper torque ) or a torque wrench in a 2 step process will prevent this from happening.
Pulsations caused by improperly torqued lugs will occur between 3000-6000 miles after the lugs are tightened.

[maxwedge]

Added to GMmerlins always on target comments, I would add, failure to thoroughly clean the mounting hub of any rust build up will generate runout problems, big issue up here in NE NYS.

[billyo69]

I have 150k on my 2001 ls and have done the brakes many times and merlin is correct they will last longer by using a torque wrench on lugs. TAnd you should only turn rotors once the throw away.

[tractorboy]

I do not know if I am out of place, I have a 2003 Impala, that I just did the breaks at 50k for the first time. I have rotors all the way around and as usuall with GM products I think the breaks are well thought out and implemented, at least on my 2003 Impala....AND I extremely enjoyed doing the breakes. I bought after market rotors, I was starting to get some pulsation near the end there and I heard that a large part of that is the way the OEM rotors are made with 2 different metals. I do not know how true that story is, anyway, thought I would try, I think they were Brembo or something like that, they are the same manufacturer for BMW.

[Doug Vann]

A lot of good info here about the Impala brakes.
I feel they work very well on the car as far as stopping distance goes. One comment I read in a previous area was not to let the car sit when the brakes are hot - I assume you are supposed to drive slowly and come to a more gentle stop and then park the car. I had never heard this explanation before. Anyway I just changed all my rotors and brake pads and everything works fine - no vibration etc and had all wheels balanced.
I also torqued the wheel nuts using my torque wrench. It is not just Impalas and GM products that have an issue with rotors getting warped. I will just change them about every year or 2. Our 2000 Caravan acts exactly the same......

[RahX]

caravans are a different story, those things eat front brakes every 20k due to the weight bias. as for your car, stopping while the brakes are hot isnt something you can really help too much, theyre going to be hot no matter what you do. somethings you can do to try and help the situation that havent been mentioned already are: keep out of puddles. water+hot metal=warp. youre not going to miss every single one of them but the more you miss the better. stop easier, give yourself more stopping time. heat over time is better than heat right away. DO NOT downshift your trans, that will tear up a stock trans.