brake rotors

[pat colestock]

I've been having a real tough time with rotors warping on my current car (2010 buick Lucerne) and a number of other earlier cars. Everyone tells me it due to the poor quality of todays rotors, which I don't doubt.

Can anyone tell me the name of quality rotor with which they've had success?

Thanks,

Pat

[maxwedge]

Napa makes a premium rotor that has worked ok on my 2003 Lesabre. Remember to clean the hub and area around the studs of any rust so the rotor runs true.

[Tech II]

Max is correct....improper repair techniques, like not cleaning the hub mating surface(need special tool to clean around lugs), AND the inside mating surface of the rotor, not lubing the sliding pins, and properly torquing the lug nuts in a star pattern, all contribute to pulsation.....along with bad driving habits....

Excessive rotor runout( greater than 0.002") will cause pulsations.....this was a major problem on Grand Am's......shims between the rotor and hub were used....

[GMCustomerService]

Sorry to hear about this issue with your rotors, Pat. Please let us know if you need help getting in contact with your local dealership parts department or would like information on where to purchase parts.

Amber N.
GM Customer Care

[autojoe]

I live in southwestern pa in the rust belt and rotors aftermarket lasting only 2 years before rusting even on friction surface area.local dealership dont have the oe ones that came with my trailblazer they have a cheaper version called advantage plus.Auto zone has premium ones (duralast gold) with a 3 year warranty that includes rust......made with a high carbon steel and a zinc coating.I would give them a try or gm parts direct better price on oe ones cheaper than local dealer.I heard cheap rotors made from cast iron.

[jerryg2112]

Originally Posted by autojoe

I live in southwestern pa in the rust belt and rotors aftermarket lasting only 2 years before rusting even on friction surface area.local dealership dont have the oe ones that came with my trailblazer they have a cheaper version called advantage plus.Auto zone has premium ones (duralast gold) with a 3 year warranty that includes rust......made with a high carbon steel and a zinc coating.I would give them a try or gm parts direct better price on oe ones cheaper than local dealer.I heard cheap rotors made from cast iron.

I think that you will find that the friction areas on the surface of the rotor are not rusted like you think but are pad material that has transfered to the rotor. There is rust in the pit areas which is the original rotor but the high areas are pad material. Also quality rotors are made of cast iron. It's properties make it the best material to make them out of.

[jerryg2112]

This is a very good article about brake myths and about how to brake in your new pads and rotors.
http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...nd-other-myths

[autojoe]

the quality rotors that i bought duralast gold state high carbon steel and have a zinc coating and the warranty includes rust.....the others do not warranty against rust and only have a 2 year warranty on manufacturer defect.....and the surface area of my rotors were rusted.I took and sanded them with coarse sand paper.only half of the friction area was rusted.half of the brake pad did not attach to the rotor.

[Blue Bowtie]

Any plating/coating on the wear surfaces of a rotor are useless. It may help to delay corrosion on the hubs and non-wear surfaces, but will wear off the "business" end of the rotors within a few stops.

The real problem with replacement rotors is the metallurgy. Many replacement rotors are plain gray iron castings. Many OEM rotors had a relatively high percentage of nickel and some silicon in the iron to enhance thermal resistance and wear. These OEM rotors also limited carbon to prevent precipitating graphite from thermal cycling (lubricant = heat fade). These rotors can still be found, but are not the "bargain" rotors you'd normally find at chain auto parts stores.

Cast steel or cast stainless are options in some applications, but also have their own particular problems.

In short, the reason your original rotors may have lasted 100,000 miles and the replacement rotors may have been pulsating or warping at 10,000 miles is that they ARE different.
If you are really bored, you can read this for some education:

http://www.sae.org/events/bce/tutorial-ihm.pdf

[autojoe]

i agree the zinc coating is mainly effective on the hub part of the rotor......these autozone duralast gold rotors state they are made of a high carbon steel......they also warranty against rust for 3 years.cost a little more but if i get at least 3 years out of them maybe even more time will tell it is worth it for me.most people do not want to spend the extra money for extra year.I live in the rust belt and hoping these will last over 3 years.the oe ones lasted for 4 years but local dealer only has advantage rotors not ones that came with my trailblazer.......gmpartsdirect has the oe ones for about 25 dollars more per rotor compared to aftermarket cheap rotors 2 year warranty but if will last like old ones 4 years would be worth it.I am going to see how long these high carbon steel rotors last.

[Blue Bowtie]

I've lived in the Great Lakes rust belt (in the valley of Chief Black Hawk) for 54 years. I've always taken the time to clean replacement rotors of their rust preventive coating and paint the exposed areas of hubs and rear openings (ventilation) with heavy enamel such as Rust-O-Leum or similar equipment enamel. It resists the heating and prevents a lot of that hub and flange corrosion. I also "paint" around the hub and wheel flange with anti-seize compound to both prevent rust seizure/fusing and to protect the back side of alloy wheels from galvanic corrosion.

I can't remember the last time I've had a rotor or drum stuck to a flange/hub on any of MY vehicles, but I see it on other vehicles regularly.