Rotor Questions

[kmlayton]

What causes Rotors to get warped? I have been told that mine are. Also, does anyone know if this is something I need to get taken care of immediately or can wait? I am financially strained at the moment and don't have much money to spend. Thanks.

[shorod]

Originally Posted by kmlayton

What causes Rotors to get warped? I have been told that mine are. Also, does anyone know if this is something I need to get taken care of immediately or can wait? I am financially strained at the moment and don't have much money to spend. Thanks.

Numerous things can cause rotors to warp. Dragging brakes causing excess heat, large puddles of water while the rotors are hot, improper lug nut torqueing, defective manufacturing process, riding the brakes, etc. If you drive with one foot on the brake pedal, do a lot of high speed braking, or slow from highway speeds to sit at a traffic light for a couple of minutes with the brakes applied, you will be more prone to rotor warping.

It's not likely to cause any damage depending on how bad it is. I suppose in extreme cases it could set up enough vibration during a panic stop to cause the tires to lose contact with the road and subsequently cause you to lose control of your car, but I think the warp would have to be VERY bad for this to happen. Mostly it will just cause an irritating pulsation in your brake pedal and/or steering wheel during normal braking. It might also cause your ABS to activate more readily on slick surfaces and/or set an ABS code if your car has ABS.

If the rotors are not near their minimum thickness limit, you can have them machined/turned to get rid of the warp. Some auto parts supply stores can do this, and most automotive machine shops will be able to do this too. It usually costs around $10 per rotor. Check the price of new rotors first though, you might be able to pick new ones up for around $30 each. Be sure when installing the rotors, and really any time you remove a wheel, that you follow the proper torque pattern and torque for the lugnuts.

They usually are not too bad to replace with common hand tools and a rubber mallet.

-Rod

[PTG1212]

When you push on your brake pedal you're pushing the brake pad against the rotor. The friction between the brake pad and the rotor causes the wheel to slow. The friction also creates tremendous heat on the rotor and can cause the rotor/brake pad to get very hot. The heat can get hot enough to warp the rotor. This is not uncommon as most rotors are somewhat under engineered for what they need to do. That's why you'll see some people replacing OEM rotors with slotted/holes rotors, to dissapate the heat more efficiently which improves braking and avoids warpage.

This can happen over time or if brakes are applied for too long. The reason you want to use your transmission for "braking" down a hill is to avoid the prolonged contact of the pad against the rotor which can cause the warping and also cause pad to burn and front brakes to fade or fail.

Is it an emergency, usually not, but it's impossible to tell how bad they are over the web. If warp isn't too bad, the rotors can be turned and new brake pads installed. If it's bad to the point of not being able to be turned then replacement of the rotor is the only option.

Obviously brakes are important, so it's best to make sure they are safe.