Jump to content

Driving on warped rotors?


Recommended Posts

Posted

Hey all I have a question, i have been driving around on some warped rotors i think for the past month or so on my 96 regal and i was wondering if you keep driving on warped rotors will it eventually lead to bigger problems? Or is it allright to drive on them for a while?

Posted

Yea when i apply the brake my car shakes pretty bad and the faster im goin the worse it is

 

 

So its not bad at all to drive on them?

Posted

Just don't drive too fast (that it doesn't shake the crap out of your car) and you'll be fine. If they are warped really bad you should change them cause the rotor could possibly bust...

Posted

If you can live with the pulsating pedal, you can drive on warped rotors until your pads wear down to the metal. I'm not suggesting you do this (wear the pads down to metal) but driving on warped rotors isn't going to harm anything... Just be sure you change the rotors next time you do a pad change! Also spend some money on the good rotors (Raybestos PG Plus) and not the no-name "white-box specials." The PG Plus rotors run roughly $70 apiece. Spendy, yes, but they won't warp quickly like your old rotors did...

Posted

My 88 had cheap $40 rotors which lasted a good 3 years before any warpage. You gotta make sure that you have your wheels torqued on properly which helps against worping.

Posted

My pedal has pulsed since I got it, I'm not worried about it though. I'd only worry if they give out on you, but your screwed anyways then :lol:

Posted

If it sakes super bad for a long while it could fuck up the bearings. Get it fixed. Brakes are not the thing to skimp on.

Posted

yeah shouldnt be a problem, ive been living with pulsing pedals since i got the car 2 years ago. Even after i replaced pads and rotors it still pulses :roll:

Posted

*laughs* my brakes don't vibrate one bit

 

anyways...don't be suprised if those warped rotors wear out your pads quicker

Posted

Allright this is good to know, I was scared driving my car all the time because i thought i was eventually going to damage something more important.

Posted
yeah shouldnt be a problem, ive been living with pulsing pedals since i got the car 2 years ago. Even after i replaced pads and rotors it still pulses :roll:

 

yup. i've had that same problem

Posted
LOL. My rear rotors cost $15 a piece from AutoZone. They were literally white boxes.

 

Yeah, thats how much my rotors cost and they haven't warped yet. 8)

Posted

my rears were white box specials too $12 a pop bitches!

Posted

lol mine were 12$ white box specials yo yo yo 100$ on the entire brake job. There is nothing wrong with that is there?

Posted

Believe it or not, bad pedal pulsation could easily be caused by the rear rotors or the rear calipers not sliding.

 

We had a hell of a time with my mom's 97 grand prix (changed both fronts) until we just bought one new rotor for the rear, put it on the driver's side (passenger side rotor was not scored or warn strangely) and it worked smoother than it did when it was new.

 

Oh yeah...buy that expensive as hell caliper pin grease, and use it liberally on the pins. Every car I used that stuff on wears the pads almost completely even and the brakes are smooth and quiet.

Posted

I wrote this on the first page of this post:

Also spend some money on the good rotors (Raybestos PG Plus) and not the no-name "white-box specials." The PG Plus rotors run roughly $70 apiece. Spendy, yes, but they won't warp quickly like your old rotors did...

 

I picked up a set for the wife's Loomie at Checker. They are the exact same for Late 95 to 96 Regals (11.25"...)

Posted

And is this something i could do myself? I also dont have that many tools. If not how much would the install cost?

Posted

YES! Replacing the front brakes is very simple. But before you attempt anything, pick up a Hayne's Manual.

 

You will need a Torx T60 socket for the caliper mounting bracket bolts, a 13mm socket, a ratchet of course, and a caliper piston compressor tool (it looks like a chunk of steel with a threaded rod through the middle with a huge knob on the end of the rod. You will also need some 80 or 120 grit sandpaper to roughen up the surface of the new rotors, some aerosol brake parts cleaner, brake fluid, anti-sieze compound (I use this to lube the caliper sliders and to put on the hub, the part of the rotor that touches the wheel, and the wheel studs) and a squeeze bottle to siphon out the fluid that's in the master cylinder...

Posted
a caliper piston compressor tool (it looks like a chunk of steel with a threaded rod through the middle with a huge knob on the end of the rod.

 

It's called a c-clamp. :lol:

Posted

How long would it take to do this and how much money would it cost total with the tools?

Posted

Here's a list of tools:

Brake Pad Spreader $9.99 from Sears

Here's a good tool set to get you started. $40 from Sears

Torx T60 socket (couldn't find one on sears.com)

 

Raybestos PG Plus Rotors ($69 each from Checker)

A good set of pads would be EBC Greenstuff $59 from The TireRack

 

Be sure to also pick up a Hayne's manual!!! If you aren't very good with tools, then I'd recommend having someone else do the brake job for you. If you know somebody who can teach you, all the better! If you plan on doing this by yourself, then plan on spending 2 hours or so to do the whole job.

 

A word of caution, be sure to get a long pipe to fit over the end of your ratchet handle when removing the caliper bracket bolts. They may be rusted on and need a little extra persuasion. If you end up stripping the head of the bolt, then you have to use a grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the bracket off. This is what happened when I replaced rotors on my wife's Loomie last month: http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19283&highlight=follies&sid=4ba521ae0332111d7e1a5205572dbf1b

Posted

Thanks Disco :D I think i will be ording that tool kit and that brake pad seperator when I get my check this thursday. That was a big help

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...