Warping Rotors

[Cyanide Jello]

I have a 94 s10 and I keep warping rotors. I bet I've warped 4 pairs in the passed 2 years... I don't know what the deal is... The last set I put on it were 180 set of slotted and dimpled rotors from summitracing... It took me a while to warp those... But still, I warped em... I don't know why... When I changed em out, I changed everything from the line down to the spindle... Calipers, lines, ceramic pads, rotors, bearing seals, bearings... Any ideas?

 

[dirtclod]

When you pull them ,they should be put back in the same location on the hub. Check the run out with dial indicator on the hubs. Put a piece of paper or tape on the low side between hub and rotor. This works sometimes.

 

[dogpatch1]

hey, im thinking were working with a stock system? sounds more like the rears arnt working and your over heating the fronts, tipically your fronts do 70% of the stopping, as we know, but if your rears arnt working it will over work the fronts, build up heat and warp em. i take it you've looked at the obvious like sticky caliper slides/hardware, restricted hoses, ect. do they spin freely when brakes are not applied? if not find whats holding pressure to the fronts, ie. master cyl. prop. valve or hoses, maybe look into the rear wheel cylinders/ prop valve not working the rears enough. just some basics to start with. hope this helps . dp1

 

[35Mastr]

It sounds to me like its more in the driving habits.Some people are real hard on brakes.

I have seen people do this in 6k miles on a regular basis.

For some reason the customer could not understand why this was happening with here new car.

After the third time I went for a ride with here.Come to find out,She would do many panic stops most of the time.Instead of slowly applying them gradually.

Also dont be real hard on the pedal on the off ramps from the freeway.This will also overheat them quickly.

Anticipate your stops.Dont wait till you get there to decide its time to stop.

Dont ride the pedal.This will also overheat them.

You may want to check the clearance between booster pin and the master the both need to match.

Out of all the cars that I have ever owned and it has been more than I can remember.I have never had to replace a set of rotors due to warpage.The only time that I have replaced them was due to rust real bad.Or that they had been turned tooo many times that they were out of spec.

 

[Sam_Fear]

I'll be blunt. Quit tailgating and keep your foot off the brake - this ain't a race.

 

[35Mastr]

I'll be blunt. Quit tailgating and keep your foot off the brake - this ain't a race.

Thanks Sam

I forgot that one.

 

[bob w]

I've had the same problem with my S-10 and I'm so easy on brakes that I get 100,000 miles on a good set of pads. I've learned to live with the surge feeling.

 

[Gearhead10]

Being a mechanic I'd say that since you've replaced everything once and are still havin problems I'd check proportioning valve or change your brand of pads.Ceramic pads sometimes are to hard and can heat up too quickly.Yea they last langer and don't dust up the wheels but in rare occasions they can cause problems.We use Wagner pads where I work and rarely have problems.That or tell yer better half to stop drivin your pickup jk

 

[Cyanide Jello]

Thanks for the advice guys... I was thinking the prop. valve... I had dumb moment one time when I replaced the rear wheel cylinders and forgot to bleed em (oops) and threw the prop. valve out of alignment... But we fixed that... Let me do some adjusting and cleaning and get a new set of rotors and pads and see if I can fix this problem...

Btw, whats a good pad to run? I've always kept to ceramics and 50/50 ceramic metallics to keep from burning my chrome and keep the dust off...

I tend not to ride my brakes b/c I know that is one of the leading causes to brake warpage... ALTHOUGH! I do a few quick stops every now and then b/c these d*mned Va drivers can't drive...

 

[Bonehead]

Years ago, I used to drive a cop car for a living. Rotors were always warped, running hot, and stopping quick. It was a race, all the time.

 

[Cyanide Jello]

Eh, like I said, time to upgrade.... Maybe Santa Claus will bring me something... Thanks for the help guys!

 

[spanky]

Wagner Thermo-quiet pads are all we use ,no come backs but we seat them in before the customer picks up.

 

[Unkl Ian]

Sounds like a heat problem.
Either stop generating so much heat (drive slower),
or get some air in there to cool the brakes.

The Cop car/Taxi Caprices had a different spoiler on front,
not as wide,so they could get more air into the brakes.

Better quality castings should help, not the cheapo imported stuff.

 

[Cyanide Jello]

When I run my 18s they shouldn't have a cooling problem, they're pretty open wheels... But then I thought maybe the weight of the wheels was causing it, but people run 20s and 22s on s10s all day long with no problem... I keep hearing that the ceramics are whats causing the problem, so, maybe thats the case... I'll see if I can get this old set of rotors I have lying out back turned and get a new set of semis and try those before I go blow 140 bux on new slotted and drilled rotors...

 

[Dqracer]

Are you torqueing all the lug nuts back on with a torque wrench , or just using an air gun, improper torque will warp the rotors in just a short time.

Wheel nut torque in a star pattern to 90 ft lbs after you replace or machine rotors & anytime you take the wheel off .

 

[Unkl Ian]

I would bend the splash shields, to bring in more air.

 

[Cyanide Jello]

I would bend the splash shields, to bring in more air.

I don't have splash shields...

Are you torqueing all the lug nuts back on with a torque wrench , or just using an air gun, improper torque will warp the rotors in just a short time.

Wheel nut torque in a star pattern to 90 ft lbs after you replace or machine rotors & anytime you take the wheel off .

Yup, no, and yup... I torque my wheels every time... I don't put an impact anywhere near my chrome... The steelies I don't care so much about... but I mark my studs etc etc when I take the wheels off and torque my wheels back on...

 

[cking894]

My understanding is that after using your brakes a lot and overheating them like doing a lot of breaking on hills and then coming to a stop with your foot on the brakes will warp the rotors. The hot pads stay in one spot on the rotors not allowing that area to cool off while the remainder of the rotor cools will cause the rotor to warp in the area that remains hot. I'm not sure that this is true but it makes since to me.

Keith

 

[Cyanide Jello]

Thats a really good theory which makes since to me b/c leaving my neighborhood its a down hill slope for about 1/8th of a mile and you hit the main road on the slope... So you set at a stop sign forever b/c no one will let you out... And leaving the town I'm in its down hill w/ either main road you take with stop lights on both hills... So, that could be a factor... Sounds reasonable to me...