Rotors...
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Joined: Oct 2007
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Rotors... Has anybody had this happen to there rotor?...My right back rotor has ripples from the brake pad that is non-exsistant..here's the head kicker the front part of the rotor is in perfect shape and the brake pad still has a lot of meat...wtf... why is the back worn out with no brake pad and the front seems to be tip top? Can anybody shed some light on this mystery?
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TECH Apprentice
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thanks man...i just noticed that the left back rotor has the same ridges, to me the right side feels worse but if they both have ridges....is that normal? are the rotors suppose to have ridges on them?
what are you calling ridges. do you mean concentric grooves along the rotor surface. rotors are not supposed to have them. a few, shallow ones are alright. if they get deep, thats because the pad is worn down to the rivets. change your rear brakes, inspect the calipers. see if the slide pins are free, and check for a stuck piston. have the rotors cut or buy new ones. lube the slide pin well when you reassemble.
Thread Starter
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that's what i'm calling the ridges the grooves....and these aren't shallow maybe so on the left but both sides don't seem normal....how much would getting the rotors cut cost and is it usually cheaper to buy new rotors? thanks for the advice..
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2009
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Most places charge about $10/rotor. Call your local auto parts store and see what they charge. If they are grooved too badly they will not be able to cut them and you will have to buy news ones. Don't put the new rotors on until you fix the calipers. You can try rebuilding them yourself if you feel up to it or see how much new calipers cost.
Just buy some new, good quality rotors. Cutting rotors is an old practice and isn't recommended in a high performance application. When you cut a rotor, you're removing metal and effectively making the entire rotor thinner. This makes it much easier for the rotor to warp from heat cycling, and can also lead to stress cracks as well.
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Teching In
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My opinion on cutting rotors.......In regards to thickness, OEM's design rotors to work properly up to a predefined minimum thickness. This minimum thickness is etched/cast into the rotor (usually in mm). As long as you do not go below the minimum thickness specified, you should be okay. If you have grooves, you will likely need new rotors anyway.
Having said that, if you are racing the **** out of your car on a regular basis, you should probably upgrade your brake system.
Having said that, if you are racing the **** out of your car on a regular basis, you should probably upgrade your brake system.
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My opinion on cutting rotors.......In regards to thickness, OEM's design rotors to work properly up to a predefined minimum thickness. This minimum thickness is etched/cast into the rotor (usually in mm). As long as you do not go below the minimum thickness specified, you should be okay. If you have grooves, you will likely need new rotors anyway.
Having said that, if you are racing the **** out of your car on a regular basis, you should probably upgrade your brake system.
Having said that, if you are racing the **** out of your car on a regular basis, you should probably upgrade your brake system.
cutting rotors is perfectly safe as long as you stay above the minimum thickness. it is also now suggested by GM itself, that you dont cut the rotors unless needed....like in the OP's case. having them cut used to cost $6 ea. now, youll be lucky to find it for under $15 ea.
if they are really deep, just buy new ones. at the least, take them to a shop and see if theyre salvageable. either way, the rotors arent your problem. your calipers are bad. either the piston or slide pin is stuck. it might be cheaper and easier to just buy brand new calipers and put them on, with new pads and rotors. at least that way youre 100% new and have a date when they were installed. just be sure to lube the slide pin, and check the lube every 20k or so.
if they are really deep, just buy new ones. at the least, take them to a shop and see if theyre salvageable. either way, the rotors arent your problem. your calipers are bad. either the piston or slide pin is stuck. it might be cheaper and easier to just buy brand new calipers and put them on, with new pads and rotors. at least that way youre 100% new and have a date when they were installed. just be sure to lube the slide pin, and check the lube every 20k or so.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
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whats up yall..So I got down and dirty and went to town on my brakes and rotors with brake cleaner and to my surprise i still have brake pads and my rotor don't seem as bad as i thought. However I noticed that the brake calipers said PBR made in Australia is that your standard brake caliper for a stock 2000 z28?...I also notice that the after cleaning the brakes and and rotors i don't seem to have that grinding noise as much, could that mean anything?
In any case I got a set of rear rotors and Hawks HPS rear brake pads coming in Saturday i'm hoping that will make a big diffrence...
In any case I got a set of rear rotors and Hawks HPS rear brake pads coming in Saturday i'm hoping that will make a big diffrence...
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2007
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what are you calling ridges. do you mean concentric grooves along the rotor surface. rotors are not supposed to have them. a few, shallow ones are alright. if they get deep, thats because the pad is worn down to the rivets. change your rear brakes, inspect the calipers. see if the slide pins are free, and check for a stuck piston. have the rotors cut or buy new ones. lube the slide pin well when you reassemble.
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 15
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whats up yall..So I got down and dirty and went to town on my brakes and rotors with brake cleaner and to my surprise i still have brake pads and my rotor don't seem as bad as i thought. However I noticed that the brake calipers said PBR made in Australia is that your standard brake caliper for a stock 2000 z28?...I also notice that the after cleaning the brakes and and rotors i don't seem to have that grinding noise as much, could that mean anything?
In any case I got a set of rear rotors and Hawks HPS rear brake pads coming in Saturday i'm hoping that will make a big diffrence...
In any case I got a set of rear rotors and Hawks HPS rear brake pads coming in Saturday i'm hoping that will make a big diffrence...
Hawk HPS pads are a good choice.
just guessing, if you can drag your fingernail across the surface and not really get stuck, its alright. if it gets stuck in the grooves, get them cut.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 311
Likes: 4
cutting rotors is perfectly safe as long as you stay above the minimum thickness. it is also now suggested by GM itself, that you dont cut the rotors unless needed....like in the OP's case. having them cut used to cost $6 ea. now, youll be lucky to find it for under $15 ea.
if they are really deep, just buy new ones. at the least, take them to a shop and see if theyre salvageable. either way, the rotors arent your problem. your calipers are bad. either the piston or slide pin is stuck. it might be cheaper and easier to just buy brand new calipers and put them on, with new pads and rotors. at least that way youre 100% new and have a date when they were installed. just be sure to lube the slide pin, and check the lube every 20k or so.
if they are really deep, just buy new ones. at the least, take them to a shop and see if theyre salvageable. either way, the rotors arent your problem. your calipers are bad. either the piston or slide pin is stuck. it might be cheaper and easier to just buy brand new calipers and put them on, with new pads and rotors. at least that way youre 100% new and have a date when they were installed. just be sure to lube the slide pin, and check the lube every 20k or so.
Launching!
Joined: Sep 2009
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you can tell you need new calipers when your rears are wearing faster than the fronts.... you need new calipers.. seriously.... if you want to be cheap, re grease the slide pins with brake silicone.. also is your harware clean? did you clean up the rust underneath the hardware? regardless, you need new calipers... otherwise this MIGHT fix your noisey brakes
if you can remove the slide pins, theyre fine. just make sure you use proper brake lube grease. it may come with the pads. if not, just get a can from any parts store. make sure the slide pin doesnt have any rust on it, that its clean and smooth. if there are rust spots, clean it up with sandpaper. grease it heavy, make sure the rubber boots are in good shape. you can also just get a brake hardware kit, which will have new pins, boots, and rattle clips. might as well just do that.
using either an old brake pad and a c-clamp, or a big pair of channel locks, press in the piston. in the rear there is only one. see if you can press it in. if you can, and the rubber boot around it is alright, then the piston is fine. make sure you bleed it properly afterwards.
what metal to metal sound are you hearing. are you sure its from the rear. it may just be an abutment shim touching the rotor.
using either an old brake pad and a c-clamp, or a big pair of channel locks, press in the piston. in the rear there is only one. see if you can press it in. if you can, and the rubber boot around it is alright, then the piston is fine. make sure you bleed it properly afterwards.
what metal to metal sound are you hearing. are you sure its from the rear. it may just be an abutment shim touching the rotor.