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Front brake rotors warped (again)

M

mntnbiker

New member
2005 GP GT - wife's car

So I pay the tall dollar for a brake job 1 year ago since the squeak sensor said it was time (OEM brakes, not pulsing). The shop replaces the front rotors and pads (ceramic). 6 months later the brakes are pulsing while coming to a stop (front rotors are warped). Shop says out of warranty (1000 miles out), sorry. I do some research and find that there are China rotors and better quality rotors (Napa Auto Parts showed me the differences). I buy the more expensive better ones and buy a new set of Raybestos (I think) ceramic pads (also the more expensive ones). 6 months later, just out of warranty (again), these rotors warp while we are in stop and go traffic driving back from Florida spring break this year. Wife says I need to fix this soon.....

Now for the question. Is there a brake rotor/pad combination out there that will be resistant to warping?

Thanks - Mike
 


Driving habits can cause a lot of brake issues. My father-in-law goes through brakes real bad. I have gone from Ceramic to semi metallic, From Cheap to expensive. He warps rotors like crazy, drives his automatic with both feet and constantly rides peoples rears! I'm not jumping to conclusions, just saying that may be some or most of the issue. My Wifes 04 GTP only went through one set of brakes and we owned it till we had 80K on it.
 
Well, time is one thing, mileage is another. How many miles do you put on in 6 months? Do you start to brake for 3000 feet before a stop?
 
Is it the pedal pulsating, or is it the body vibrating?
I did brakes on my GTP 25,000 mile ago and still smooth.
I bought the better pads and rotors from Rockauto.com.
They cost a little bit more but are still smooth.
I also agree with aboove, driving style does have a part
to play when it comes to brake wear and tear. Now I am
not totally easy on my brake either, I like to lay into them hard
once and a while to see how they are grabbing if I need the
extra stopping power.
 
Being that the car has a little age on it, another thing to consider is the rubber hoses going to the calipers. The rubber over time does come apart inside and this will act like a partial check valve. It can heat up rotors and cause warpage. Usually hoses are about $12 a side.
 
Lvgrandprix2003 said:
Driving habits can cause a lot of brake issues. My father-in-law goes through brakes real bad. I have gone from Ceramic to semi metallic, From Cheap to expensive. He warps rotors like crazy, drives his automatic with both feet and constantly rides peoples rears! I'm not jumping to conclusions, just saying that may be some or most of the issue. My Wifes 04 GTP only went through one set of brakes and we owned it till we had 80K on it.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking about going with good rotors again but maybe drop down to semi-metallic pads? Other than the dust, would there be another reason not to go this route? Reason being is I've been told the ceramics run hotter. It's just odd that the original OEM pads and rotors lasted for ~60k and then we can't get 15k miles out of rotors due to them warping. My wife does like to brake and I think this last warpage was due to the stop and go traffic we encountered around Atlanta coming back from spring break this year. 70 down to 0 then vice versa and all over again. I'm sure this didn't help the rotors.
 


mntnbiker said:
I'm thinking about going with good rotors again but maybe drop down to semi-metallic pads? Other than the dust, would there be another reason not to go this route? Reason being is I've been told the ceramics run hotter. It's just odd that the original OEM pads and rotors lasted for ~60k and then we can't get 15k miles out of rotors due to them warping. My wife does like to brake and I think this last warpage was due to the stop and go traffic we encountered around Atlanta coming back from spring break this year. 70 down to 0 then vice versa and all over again. I'm sure this didn't help the rotors.
Click to expand...

Our GTP had over 43 on our original brakes, then we went to the Smokey mountains and that finished them off. The Rotors are EVERYTHING! 70 to 0 multiple times with luggage in the back is not good on the rotors. I went with Raybestos all the way around with ceramic pads and the highest quality rotor raybestos sold for the car at the time. Semi Metalic would work on your rotors less, but like you said more dust, and I think you will have to replace the pads more often than the ceramics.
 
What about going with some Brembo slotted and cross drilled rotors? I've heard pros and cons to cross drilled rotors. I've heard to stay away from the ones with cast holes and cast slots. Brembo's are drilled holes and machined slots.
Anyone ever use these? Better braking? Worse braking? Do they really not heat up as much as OE rotors as they claim (200 degree reduction in rotor heat - really?).
 
Slotted rotors do run cooler, But Brembo brakes and rotors run coller for the simple fact that you have more surface area and mass to the rotors on Brambos. Thermodynamics comes in to play and transference of heat is not as rapid and the rotors will stay cooler. If it was me, I would focus on driving habbits and maybe purchase lifetime warranty brakes and rotors from your local autoparts store. You will be out your time but not money when you have to take them back every 15 to 20K miles.
 


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