Warped rotors
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 238
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From: SoCal
Warped rotors
Hi All,
My 2001 F250 4x4 has warped front rotors....again! I just had them turned within the last 3000 miles. Is this a common problem? What to do? I know I need to replace them. Is there a better rotor out there? I don't want drilled or slotted rotors.
Thanks!
My 2001 F250 4x4 has warped front rotors....again! I just had them turned within the last 3000 miles. Is this a common problem? What to do? I know I need to replace them. Is there a better rotor out there? I don't want drilled or slotted rotors.
Thanks!
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,884
Likes: 180
From: Morgan Hill, CA
I personally would not turn a rotor, it just takes material off that you need. Read this, especially the part about breaking in new rotors/pads.
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
Thanks for the reply.
I did a search on "warped rotors", and found pages of info. Do you guys think Power Slot Slotted Rotors (non-cyro'd) are good enough? I'd rather save the money.
I did a search on "warped rotors", and found pages of info. Do you guys think Power Slot Slotted Rotors (non-cyro'd) are good enough? I'd rather save the money.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 6
From: Ketchikan, AK.
when i had my 250SD, i put the NAPA brand rotors on, since they offered a lifetime warranty on them, and they worked rather well. now here is a question..... do you always torque your lug nuts evenly? that will definately help them from warping. as mentioned above, when you turn a rotor, be sure to measure it before using it. if it is too thin, then it will warp really easily all over again.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2006
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I have to second the suggestion about torquing the lug nuts. I learned long ago that improper torquing was causing brake problems that I was tired to dealing with. This is my first eight-lug truck, and I decided that I would use the "every third nut" sequence(I had posted asking about it about a year ago) as opposed to the "two X" sequence. I torque the lug nuts in three steps, 90-120-150. It may take a little longer but I think I'll never have warping problems due to uneven stress.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,884
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From: Morgan Hill, CA
Originally Posted by thedaddycat
I have to second the suggestion about torquing the lug nuts. I learned long ago that improper torquing was causing brake problems that I was tired to dealing with. This is my first eight-lug truck, and I decided that I would use the "every third nut" sequence(I had posted asking about it about a year ago) as opposed to the "two X" sequence. I torque the lug nuts in three steps, 90-120-150. It may take a little longer but I think I'll never have warping problems due to uneven stress.
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2007
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I think ya'll are talking about a different kind of vibration that shakes everything because when I drive a superduty with warped rotors the pedal like pulsates I don't understand why wheels not being mounted right would pulsate the brake pedal.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 6,757
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From: Corvallis, OR
They warp because people hammer wheels down with an air wrench and don't torque them evenly like they should. I see workers at a local tire store do this all the time, hammer them down with the air wrench and then the torque wrench set at 100ft-lbs just clicks because its way past that. They've warped the rotors on my Intrepid several times that way. The Ford dealership did this on my dads F-350 1st time they rotated the tires and they warped so they had to turn them. Still feel vibrations after turning them though...
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island USA
"Warped" rotors do not pulsate the pedal. Cracked rotors, that are cracked inside the vanes will pulsate the pedal. Or, deeply scored rotors where the scoring is not even all the way around.
A warped rotor is like a warped record. It doesn't change in thickness, it's just not perfectly flat anymore.
The rotors just slip over the lug studs. So, if you slap on the wheel, and torque down one nut right away, you'll **** the wheel and rotor. Or, actually warp the mounting surface of the rotor, which makes the entire rotor not track straight. So, you should evenly, slowly, tighten down the lug nuts until reaching the proper torque, and not exceed it.
A warped rotor is like a warped record. It doesn't change in thickness, it's just not perfectly flat anymore.
The rotors just slip over the lug studs. So, if you slap on the wheel, and torque down one nut right away, you'll **** the wheel and rotor. Or, actually warp the mounting surface of the rotor, which makes the entire rotor not track straight. So, you should evenly, slowly, tighten down the lug nuts until reaching the proper torque, and not exceed it.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Corvallis, OR
Originally Posted by krewat
"Warped" rotors do not pulsate the pedal. Cracked rotors, that are cracked inside the vanes will pulsate the pedal. Or, deeply scored rotors where the scoring is not even all the way around.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by cartmanea
Warped rotors can shake the whole vehicle pretty good when your applying the breaks, thats about the only time you notice them.
Originally Posted by redford
Every warped brake rotor I have ever had caused the brake pedal to pulsate.
"Warped" rotors are like the old plastic records, or even a CD/DVD. Bend them slightly, and that's basically what a warped rotor looks like.
When the pedal pulsates, that's because the rotor is a different thickness in some spots, and not others. Internally cracked in the vanes, usually.
Or, it's because the rotor is deeply scored, and the scoring is not even around the entire surface. The brake pads have raised ridges as they wear that ride in the scoring, and as the pads wear in, the raised ridges hit the bottom of the scored lines and that can make the pedal pulsate.
Now, OK, you could have a warped rotor, AND the caliper slides are stuck, which can give you a pulsating pedal. Which is also probably why the rotor warped in the first place, it's overheating because the one pad is dragging.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Stephensville WI
Could be Krewat, but think about this. When the rotor is warped, it doesn't push against the caliper directly, it first pushes against the piston, which has to push against the brake fluid pressure to cause the caliper to move. I always assumed this is why you felt a pulsation in the pedal.
One rule I follow is that when a rotor does warp I don't even bother having it turned. It'll just warp again, usually in about 1/2 the time or less.
One rule I follow is that when a rotor does warp I don't even bother having it turned. It'll just warp again, usually in about 1/2 the time or less.
Last edited by redford; Dec 6, 2007 at 10:12 AM.