Brake Vibration

[m85476585]

I changed my brake pads about 10,000 miles ago, but I left the rotors alone since they seemed fine. Besides some light squeaking during light braking, everything has been fine until recently (maybe 500-1000 miles ago). I used Centric Fleet Performance pads.

Recently I've been having a problem where the brakes are pulsing/ vibrating/ shaking, and the steering wheel shakes side to side slightly while braking. I first noticed it after Brake Assist decided to apply full ABS when I pressed the pedal a little too quickly. I didn't need to stop that fast. Since then I mostly ignored the problem. I had the tires balanced (and rotated), but that didn't really change anything, and they only changed the weights on one of them. I recently tried the StopTech bed in procedure, but that only made the problem slightly worse.

At this point I need to resurface the rotors, or more likely I'll just replace them and keep the old ones as spares since it's not worth the time to them off, ride my bike to a shop, etc. compared to the price of new ones. But I want to make sure the problem doesn't come back so I'm not doing a brake job every 10,000 miles.

Am I correct in assuming that the problem is in the front since the steering wheel moves back and forth a little while braking? It feels like it's coming from the front, and the front does most of the braking work. I'm about to order parts, and I don't want to spend more money than I have to if the rears are not a problem. I can't see/feel anything wrong with any of the rotors, but I haven't taken the wheels off to get a closer look. I don't have a dial indicator to measure runout.

Could I have a stuck piston in one of the calipers? The wheels all feel the same temperature after driving for a while.

I'm thinking of going with Akebono performance pads since they are maybe more similar to OEM, but with a little more stopping power. Cold stopping power is most important. Or should I just keep using the old Centric pads and save some money? I'll go with Centric premium rotors.

 

[UrbanRunner651]

Generally this is a result of the pads leaving uneven deposits on the surface of the rotor. It is rare to see a rotor warp or fail. It can be a result of both your driving style and the quality of pad/rotor combo. Majority of braking is up front like you mentioned but you have disc all around so the rear can factor in as well. could be a bad set of pads too. If you're replacing then just go all around with some slotted/drilled rotors and a mid range ceramic pad. It doesn't pay to go the cheap route when it comes to your own safety.

 

[ZebRuaj]

Slamming on the brakes probably caused pad deposit in that one spot, which now leads to vibrations when stopping.

Check the pads to see if they are glazed over.
If the rotors are new, try resurfacing them. Or just replace if they are aged and worn.

Side question, do you notice that the Centric Fleet pads dust up a lot? I ordered StopTech streets x4, but I got a StopTech box for the front and Centric Fleet box for the rears. Centric makes StopTech and the part #'s are the same for both "brands" so I let it be. StopTech streets in general produce a lot of dust (from experience in my other vehicles) but my rears with the Fleet pads dust up a whole lot more.

 

[m85476585]

Side question, do you notice that the Centric Fleet pads dust up a lot? I ordered StopTech streets x4, but I got a StopTech box for the front and Centric Fleet box for the rears. Centric makes StopTech and the part #'s are the same for both "brands" so I let it be. StopTech streets in general produce a lot of dust (from experience in my other vehicles) but my rears with the Fleet pads dust up a whole lot more.

I have Centric Fleet front and rear, and there's a lot more dust on the front. Not quite BMW levels of dust, but close. I don't mind some dust.

 

[ZebRuaj]

I have Centric Fleet front and rear, and there's a lot more dust on the front. Not quite BMW levels of dust, but close. I don't mind some dust.

My rears with the Centric Fleet pads have 2-3x more dust than the front's with StopTech streets. Wife even asked the other day if there's something wrong with the rear wheels.

Sorry to thread jack.

Back to OP's question!

 

[Falcon3]

I had the same problem, thought it was the front and replaced pads and rotors. Problem persisted. Checked the rear and they were toast, both rotors warped and pads in bad shape. Surprised me that I would feel the rear brakes so much. New pads and rotors on the back and my truck brakes like never before.

 

[m85476585]

I just looked it up, and I actually did the brake job 24,000 miles ago. I guess that's not so bad, but I'd still rather not have to do it every couple years. There is still plenty of life left in the pads.

 

[keakar]

I had the same problem, thought it was the front and replaced pads and rotors. Problem persisted. Checked the rear and they were toast, both rotors warped and pads in bad shape. Surprised me that I would feel the rear brakes so much. New pads and rotors on the back and my truck brakes like never before.

well im told the abs system will spaz out and cause the fronts to intermittently grab and let go trying to compensate for the rears acting up

pretty much the idea was you cant trust what you feel in steering wheel because of the abs system

I just looked it up, and I actually did the brake job 24,000 miles ago. I guess that's not so bad, but I'd still rather not have to do it every couple years. There is still plenty of life left in the pads.

check your rears first before you go back into fixing a problem on the front you may not have

 

[m85476585]

well im told the abs system will spaz out and cause the fronts to intermittently grab and let go trying to compensate for the rears acting up

pretty much the idea was you cant trust what you feel in steering wheel because of the abs system


check your rears first before you go back into fixing a problem on the front you may not have

I think that's Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). Instead of a proportioning valve, they send a fixed amount of braking power to the front and rears, and activate the ABS on the front during hard braking if the rears can take a bit more braking force (like if you have the tongue weight of a trailer on the rear axle).

The steering wheel definitely rotates/shakes back and forth slightly during moderate braking, not enough to activate any kind of ABS. I suspect that with the hydraboost system the brake pedal doesn't get as much feedback from the brakes as with a more traditional system.

I'll pull the wheels off, maybe tonight, but I don't really know what to look for if I can't see/feel and deposits on the rotors. Like I said, I don't have a dial indicator to measure runout. I can check to make sure the wheels spin freely (they did, recently) to try to rule out a stuck piston, but I don't think I can completely rule that out without taking everything apart and trying to press the pistons in?

My goal is to fix it right so the problem doesn't come back without wasting time or money taking things apart multiple times or buying unnecessary parts.

 

[m85476585]

I just checked the fronts, and I don't see anything visually wrong. None of the pistons are stuck, and I can't see/feel any deposits on the rotors. The rotors are shiny and smooth. The pads are mostly shiny metallic, except for an area on the left side pads that is more dull gray.

I'll look at the rears another day.

 

[keakar]

I just checked the fronts, and I don't see anything visually wrong. None of the pistons are stuck, and I can't see/feel any deposits on the rotors. The rotors are shiny and smooth. The pads are mostly shiny metallic, except for an area on the left side pads that is more dull gray.

I'll look at the rears another day.

if an area of the pad is dull then that indicates it isnt being used, either from uneven pad surface or uneven pressure being applied to it. the pads should have a uniform look to the surface

 

[m85476585]

if an area of the pad is dull then that indicates it isnt being used, either from uneven pad surface or uneven pressure being applied to it. the pads should have a uniform look to the surface

It looks like there's a bit of a lip on the caliper surface that the pad is putting more pressure on, so the area of the pad below that is dull. The pad is worn to match the shape of the rotor, but I guess braking force probably pushes it outward onto the lip. The swept area of the rotor looks like \________/ and it looks like the pad is putting more pressure on the outer edge. I don't know if that could be causing vibration?

I took the rear wheels off, and I don't see any issues on the outer surface of the rotors. I didn't pull the pads or the rotor, so I couldn't check those or the inner surface of the rotor. I wasn't able to compress the pistons to make sure they aren't stuck because I don't have a big enough clamp to try.

I think I'll start with changing the front rotors and pads and see if that fixes the vibration. I don't see anything visually that might be causing it, so I'm mostly guessing and going by the fact that the steering wheel shakes, possibly pointing to the front.

 

[keakar]

It looks like there's a bit of a lip on the caliper surface that the pad is putting more pressure on, so the area of the pad below that is dull. The pad is worn to match the shape of the rotor, but I guess braking force probably pushes it outward onto the lip. The swept area of the rotor looks like \________/ and it looks like the pad is putting more pressure on the outer edge. I don't know if that could be causing vibration?

I took the rear wheels off, and I don't see any issues on the outer surface of the rotors. I didn't pull the pads or the rotor, so I couldn't check those or the inner surface of the rotor. I wasn't able to compress the pistons to make sure they aren't stuck because I don't have a big enough clamp to try.

I think I'll start with changing the front rotors and pads and see if that fixes the vibration. I don't see anything visually that might be causing it, so I'm mostly guessing and going by the fact that the steering wheel shakes, possibly pointing to the front.

what you describe sounds like the caliper pistons are sticking on one side and applying uneven pressure, i would replace that caliper and the rotor as well if it has worn a depression in it. rotors can have a few grooves and be reusable but but not an uneven surface, that means it needs replacing

 

[m85476585]

what you describe sounds like the caliper pistons are sticking on one side and applying uneven pressure, i would replace that caliper and the rotor as well if it has worn a depression in it. rotors can have a few grooves and be reusable but but not an uneven surface, that means it needs replacing

They don't seem to be sticking. I can easily press all 8 front pistons in by hand. The wear is from normal pad contact, but the pads don't quite hit the outer edge (or inner part), so there's an unworn area there, and a slight (1mm?) ramp up to it that the top edge of the right front pad is putting more pressure on.

 

[jfry008]

I changed my brake pads about 10,000 miles ago, but I left the rotors alone since they seemed fine. Besides some light squeaking during light braking, everything has been fine until recently (maybe 500-1000 miles ago). I used Centric Fleet Performance pads.

Recently I've been having a problem where the brakes are pulsing/ vibrating/ shaking, and the steering wheel shakes side to side slightly while braking. I first noticed it after Brake Assist decided to apply full ABS when I pressed the pedal a little too quickly. I didn't need to stop that fast. Since then I mostly ignored the problem. I had the tires balanced (and rotated), but that didn't really change anything, and they only changed the weights on one of them. I recently tried the StopTech bed in procedure, but that only made the problem slightly worse.

At this point I need to resurface the rotors, or more likely I'll just replace them and keep the old ones as spares since it's not worth the time to them off, ride my bike to a shop, etc. compared to the price of new ones. But I want to make sure the problem doesn't come back so I'm not doing a brake job every 10,000 miles.

Am I correct in assuming that the problem is in the front since the steering wheel moves back and forth a little while braking? It feels like it's coming from the front, and the front does most of the braking work. I'm about to order parts, and I don't want to spend more money than I have to if the rears are not a problem. I can't see/feel anything wrong with any of the rotors, but I haven't taken the wheels off to get a closer look. I don't have a dial indicator to measure runout.

Could I have a stuck piston in one of the calipers? The wheels all feel the same temperature after driving for a while.

I'm thinking of going with Akebono performance pads since they are maybe more similar to OEM, but with a little more stopping power. Cold stopping power is most important. Or should I just keep using the old Centric pads and save some money? I'll go with Centric premium rotors.

Shops will resurface the rotors while they're still on the car. Easy and cheap way to troubleshoot your issue.

Also, a sticking caliper can cause the shake as noted above. The rim would be pretty hot to the touch.

 

[keakar]

They don't seem to be sticking. I can easily press all 8 front pistons in by hand. The wear is from normal pad contact, but the pads don't quite hit the outer edge (or inner part), so there's an unworn area there, and a slight (1mm?) ramp up to it that the top edge of the right front pad is putting more pressure on.

well if the piston move freely then it has to be:

1 - the caliper mount is bent not letting it align correctly

2 - the pads have some defect and the pad surface is falling apart, hence the dull area that isn't contacting the rotors

did you "lube" the slide pins and anywhere the pads will rub in the caliper? anything the pad backing plate touches and slides on is not supposed to be dry

 

[m85476585]

Shops will resurface the rotors while they're still on the car. Easy and cheap way to troubleshoot your issue.

Also, a sticking caliper can cause the shake as noted above. The rim would be pretty hot to the touch.

None of the rims get hot. I don't see how they could resurface on the car with the dust shields in the way of the inner surface? I'll just replace them with new and get the old ones resurfaced to keep as spares.

well if the piston move freely then it has to be:

1 - the caliper mount is bent not letting it align correctly

2 - the pads have some defect and the pad surface is falling apart, hence the dull area that isn't contacting the rotors

did you "lube" the slide pins and anywhere the pads will rub in the caliper? anything the pad backing plate touches and slides on is not supposed to be dry

I lubed everything when I did the brake job 2 years ago, but the grease seems to be mostly gone now. I plan to re-lube everything before winter (if I have time) to prevent corrosion and sticking, but that alone won't fix my problem.

 

[boondocksDrew]

When one of my front calipers locked up the shaking persisted even after letting off the brake. You mention yours can be pushed in by hand. You mean literally just by hand without a c-clamp or pliers? That almost sounds too loose. Could there maybe be some air in the lines somewhere causing uneven breaking?

Incidentally, I went with Powerstop rotors, calipers and pads and was pretty happy with them.

 

[mcguilicutty]

Did you ever figure out what exactly was causing the vibration? I'm experiencing the same thing right now.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Wait... did you resurface the rotors when you originally did the brakes? Because that's a good way to get the pads to bed funny...

If you've ruled out things like sticking calipers or pins, it's likely due to the pads and/or driving conditions/habits. Up here we have a lot of dust so glazed rotors and people braking hard/towing a lot will get pads to deposit unevenly on the rotors. In the city lots of stop and go traffic cab do that as well, particularly the freeway kind. Or just being one of those grannies that likes to brake 5miles before your stop. Lol