Need help with rotors & calipers

[climb.on]

My rotors are warped. I think it's the front because my steering wheel shakes a bit. It could be both however. Brake pads are still like new at 60k. I don't think I will bother wasting my money turning the rotors. My experience with my '99 (and other vehicles) that in a month or so they are warped again. I am willing to put new OEM rotors back on at $160/ea if that's my best option, but I have to believe there is a better rotor out there (or as good) for the same or less money. I'm not particularly concerned about increasing the stopping power, or about the looks. I just don't want the damn things to warp every 60k miles! ':bash:' Any suggestions on aftermarket rotors?

I have read about some caliper pistons seizing up and I have a little suspicion that might have caused this. Occasionally (but not recently) I smell a burnt odor (not the rotten egg smell, but not a positive burnt brake smell either) toward the rear of the truck after I drive somewhere and get out. I have already checked to make sure the wheels rotate freely and like I said before that pads are wearing evenly. Of course, I want to verify the calipers are indeed functioning correctly before I replace the rotors. Is there something else I should to to verify that (i.e. remove the caliper)?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I like the Napa Premium rotors. They seem to run true for a long time. Another good one is here.
:cheers:

 

[EH007]

+1 on the Napa Premium rotors. That's all I use and I've had nothing but good experiences with them. They are just as thick/heavy as the stock rotors and seem to be just as solidly constructed. They aren't the cheapest rotors out there, but they are cheaper than OEM rotors from the Toyota dealer.

 

[Border411]

I got both rear rotors and pads from tirerack for a great price. I got the ATE premiums for the rear (the one with the grooves in them). The ATE's werent available for the front when I ordered mine, but the rears are sweet. For the front I got Raybestos "Severe Duty" or whatever the hell they are called (Their top of the line) from Rockauto for dirt cheap, and after 45k miles I have had ZERO issues with them warping. The pads I put in where the Akebono ProACT ones from Tirerack, but from time to time they dont feel as "grippy" as the stock ones were. I might go with the Hawk Performance next time around, but the Akebono pads are wearing like IRON and just wont wear down! They are also extremely quiet and hardly make any dust.

 

[Kmvreter]

My rotors are warped...

I have read about some caliper pistons seizing up and I have a little suspicion that might have caused this... that pads are wearing evenly. Of course, I want to verify the calipers are indeed functioning correctly before I replace the rotors. Is there something else I should to to verify that (i.e. remove the caliper)?

The front inner lower piston is the usual culprit for sticking. If the pads are visually wearing evenly, within and between pads, then you can't blame the calipers. To physically check further you should take a pair of channel lock pliers and squeeze in on each corner tab (that the pin goes through) on each pad. You'll see and feel right away if the piston is free and compresses or if it's sticking/frozen.

 

[Annoyed]

Heat is usually the culprit for warped rotors. Do you brake hard? Or maybe it is the calipers.

As far as the replacement rotors themselves, I'd go with the Toyota OEM's or maybe even more costly aftermarket premiums from a manufacturer that has been in the brake business for a few decades.

The reason is that even though the lower cost rotors can appear to be built as well, the quality of the steel can vary greatly, which will affect their durability, heat resistance, etc.

 

[climb.on]

I don't think I do anything particularly strenuous for my brakes to have warped...I think it's probably just wear and tear.

I looked at the NAPA Rotors - they have premium and Ultra Premium. CJ3Flyr & EH007 do you remember which one's you got?

I'm leaning toward the Ultra Premiums.

 

[Tego]

I don't think I do anything particularly strenuous for my brakes to have warped...I think it's probably just wear and tear.

I looked at the NAPA Rotors - they have premium and Ultra Premium. CJ3Flyr & EH007 do you remember which one's you got?

I'm leaning toward the Ultra Premiums.

Have you looked into Powerslott rotors?

 

[EH007]

I don't think I do anything particularly strenuous for my brakes to have warped...I think it's probably just wear and tear.

I looked at the NAPA Rotors - they have premium and Ultra Premium. CJ3Flyr & EH007 do you remember which one's you got?

I'm leaning toward the Ultra Premiums.

Yes, sorry... Ultra Premiums. Those are the best Napa sells and that's what I buy. Definitely spend the extra money on the good stuff!!

 

[neo mrosko]

rotors

The NAPA Ultra Premium look pretty good at $58 for 16". They say they have .002" or less lateral variance. They look like they have the same specs as the Raybestos top of the line rotors.

I own a 98 limited 4-runner- 16" wheels.

If the lug nuts on the wheels are not tightened properly or are over tightened that can cause the rotors to warp over time. The 3rd gen are touchy with this. This happened to me. Right after I had tires mounted I had a wobble. I checked the torque and it was about 35 ft lbs. over specs. I re- torqued the lugs in proper sequence and the wobble disappeared.

To PROPERLY turn used warped rotors on this model 4-runner the rotors must be turned with a special set up that turns the rotors while they are mounted on the hub. ( As per the Toyota Shop Manual )

If you ever have to remove your rotors be sure to mark them so that they are remounted in the exact same position as when you took them off. If you take them off and rotate them by mistake then you may end up with a wobble that you'll have to try and remedy by repositioning the rotors and torquing the the lugs to specs and testing the rotor run out with a surface gauge until you find the least wobble. At that point I think it's easier to just get a new set of nice flat rotors.




*

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Yes, sorry... Ultra Premiums. Those are the best Napa sells and that's what I buy. Definitely spend the extra money on the good stuff!!

x2. Go for the best Napa without getting into slotted/drilled for the best value/dollar IMHO.
:cheers:

 

[EH007]

Re: rotors

To PROPERLY turn used warped rotors on this model 4-runner the rotors must be turned with a special set up that turns the rotors while they are mounted on the hub. ( As per the Toyota Shop Manual )



*

Those on-the-car machines to turn the rotors are nice especially if your hubs have some lateral runout. The idea there is that machining the rotors on the car will compensate for runout of the hub itself. But if your hubs are true (as most are), then turning the rotors on a conventional brake lathe will work perfectly. Think about it....when you install brand new rotors, they should be perfectly true right out of the box. There's no need to install them on the vehicle and turn them to make them true. But if your hubs have runout, you can always shim the rotors to compensate for the hubs.

 

[mom]

My rotors are warped.

I don't know what caused your problem, but it "almost" certainly was not rotor warp, mainly because rotors don't (usually) warp.

Don't believe me. Read the references here.

Heat is usually the culprit for warped rotors

Interestingly, the quoted references say otherwise.

For example, read the very first sentence of this article:
- Raybestos Brake Tech School, Part One: Rotors Don't Warp, by Police Fleet Manager Magazine

"Brake rotors do not warp from heat, even when driven by the most aggressive traffic officer."

If the lug nuts on the wheels are not tightened properly or are over tightened that can cause the rotors to warp over time.

+1.

Properly torqued rotors (almost) never warp. Of course, if the rotors were installed improperly, you'd still need to remove the rotors from the vehicle to determine if it was rotor warp per se, versus lateral runout on the vehicle, which may or may not be due to rotor warp (probably not if the brakes were installed correctly).

when you install brand new rotors, they should be perfectly true right out of the box.

+1

I don't think I do anything particularly strenuous for my brakes to have warped

+1

When you understand the main cause of pedal pulsation, you'll realize how true that statement is. It doesn't take much to cause (and eliminate) the major reason for pedal pulsation. See notes #5 and #6 in this canonical thread.

 

[EDness]

i recently just changed my rotors and pads. I got Centric rotors and OEM pads...no problems here.