I think I referenced these brake rotors in the recent thread about rusty rotors, but that thread seemed primarily concerned with aesthetics rather than braking performance. In the name of sensationalism, I have included a picture of only the absolute worst of the four rotor faces of the front brakes on a 1994 Dodge B250 van. Van lived in the Northern NJ area and was driven infrequently. 77,000 miles since new.
I replaced these when I acquired the vehicle and detected pulsing upon braking normally associated with bad rotors. I didn't realize how bad they were until I pulled these off. Being unfamiliar with the brakes on a Dajiban, I was pleasantly surprised at the very noticeable improvement in braking performance once the new rotors and pads were installed. What a difference!
I wore my Tacomas 1/32" away from the fins...Ever see a rusty aluminum rim?
I like to get my money's worth.
Yeah, you Rust Belt guys will probably see this as perfectly normal, but I haven't lived up there in over 30 years. Stuff doesn't rust down here, so this looks pretty spectacular to me.
That's what six months on the rear of a light front driver or the front of a hybrid or manual trans car looks like.
It's not great, and I'd replace if putting new pads on. If not replacing pads, well, it's not like putting new rotors on is going to fix anything.
I guess it boils down to whether you want to stop or not.
In a shop, not a chance. I put those back on, and somebody drives into that vehicle while it's parked, I get blamed. You put them back on, and you have the excuse of not knowing stuff, because back yard.
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
I hardly drive my truck anymore and that’s caused a number of problems, the front brakes being one of them. It badly needs a rotor - the rotor’s thin on one side and warped like crazy but I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have it. So I keep doing nothing. But I really should fix it. But I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have it. But I really should fix it, but o don’t know how much longer I’m going to be driving it...
Streetwiseguy said:
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
I totally gave up on the notion of resurfacing rotors about ten years ago. It had gotten to the point that nobody would do it-- they'd say that after they machined it, it would be below minimum thickness. Today I treat rotors as a disposable wear item. If it needs attention, it gets replaced.
Even if they were willing, by the time you get done the cost is almost the same as a basic replacement.
1988RedT2 said:
Streetwiseguy said:
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
I totally gave up on the notion of resurfacing rotors about ten years ago. It had gotten to the point that nobody would do it-- they'd say that after they machined it, it would be below minimum thickness. Today I treat rotors as a disposable wear item. If it needs attention, it gets replaced.
Also, what used to cost $3 to have cut at the FLAPS now costs $15. New rotors usually aren't all that much more expensive.
Folgers
New Reader
8/21/21 8:28 p.m.
Some times, on that vintage dodge product, the pads wear into the caliper bracket. Makeing a groove that the pad can’t escape from.
Just something to look for.
Just take a flap disc to it and it'll be fine for another 50K miles.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
There was a time when rotors were expensive and labour was cheap
Part of the issue is finding good replacement rotors. Most are chinesium and don't last for squat. Good stuff is hard to find and pricey when you do, but worth it.
psteav (Forum Supporter) said:
1988RedT2 said:
Streetwiseguy said:
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
I totally gave up on the notion of resurfacing rotors about ten years ago. It had gotten to the point that nobody would do it-- they'd say that after they machined it, it would be below minimum thickness. Today I treat rotors as a disposable wear item. If it needs attention, it gets replaced.
Also, what used to cost $3 to have cut at the FLAPS now costs $15. New rotors usually aren't all that much more expensive.
I am pretty sure that most aftermarket chinese rotors are sold at close or at the minimum dimension.
No Time
SuperDork
8/22/21 2:48 p.m.
In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
I've had good luck with Max Brakes for a variety of vehicles that use separate hubs and rotors, but haven't tried them on the Ram so I can't say how they would hold up in that style. But they have all been DD and not performance applications.
They held up well on Elantra, SX4, CRV, and Sedona. I do replace rotors when I replace pads, but at the cost of a complete set of pads and rotors from them it's not worth messing around.
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:
Part of the issue is finding good replacement rotors. Most are chinesium and don't last for squat. Good stuff is hard to find and pricey when you do, but worth it.
I really don't think that is nearly the problem it used to be. The quality is way better, as long as you buy one with an actual company name on the box.
Streetwiseguy said:
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
Years ago when the gmt800 pickups were new vehicles the rear rotors would always look like that. GM told us that it was build up on the rotors and we should just machine them. We found that doing so took close to an hour per rotor and would destroy the cutter bits. So then we kept junk bits to use until we hit metal, then switch to good bits for the final cut. It didn't take long to realize they weren't worth the effort to fix them and just replaced them all.
Do they even turn down rotors any more?
Streetwiseguy said:
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:
Part of the issue is finding good replacement rotors. Most are chinesium and don't last for squat. Good stuff is hard to find and pricey when you do, but worth it.
I really don't think that is nearly the problem it used to be. The quality is way better, as long as you buy one with an actual company name on the box.
Yes.
I remember in the 90's when my wholesaler buddy was paying $5 a piece for full size GM rotors. They actually weren't terrible but the thinner FWD rotors that came after were, and sometimes wouldn't last six months.
914Driver said:
Do they even turn down rotors any more?
It doesn't pay.
Plus, it is extremely easy to destroy a rotor by doing a half assed job of machining it, either with a poor surface finish, or not getting it on the lathe properly. It might take five minutes just to get the rotor set up properly on the lathe without any runout, or rather, with the same runout as installed on the car, in the same place.
MUCH easier to get a good result by just replacing the rotor. I guarantee you that the parts counter guy throwing a rotor on a lathe in the back has no clue if it is going to have zero runout when installed on the car or not!
preach (fs) said:
psteav (Forum Supporter) said:
1988RedT2 said:
Streetwiseguy said:
And don't ask anybody to machine them, because it's a waste of time and will kill several cutting tips by the time they are done.
I totally gave up on the notion of resurfacing rotors about ten years ago. It had gotten to the point that nobody would do it-- they'd say that after they machined it, it would be below minimum thickness. Today I treat rotors as a disposable wear item. If it needs attention, it gets replaced.
Also, what used to cost $3 to have cut at the FLAPS now costs $15. New rotors usually aren't all that much more expensive.
I am pretty sure that most aftermarket chinese rotors are sold at close or at the minimum dimension.
Rotors have been manufactured close to the minimum dimension, even from the OE suppliers, for a long time.
Trivia: The spec is only so the pistons don't overextend. I've run rotors much thinner than spec with no issue, you just have to mind the pads and replace them before they go metal to metal.
