Rotors warped, pads worn out, do I need to change rotors as well?

Hello guys,

My 16 Tacomas pads ran out on 35k miles? Is that normal or im driving this thing like a maniac? (90 percent city driving with lot of up/down hills. Don't haul or tow anything.

Another question: my rotors are warped, steering wheel shaken driving highways upon braking. But city driving is fine.

Do I need to change rotors with pads or just pads and bed them properly? Some people say it's just the deposit on rotors make them warp? And if we just change pads and bed them again they will be fine?

Thank you.

 

I’d go for the peace of mind and just swap everything if it truly is as bad as you say it is. (Steering wheel shaking upon braking and all that)
What about the drum brakes in the back? Do you plan to do anything to those?

 

You can probably get your rotors turned if they are bad. To be honest a lot of people will misdiagnose warped rotors for something else. Sometimes pads will wear unevenly for a variety or reasons and cause a bit of steering shake while braking. You could try swapping jus thte pads if your on a budget and see what happens. Or have to rotors turned for peace of mind.

If they are in fact warped it could've happened if you've ever experienced brake fade. Long trips going downhill while weighed down will add a lot of stress to your braking system. Another cause could be running hot such as a long trail or country road and fording water (which cools the rotors so fast, they warp). The rotors wouldn't even have to be fully submerged to this to happen, just getting past the tires would do it.

 

always replace rotors and pads at the same time.turning rotors is not worth it and just thins the metal that much more and your better off replacing rotors as well.i work in a dealership and turning rotors is asking for trouble.

 

Thanks for the response. Never did hard braking or those downhill hard braking. Always kinda babied the truck. There is still lot of rotors left. But you could be right about being mistaken for something else for steering shake.
Good idea actually changing just the pads and see what happens.

 

Would it be a good idea to just change the pads first and see what happens. And if the problem still persists then change rotors?

 

No. Steering shake when braking is often caused by pad material transfer to the rotor. If you have that symptom you should at minimum turn the rotors, otherwise you will mess up the bed in of the new pads.

 

Sounds good bro

 

New rotors are so cheap its crazy to me anyone has old ones resurfaced.

BRAND NEW OEM Rotors are like $70 a pop, just get new ones weirdos

 

if your rotors are warped now, what makes you think turning and making them thinner will not cause them to warp again? get new ones.

 

The deposits on the rotors cause the shaking, not warping. It is exceedingly difficult to warp your rotors. It takes a tremendous amount of heat to do that.

Heavy braking super heats the pad and causes pad material to burn onto the rotor leading to an uneven friction surfacs causing shaking and very poor pad wear.

Yes you need both pads and rotors.
You also need to seat your pads properly using the bedding procedure.
Then change your driving habits.

 

I would replace the rotors as well, as they will most likely warp again soon and you will notice pedal bounce. I base this recommendation on experience from owning a chain of auto parts stores for 16 years.

 

Your rotors aren't warped. And yes, you're better off replacing them.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

 

that is my snarky post...sorry...but really, if they were warped, making them thinner is exactly the wrong thing to do.
turning rotors is really for eliminating gouges and getting a near perfect surface again. (and earning money for the shop.)

many years ago i fixed the problem on a van (with undersized rotors/pads imho) by borrowing a honing tool and cleaning the
surface. i forget the grit... i just used what a mechanic friend advised and it mostly worked. it was probably pretty fine.
you might look into it more if you are inclined...but for all the work and expense it is best to just get new rotors. just not worth it. i would not do it again.
iirc i used something like this and a hand drill on the unmounted rotors.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Disc+Brake+Rotor+hone&_sacat=0

 

If the rotors are genuinely warped, I would replace them as well. However, check for rust behind the rotor on hub face first. Rust-jacking can cause rotors to appear warped. Probably not a issue unless you live in the rust belt.

BTW, you can get OEM rotors at $56.29 + shipping from Cool Springs Toyota. Factory pad sets are $69.50. They give pretty good discounts.

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.com/

 

Replace it all. Slapping new pads on rotors that are warped or have issues is only a temporary fix. Yeah, It's a bum deal having to spend the money but it just be like that sometimes.

 

I had a similar problem on my 2015 Tacoma, pads were fine and rotors looked like new, turns out the caliper slide pins were dry and pitted, replaced pins problem solved

 

In regards to my last post my truck had only 23, 000 miles when this happened, i now have over 28,000 and no more issues, got parts at advance auto, looks like a different material than Stock, looks like a bronze color, cost me like $7

 

This isn't always true. It really depends on the rotors and vehicle. All that iron is heat capacity that will help prevent brake fade. The problem with the extra iron is that it requires more energy to spin it. Many vehicles today have been designed with the idea to make the rotors as light as possible to reduce that rotating mass. In the case of the Tacoma, it's probably a good idea to replace them.

Mine were warped (pads still good) at around 45K or something. I ended up buying come "Centric" rotors which had a little more meat in the cooling vane area than OEM.

Ok, all of the above might not be true.... See post #21.

I was a little disappointed that the OEM rotors warped on me so early (I don't drive hard). Anyways, pretty happy with the Centric rotors.

Someone here had a good write up on better brakes and I don't know if he used Centric or Centric made the rotors for someone else and that's what he got.... Anyway, I ended up with Centric.

http://www.centricparts.com/products/centric-premium-brake-rotors

 

Automatic?

Ok, so here is the thing. Rotors don't "warp". What happens, is when you get them really hot by braking (it doesn't have to be hard braking, it can also be long and gentle braking, or driving with a foot on the brake), and then *clamp them down hard* to hold still, the surface of the pad fuses with the rotor. You release the brakes and hit the gas, and the pad pops off the rotor, but leaves a bit of itself stuck there. It now will give you that shaky feeling when you apply the brakes.

This problem is much more common with automatic transmissions than manual for two reasons;
1) When you're driving an MT, you don't use the brakes as much or as long. (a) It is *impossible* to drive with your foot on the brake with an MT, because your two feet have to operate the clutch and gas. (b) MT can slow down moderately without use of the brakes at all.
2) With MT, you don't have to hold back the truck with the brakes while waiting at a red light, so you don't normally clamp down on the brake nearly as hard. Most flat intersections you can sit steady with your foot entirely OFF the brake. Worst case, you just hold back gravity or wind.

So what you need to do to prevent this from happening again;

1) Make sure that you NEVER drive with your foot on the brake. If this is a problem for you, I suggest amputating your left leg.
2) Don't brake hard except in emergencies, and don't brake for long distances.
3) Leave more space between your vehicle and the next vehicle ahead of you. Yeah, it gets annoying when jackasses cut in front of you, but so what? You probably don't really want them to be behind you anyway, because they're more likely to crash into you from behind.
4) Even an automatic allows you to select a gear. Normally people don't, and it can be awkward, but it can be done, and it is a better choice to downshift to regulate or reduce speed (where space permits) than it is to use brakes.
5) When you are getting close to the "stop" point when braking to a full stop, let off on the brake a bit to allow it to roll forward under very light or no braking so that when it does come to full stop, it isn't as a hard stop / hard clamp.
6) Use the NEUTRAL position while waiting for the light to turn green. This eliminates the "automatic pull", so you can sit there without having to hold the brakes clamped hard. In fact, you can actually switch it from D into N *while still moving* -- in fact, you SHOULD switch from D to N at about that same point in braking as you would press in the clutch if the vehicle were a manual.

For reference, I'm at 120,000 miles on the FACTORY ORIGINAL rotors and pads. Brakes apply very smoothly -- none of that brake shake whatsoever. Lots of city driving.