Warped rotors and drums every 15-20k miles ISSUE FINALLY DISCOVERED!!!!!!!

Not exactly. Heat will be generated every time you brake. The brakes are converting the kinetic energy of the vehicle into heat through friction.

Light braking increases the time the heat is generated. The brake rotor/drum and pads/shoes have longer time to dissipate the heat.


Consider....if you are depositing a "thin layer" of brake material on the rotor. Then a build up would occur creating a thicker layer of material on the rotor.

The pad/shoes are abraded during the friction process and slough off as dust. Where do you think the black/brown dust (ie brake dust) on the wheels originates??


The "bedding" process is wearing the pad/shoe to match the contours of the rotor/drum. This will allow the pad/shoe to have a intimate surface contact with the rotor/drum Think of it as a mold. The rotor/drum are the form, the pad/shoe is the mold.

 

nope. that's the wrong way to do it. you want to generate enough friction so the surfaces mate together. but without overheating them. usually people recommend doing several consecutive, high speed, full-braking power stops.

 

Oh well, guess it's too late now. Almost 4500 on it now.

 

never too late to bed them in. give it a try.

 

You can bed the brakes at anytime if the transfer layer/rotor surface is even. I routinely give the brakes a workout in my wife's car because she drives like a granny and brakes early and lightly. They are often less effective than they should be and a couple firm 60-10mph stops makes a significant difference.

 

so true

 

If it wasn't already stated, make sure the SLIDE PINS are greased! Lack of grease will cause the pads to stick creating uneven brake wear. After all, they are called SLIDE PINS!

 

Those pins tend to get notched from use to, and can cause the pads to hang up. Helps to use hi-temp ceramic brake grease.

 

Cant recall for sure, but like many i think they maybe are lazer cut, plus they won't rust. When installing be sure to wire wheel off any rust on the hubs before mounting them...its a must to have a clean flat surface. As far as all these drilled and slotted rotors, i don't think there's a huge difference between one brand, and another if comparing name brands...its the pads you choose that makes the big difference. Solid rotors are better in muddy conditions, but i didn't notice any problems when i drove to work and home everyday during the mud season after i installed the EBC rotors

 

Here is some pics of my '15 fronts when I changed them .....at 185,000 mi.

2nd pic show the surface of the rotor with a gauge block on showing the surface (pretty flat). Both rotors measure in at just over 50% left.

 

If they are iron they must rust. Stainless rotors would be terrible.

Wire wheel or any rotary tool to remove corrosion can easily remove parent material, too. If that happens, your not helping anything by removing the high spot to create a low spot. I always clean the hub flange by hand with a sharp scraper to level any proud spots then some scotch brite to clean up the small stuff. When I see the techs at discount tire buzzing the hub flanges with air tools I cringe a little bit. Maybe they have some abrasive that is soft enough to not remove any metal but it just looks like stainless rotary brush to me.

 

A wire brush (Felton 187) on a die grinder will not remove base material from your rotor.

 

Their hard anodized or coated to prevent any rusting. I had EBC rotors on for years and they never had a bit of rust on them. The stock solid rotors sucked.

 

I've had 1 and 2 Gen Tacoma and never had brake issues other than normal wear and tear. I live in Canada where roads are coated with salt in the Winters.
Also keep away from dealers when warranties are off cause you will get soaked. Find a reputable Mechanic shop that is honest, do quality work and you will be much happier with the results.

 

I assume you're talking about the non braking surfaces. Many good options for corrosion resistance. I've had Bosch rotors with a durable coating that lasted the life of the rotor workout corrosion. The rotor face will still rust, though.

 

I have had to replace my brakes about every 35K miles. Super surprised - but I trust my mechanic (independent). The first time they were shuddering. The second time I just replaced when the mechanic checked them during a tire swap. I drive in the mountains but I'm good about downshifting and not over using the brakes. So, my comment is yeah the brakes could be better.

 

My rear drum(s) went out of round/warped 15-20k after buying. I took them to get turned and the brake guy confirmed one was warped but said it was too far gone to machine. I just put it back on and live with the slight pulsing as I brake to a stop. I will replace the drums eventually. At 55k miles now. Hopefully replacing the drums fixes the problem and it doesn't return.

 

I am highly suspicious of the brakes needing to bed in theory. While I agree with the premise, if that was the case there would be hundreds of thousands of people leaving car lots in new cars every day and coming back with brake issues with less then 10k miles on them.

I am not venturing a guess here what the problem is, just my 2 cents. So much easier back in the day

 

Are you questioning the legitimacy of the science behind it or that this has something to do with OP's issues?

 

Brakes needing to bed in is the issue for op.