Warped Rotors / Drums

How did you guys know when you needed new pads? My truck started shaking bad at around 15,000 miles and I had them check the brakes and again right before the warranty went at 30k and they said the rotors were fine. It I am at 50k now and the truck just passed inspection. I would think if the pads were low it would not pass. It just doesn't seem to stop as quick as it used too and winter is coming up.

 

Drums and rotors are balanced from factory after they have been machined. Once they warp just machining them only corrects the warpage at the surface to remove brake peddle shudder , but it leaves the drum and rotor out of balance because the warpage is still present within the part. Remember bent is bent and they are not fixing the bent, just covering it up by machining it.
That means no matter how you balance the wheel and tire the rotors and drums will throw the system out of balance at least some. Depending on how badly the drums and rotors are out of balance will determine how much shake at the steering wheel will remain as well as early wear on the tires. So yes they always should be replaced if they have warped.
Here is a little information on checking them for balance problems.
http://www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/2011/Diagnosis/Tire/Non-Hunter_drum_or_rotor_balance.htm

 

I am really wondering if mine are warped and they lied to me twice now I am going to stuck with a huge bill. I guess I should just make an appointment at auto shop with a good reputation and see what they say about them.

 

I'm the original OP. My dealership ended up replacing the rotors and drums. It's smooth right now, so I hope they stay that way.

Not sure how I screwed up both.rotors and drums, but something happened. How easily can driving in water warp them? It rain like crazy for the first month I had it. I do remember driving threw a lot of.deep puddles in the road and throwing water pretty high. Could that have warped them?

 

Oh, now you tell me! I will stop doing that.



On a serious note, wheelers offroad has a great selection of brakes. I like Porterfield carbon kevlar myself. It will squall 37's at highway speed no problem.

Unless you had them cherry red when you hit the water, unlikely. Do a couple of 60-20 mph hard stops, then a couple 45mph to zero stops to burn in the new pads and I bet you will be just fine with this set. If the stutter comes back, burn them in again.

 

I thought I'd follow up on this topic. I decided to stick with factory parts, as the racing components aren't much good until you get them hot and that doesn't help when you're just going to the store. I was able to turn the rotors and put new pads on and then followed the bedding in procedure. I'm going to try and be more aware of holding the brake pedal down after a long stop and we'll see if the problem comes back as quickly as the last time. Again, thanks for all the comments and info that everyone shares at this site...

 

I would guess that the front discs aren't doing their job making the rear drum brakes work too hard...

 

I don't think many people even realize that the TRD OR package has better brakes. No one ever brings it up when comparing Sport to OR packages.

I test drove a 12' SR-5 and a 12' TRD OR when I was making my decision, and could tell a huge difference in the braking between those two. My sales guy said it was the hydraulic brake booster in the OR making the difference and beefier rotors. Not sure what it really was or if the rotors are really any different, but braking between the two seemed to be night and day.

Anyway I got the OR and have close to 20k miles on my truck and brakes are still as smooth as butter. Actually I believe they are the best brakes I have had on any vehicle I've ever owned so far.

 

I have a 2013 Tacoma Off road, at 12k miles I had front brake pads replaced and rotors re surfaced. The service manager was saying it was because I brake too hard... Definitely not the case. Now im at 26k miles and I need my brakes re done, AGAIN! Very frustrating.

 

I'm sure this will create an argument like it has many times before, but rotors do not "warp" the shudder or pulsation you are feeling is caused by brake pad material buildup on the rotor. When you resurface or machine a rotor you are machining it to the trueness of the lathe, industry standard is .002". This does not take into account how true the rotor sits to your hub, the way any dealership checks this is with a dial indicator showing how much runout the rotor has. The new industry standard is to machine the rotor on the vehicle, this is mandatory warranty procedure for all Toyota, ford, and virtually every other car manufacturer minus a few. When you machine the rotor on the hub you are accurately producing a finish under .001". If you think throwing a perfectly good rotor away and slapping on a new set corrects the issue then be my guest, but a stock rotor should get 3-4 cuts before it is too thin to use. And just slapping a new rotor on will create the same issue within around 30,000 miles if that new rotor is not matched to under .002" on the hub.

You don't have to believe me and I'm not here to argue, but I have worked in this industry for 15 years and work directly with mechanics and car manufacturers on a daily basis.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Who changes your wheels ? If Toyota service than :
1. Print a picture of Torque wrench
2. Tape picture to the brick.
3. Toss said brick with picture attached through their window, yelling "Torque my wheels you stupid a... holes"

Tada, next time when they torque your wheels to the spec (each lug nut) magically you will stop warping rotors.

 

I have a 2013 Pre Runner and brought it in around 15k miles , dealership resurfaced the rotors. They told me they were warped. Told me bla bla bla heat in Tx plus cold etc bla bla bla. Currently have 34k miles now and im 100% sure they are warped again. I drive this truck like a baby so im sure its just cheap crappy parts. I'll get them resurfaced again before my 36k warranty ends and just replaced them with aftermarket cross drilled ones later on