Warped frnt brake rtors

[Oldman]

Has anyone come up with a way to address this problem?

About once every six months, I have to get my rotors turned. Getting tired of the shimmy in the front end, and wobble in the steering wheel.

I always torque my lugs and there are no tire or frnt end issues. I drive abut 20,000 miles a year and it's mostly in-town driving with a lot of starts and stops.

I purchased rotors about a year ago, so I always keep a back-up set turned and ready to go when the "wobble" in the steering wheel gets bad.

Has anyone tried directing air thrugh the bunper toward the callipers and rotrs? If so, did this help?

Do ceramic brake pads solve the problem?

Do slotted and drilled rotors solve the problem?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Steelworker26]

Mass.

The biggest difference I have found with rotors and durability is the mass of the rotors. When I by the cheap ones at advance they won't last past 9 months and I am an easy driver who babies his car. I do on occassion need to drop 10 mph on the freeway quickly if you take my meaning.

[Mechanical Mike]

Agreed, quality rotors & pads should help. Turning the rotors makes them more likely to warp. You also need to check & adjust the rear brakes. They need to be doing their share of the work.

[01bonneSC]

A good break in procedure helps and also don't "ride" the brakes, as in hold light pressure on them when you are coming up to a stop sign\etc. when you need to brake, brake, don't slowly hold on them.

[imidazol97]

I purchased rotors about a year ago, so I always keep a back-up set turned and ready to go when the "wobble" in the steering wheel gets bad.
!

Are you putting on new rotors each time? Rotors that have been turned have less mass in the metal.

How many miles are on the car?

Have the calipers been rebuilt correctly or replaced?

My own car is not a performance car like the supercharged H bodies.


But someone from whom I seek advice on brakes on another Buick forum told about his experiences with his supercharge Park Ave and brakes. He tried Centric and wasn't happy. He now has the PowerStop rotors sold paired with scorched ceramic pads as a kit. Available for front, rear, or both, from rockauto.com. He speaks highly of them so far in as to stopping power.

They're on rockauto.com under brakes, rotors, and are in the high performance/heavy duty section of brakes.
POWER STOP Part # K1542 {#BK193576} Performance Brake Upgrade Kit ; Incl. Silver Zinc Plated Cross-Drilled And Slotted Rotors w/Z16 Ceramic Scorched Brake Pads
Front; SLE; SSEi
$128.79
Add Part

My other comment is that stopping hard and holding the brake pads against the rotors in one place can affect the rotors. I stop hard but try to stop short and leave room to spare and let the car creep to expose the rotor to air instead of keeping the pads against one spot because I'm already at the light.

[Steelworker26]

Agreed, quality rotors & pads should help. Turning the rotors makes them more likely to warp. You also need to check & adjust the rear brakes. They need to be doing their share of the work.

How do you do that?

[00Beast]

You don't, you have rear discs. He is thinking of the older cars with rear drums.

[Oldman]

Thanks for your help.
I turn the rotors to keep from having to purchase new rotors every 6 months.

So, nobody has tried routing some air to the front brakes?
I think I will try either removing the fog lights and running some flexible duct to the rotors or putting some kind of vent inder the bumper to send a little cool air in that direction and see how that works.
With no opening and the full wheelwell there is no way to cool the brakes down.
I have never had another car with this problem. There are so many poor design problems with these cars, I don't understand why we like them!

[01bonneSC]

I put 100k on mine and only did the brakes once. I'm not sure how you are having problems.

What rotors and pads are you buying? You never said.

I use ceramic pads on all my vehicles.

And A LOT has to do with HOW you brake. I think you are over thinking this a bit with ducting unless you are road racing this on a track and not telling us

[Oldman]

I've lived in the same place for over 10 years. I've owned 4 cars in that time. I've driven basically the same areas in basically the same fashion.
I've never had problems with rotors warping. Yeah, I've purchased a few sets of rotors from Advance Autop Parts, and some from NAPA. But, I still say with the same driving habbits, I've never had a rotor warp before on any car that I have ever driven. I've replaced rotors before simply because they have worn out from wear, and I've always bought the standard brand that the parts place stocks.
So,
I've driven that same routes for 10 years in several different cars.
I've never had a problem with rotors warping.
The car I have now can't go 6 months without having terrible problems with the rotors warping terribly.

So, it is my assumption that it's a problem with the car.
Nothing personal against your cars guys, it's just a simple observation.
There's no way for the brakes to get airflow. That seems to be the only difference between this car and others that I have had. Even my wife's Dodge Grand Caravan has some sloted vents to direct air toward the front brakes. I think this is an airflow problem. It's a poor design guys. Obviously, you all have changed to ceramic pads and special rotors to avoid this problem. Have you done this with all of your other cars too?

[01bonneSC]

Ceramics were factory and I have bought the higher quality NAPA and or Raybestoes rotors, talking about $80 per rotor. And I drive many different routes and ways to my work and around town, had mine for 4 years and put 100k on. Did not do the brakes as often as you. I'm not a fan boy of the Bonnes by any means.

[01bonneSC]

You could try cutting some slots in the fender liner in front of the wheel.

[Oldman]

Yeah, probably some slots in the plastic pan under the front end and some slots in the fender well might help. I may even use some flexible ducting between these two points and see how that goes.
I'll let you guys know how it works.

Thanks for all your help. Maybe I'll try stopping more easily over a half-mile distance or more too! Just kidding, I know that hard stops heats up rotors pretty quickly.

[01bonneSC]

And long slow stops can do the same thing as hard stops.

Be sure to report back with what ya do, obviously want everyone to be happy with living with their vehicle, no matter make/model.

[Mechanical Mike]

Agreed, quality rotors & pads should help. Turning the rotors makes them more likely to warp. You also need to check & adjust the rear brakes. They need to be doing their share of the work.

How do you do that?

I forgot he has a 2000+ but checking the rears still applies.

[jla1989]

I have the same problem with my 01 bonne so id be interested to see what you figure out. Ive also bought pretty much everything except for drilled and slotted rotors and have never gotten more than 6 months out of them before they to start shimmying.

[Arrowhead]

I will not buy any parts from China if I can avoid it, and that's what NAPA / Advance etc. are selling a bunch of these days. Maybe give some OE grade Brembo rotors a try, they're about the same money as the Chinese ones and I've never had one warp on me yet!

[jla1989]

Lol ill give them a try... about a year and a half ago i bought 4 pairs of rotors and brakes and im already on the last pair of them so ill try whatever and see how it works lol

[sethjamesrimrodt]

I have never had a problem with cheap napa rotors. I have also never had problems with stock GXP rotors warping. Mine have blue lines in them from getting hot, but haven't warped.

[nos4blood70]

I don't respect my brakes by any means and they will not fade or warp. Even before I had performance brake components. However, my car has rubbed through "cooling slots" in my splash shields..