Is it just me or does every Honda/Acura seem to get warped rotors? I have owned my fair share of Honda's and Acura's (two Accord's, Pilot, Integra, CL-S and an S2000) and it just seems like every one of them gets warped rotors. I am starting to feel feedback and vibration at higher speeds for just a slight second when I brake. Than is goes away.

I am no expert and just wanted to get some feed back...are warped rotors caused by the driver or crappy rotors? I left it very general so you can put in any comments you want. If its the driver...I need to learn how to brake...haha!

 

I think all honda's take 100ft lbs or maybe a bit less when mounting the wheels. If you go to tight you'll likely warp the rotors.

Harv

 

Nice info...I never thought about that...

 

The brakes are a bit undersized so they do warp fairly quick. I've been going through front rotors at about a pair every 30k miles while the pads last 60-90k miles. Last time I changed the rotors the pads had 30k on them and had only about 1mm of wear compared to a new set.

You can do two things. Either spend about 2x as much on a pair of high quality rotors that may last about 2x as long or get cheap rotors and replace them 2x as often but spend much less. I've been paying about $30 a rotor which is much less than the $90+ it costs for high quality ones. From all the mileage I've seen others posts here, even the high quality rotors like Brembos, are only lasting about 60k so you're still paying more than 2x as much to have them last 2x as long.

 

Lug nut torque spec is 80ft-lbs. Warped rotors wont occur from overtightening the lug nuts, but it will if the torque spec is inconsistent. Make sure you mount the wheels and tighten the lug nuts properly.

As TheWeez said, the stock brakes are undersized. Warped rotors also has to do with the driver, but in the case of the CL, the hardware itself isn't up to the task. Warped rotors are caused by overheating the metal. If you ride the brake, you are introducing a lot of heat for no reason. Panic stops also build up heat, and the stock parts can only take so much heat before they begin to warp. Bedding in the pads is also recommended whenever you install new pads/rotors.

There are some members on here (myself included) that have upgraded to a big brake kit. This not only increases stopping power but is better sized for the car. Ive had mine on for about 40k miles - no warping yet.

 

Nice...thx for the info Civic.

 

Stock acura brakes warp because acura/honda goes cheap on them for the simple fact that if they put better brakes on they wouldn't get the money back from customers and the last thing people want to see is a higher sticker price on an acura. They usually buy acura/honda cause they are cheaper than other brands not because of brakes. Brakes is an afterthought after you already bought the car, plus it is easy to upgrade yourself if you so desire.

Acura/honda uses a single piston caliper. That means all the force and heat is built up in one spot causing heat spots and warping rotors. You can upgrade calipers to 2 piston legend calipers or a 4 piston bbk caliper. A bbk is overkill and never needed unless you want the bling that goes along with it. A bbk will not stop the car faster. The front 4 piston bbk should have same clamping force as the 2 piston. If you make the clamping force stronger you would throw off brake bias and that is never a good thing.

 

The Acura brakes just are not durable. They are prone to distortion. That is why we designed a brake package for Acuraziners that includes higher quality rotors that are more durable.

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-398968.aspx

The packages include Powerslot/STOPTECH performance rotors and STOPTECH Performance pads. All of the rotors have a black e-coating on the hubs and vanes and an advanced alloy composition. The Powerslot slotted rotors for the front of most Acuras also have a Power Alloy composition and a curved vane construction, which helps reduce heat in the brake system. The STOPTECH Performance pads are a para-aramid compound, which has great initial bite and long-term performance and lower dust and noise than most aftermarket brake pads.

Also it's very important that when the rotors are installed the lug nuts are torqued in a star pattern to 80 ft lbs of torque. And the brake pad bed in should be performed immediately.

 

^ have to disagree with you there about the brakes not being durable.....I changed my first set of front brakes at 81K on my CL-S. If you want your brakes to last you gotta learn how to drive your car and one of the BIGGEST things you can do is to pay attention to what is up the road from you and do your best to stop normally.

If you are constantly stopping hard, you're doing it wrong....

now you want talk about undersized brakes look no further than the current SHO or Taurus lineup...

 

I had an 01 CL-S and I have had hundreds of customers with 2nd gen CL/TLs who have issues with their front brakes. The caliper is undersized and the rotors are prone to distortion.

You can disagree all you like based on your personal experience but the experience of the majority of CL/TL owners is contrary to yours.

I have multiple vehicles, all with different braking capabilities. I am aware of how to stop. I downshift to stop most of my vehicles to reduce stress on the braking system but you can't compensate for improper design.

 

I first replaced my OEM rotors after 50K miles with ROTORAs which were being sold by a number of vendors here. Warped almost immediately and went back to OEMs. Tried the POWERSLOT Cyro's, which looked sharp, but they didn't last as long as the OEM rotors did. Finally ended up with a set of DBA's, and these rotors were hands down the best I found for the CL.

 

like all others have said. the brake size is just not sufficient for the size/weight of this car. i've upgraded to rotora BBK (front) and it has been one of the best "mods" i have done. not sure why Acura put such crappy setup on this car. No point in having a car if you can't stop it.

 

lugs are supposed to be tightened to 81ft pounds. that's what they do at the DLR

rotors will still warp tho i went through a set of dba slotted and crossdrilled each lasting not even a year! so they are warpable

i bought powerslot rotors and stoptech pads and have not been slamming on the brakes like a mad man as often as before. but most of all NO stopping when brakes are hot hot.. if they are i will keep driving casually for a few mins to get them at a reasonable temp before stopping the car.

either way tho this should not happen if Acura put proper sized brakes on this fucking train.
that's the biggest flaw this car has.. OH and the rear end link connections they rip out all the friggin time. i just replaced one for the third time.! or is it 4 i cannot remember. if this one rips apart again i'm going to get them re-enforced so this shit stops once and for all.