hi im having a warped rotor issue
i have an 04 tl and at mid/high speeds when i apply my brakes i get a shaky peddle a steering wheel..
just wondering how can i tell if its the front rotors or the rear rotors..
thanks!

 

It's almost always the front rotors. Advice? Get them resurfaced at the stealership. But, if you get the stock rotors resurfaced, the chances of the rotors warping again are very high.

 

thanks my buddy has a shop and im planing on having them do it...the reason i was asking is because i have some scratch marks on my rear rotors and was about to have him change it because i thought it was the source of the problem..
thanks for the help!!

 

^
No problem. The reason it's good to have the stealer do it is because they actually put the lathe on the rotor while it's still mounted to the car. This enables the rotors to stay more "true" to the axle it's on.

 

Try braking with the Ebrake only to identify if the pulsating is coming from the rear brakes.

 

^
Good idea.

 

Problem with that is that the rear e brake shoes are inside the rotor hat and do not contact the normal braking surface, so you won't be able to detect an out of spec rotor by trying this method.

If you apply the brakes hard and the steering wheel is affected, front rotors are the culprit the majority of times.

 

Yup, The parking brake is basically a drum brake in a rotor.

 

So resurfacing the stockies is a waste of time and money? I have this issue as well, and just haven't looked into any remedies (I'm out of warranty). Is replacing the rotors with aftermarket ones expensive? Which ones should I consider?

 

^
It's not a "waste" of money per say, but the symptoms come back often.

Regarding aftermarket rotors, maybe others'll chime in, but it depends on your budget some.

 

I'm not a big fan of having the rotors cut, although on my daughter's Maxima, I had them cut, never replaced the pads as they were at 30% wear, as the buildup was very minimal and they have held up so far for over a year. It's just that most shops have a tendency to remove too much material and leave the rotor under the factory minimum.

As far as new, there are many choices, and just an example, at Rock Auto you can find rear rotors from $9.00 and up, fronts from $30 each, so the choice is yours. also make certain that the lug nuts are tightened with a torque wrench to the manufacturer's specification.

 

i just changed my brakes and rotors do not use autozone pads i have to clean my wheels every time i fill up my tank

 

Agree. Not a waste. It's very cheap (usually) and will buy you some time. Maybe not a lot, but you'll get some extra life out of them.

I always tell people NOT to get rotors surfaced unless they have an obvious issue.

 

I never knew about the torque setting for the lugs, I just "cranked em on". Probably what did mine in. I have the pedal vibration , but not really any steering pull. Is mine more likely to be just the rears that are warped?





I don't think I would be comfortable only spending $9 on for a new rotor. I would think it would be junk

 

yup same problem notice it more in the pedals i feel it a little bit if any
in the steering wheel....going to change them soon hopefully its the rears..{fingers crossed}

 

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This is what I've been saying over and over again in the brake threads here on AZine over the years with so many disputing the importance of it. Glad to see someone else here agrees.

Overtightened lug nuts are the most common cause of warped rotors on Hondas and Acuras. They should only be tightened to 80 ft-lbs.
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hey just an update
i got my front rotors machined/resurfaced still got the same pads 70% left on them and im still having the same pulsating/vibration problem mostly in the peddles should i change the rear rotors and pads or is it a different problem?

 

NO, get new rotors, and pads for the front.

 

The shop that cut the rotors should have told you if they were out of spec, or how much out. They can also put a dial indicator on the rear rotors to detect an out of tolerance rotor.

Very unusual that if fronts were cut, you noticed no difference in the vibration.

 

youve already identified the culprit, its the front rotors, when you apply the brakes the steering wheel shakes the front brakes are on the wheels that turn so there you go.

 

Have you tried balancing your wheels? That usually causes shaking as well, no?

 

thats exactly what i was saying is it because i used the same brake pads?

 

bump
beezy, what did you end up doing? Is the problem fixed?

 

Getting the factory rotors cut/milled is like jerry-rigging a fix for the car. When they cut the rotors they make them thinner and more prone to rewarping! I've seen a person have their rotors cut, drive for less than 30 miles in the city and come back with newly warped rotors!

Warranty won't covered warped rotors unless the car is less than 12 months old or has under 12K. Going aftermarket is one of the best things to spend your money on. I spent the money once on new rotors and they are more than amazing! I have to stop from about 75 to 0 every day on one of the exits I take and after 30K on the TL the rotors were gone. I bought a set of Racing Brake Slotted rotors for all 4 corners of the car along with Acura A-Spec brakes and nearly 60K later they are still as good as day 1. They stop on a dime, have great initial bite and don't fade at all! The whole overhaul cost me around 750 dollars including labor for all 4 corners.

Who machined the rotors? How was it done?

 

Shaking wheel with braking is front rotors, a grabbing and pulsating without steering wheel shake is rear rotors. Usually your fronts warp before your rears. Just bought and installed Irotors $239 to my door, seem pretty nice, easy to install.