Warped brake rotors?


IntermaN

IntermaN

EK9 Rx
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Jun 11, 2008
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Just done a track day at Castle Combe and during the day when I broke from high speed I would get vibrations through the steering wheel. The faster I broke from, the harder the vibrations.

At first I thought it was the ABS doing its job but I then tested it out by braking very lightly, the same vibrations happened. Below 40 mph the vibrations would stop when you brake.

Does this mean that my brake rotors are warped?

I tested this out on the road today and the same thing happened.

I am currently using OEM brake rotors, Ferodo DS2500 pads (front) and Dot 5.1 brake fluid.


If my rotors are warped, which rotors can I get that can handle every day use and track action?

would something like this Dixcel Plain Disc - Honda Integra DC2 98/EK9/CRV - PD Front

or plain spoon brakes be enough?



Thanks
Andy
 
Yes sounds like discs mate. OEM discs are fine on track if used with oem pads but those ds2500 will cook the discs. I think the Dixcel discs are good.
Dunx
 
ds's will have melted them LOL try the ones "freaky parts" sell, I've used them with my willwoods an ds25's an there still fine :)
 
Yep warped discs, I run 282mm dixcel discs up front with ferodo ds2500 pads and endless rf 650 5.1 race fluid. I've had no issues at all with it, it's proving to be a good setup.

Aww I would of popped up to Combe I'm only round the corner :) I got sound tested there the other day, failed at 112db. No track time for the Honda :(
 
Could just be pad pick up on your disks. If the vibration is there from cold and doesn't get noticeably worse as the disks get warmer then I'd put that as the most likely cause. Just try and do the bedding in prodedure again and you might clean the deposits off.

If it gets worse as your disks become hotter then they're almost definitely warped, which isn't the end of the world if the virbation's not too bad. I'd just live with a small vibration rather than spending money you don't need to spend. But if it's so bad that your steering wheel is really shaking then yep, you'll need to buy new.
 
The chances of them being warped are very slim.
-Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths

If you want to replace the discs with something a bit better, give me a shout, I'm doing a good deal on front/rear combos at the minute.

I've also got a couple of sets of Wilwoods 4 pot upgrades in stock if you fancied something a bit better :D
 
I'd agree with that on disks with separate bells and rotors, but 'normal' one-piece disks can definitely warp if they're heated too fast and too hot.
 
99.9% of "warped rotor" issues are nothing to do with them getting too hot and getting out of shape. It's nearly always because there's an uneven build up of pad material on the discs, which can easily be sorted with a skim from an engineering company.
But with discs being quite cheap nowdays it's not really cost effective to skim them, just replace them.
They are classed as a consumable, so dont be upset if they only last 2-3 track days before they need changing. You woudn't think twice about changing the oil after the same period :)
 
Hi Freaky - glad you posted that up as it confirms what I'd always read and suspected. Car disks are very strong (compared to bike ones) so material build up makes sense - just wish there was a cheaper way of sorting it rather than paying for a skim / buying new disks.

Dear Santa,

1. Lathe
 
Of course they get warped. Metal expands when as it gets hotter and the part of the disk getting the friction heat off the pad gets hot and expands more than the bell part. If this is reasonably gradual or the temps not too extreme then it's fine, as the heat conducts and whole disk expands reasonably uniformly, but if the rotor part heats and expands very hot very quickly whilst the bell is still relatively cool then it distorts the metal.
It's reason separate bell and rotors are designed the way they are, so the rotor can expand and contract individually from the bell.

Not saying that Andy's problem is one or the other as you do get pad pickup off DS2500s, just saying I wouldn't discount the fact that they could be warped.
The juddering from pad deposits generally doesn't get worse as the disk heats, in fact might get better as the material melts and smooths out. But if the shape of the disk has been distorted then the hotter it gets the more the metal expands, the more the shape is distorted and the more judder you'll feel through the wheel.
 
Thanks for the reply everyone.

James, my brakes vibrate harder when they become hotter but this was during the trackday. I haven't fully tested this yet on the road yet but I did notice some similar behaviour when I was driving about.

I will give it a few more days to see if it still behaves this way.
 
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