Warped GT front brakes

what kind of rotors and pads did you get?

type of pads would be important

and I'd rather get brembo blanks than some not so great slotted/drilled rotors, in fact, I don't think I'd get drilled rotors at all.. they're like cheese graters.. haha

Your rotors are not warped. Ditch the OEM pads.

i would bet pad deposit too

I did however have my rotors warp twice on my H6 Outback.

No you didn't.

Well, your suggestion is rather ludicrous, given this IS a performance car, after all, meant to be driven spiritedly.

I did clean the rotors with a Scotchbrite pad on a drill with the rotors spinning, left a wonderful finish! But did nothing for the shaking. I will get a dial indicator and check for runout, but I'm fairly certain I'll find runout to be out of spec. I occasionally had this issue with my 300ZXTT, but it took a LOT to warp those. The Subie, easy to do, apparently.

So, where does one get OE spec Brembo rotors?

change your driving habits? Not to be mean i dont see why that should be happening with performance rotors.

you could get a bbk and ditch the setup entirely.

may be cheaper to buy a 2nd car tho.

I think the jury is still out on the lgt being a performance car.

Yes I did. They were replaced twice under warranty

Gee, anyone have any HELPFUL comments?

you could get a bbk and ditch the setup entirely.

 

may be cheaper to buy a 2nd car tho.

 

I think the jury is still out on the lgt being a performance car.

Your rotors are not warped. Ditch the OEM pads.

+1

It's definitely the pads bro...

I had the same "problem" as you until I went with Hawk HPS pads...lovin' the brakes ever since.

Do a search their are lengthy threads about this...

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88468

Gee, anyone have any HELPFUL comments?

whast the deal we gave you lots of helpful comments and so far they havent seemed to be what you were looking for so I was suggesting the next logical step. If replace stock pads and calipers=0 then upgrade entire system. The stock pads break into chunks, they leave powder on the rims and they CAN cause warpage or become wavey within themselves and emulate warped rotors. A lot of us have had this problem.

if you have aftermarket pads and rotors already and its still warping them I'm not sure what to tell you unless there is something somehow wrong with the caliper.. which still brings us back to an upgrade or an oem component replacement. I had the dealer replace my rotors and pads on all 4 wheels when I had 30k miles on the car after replacing pads and turning rotors for the 4th time. Since that I have had no major issues with my brakes. :crossfingers:

the only down sides I see to a bbk would be the cost (obviously) and the fact that they wont clear oem rims (unless they clear spec Bs.. dunno bout that... was thinking about it this morning on the way in to work behind a "binary driver." )

I was being sarcastic in my post but I'm still trying to help with ideas. If you've alerady upgraded parts of your brake system you may be more receptive to upgrade it further than I would be.. who knows.

whast the deal we gave you lots of helpful comments and so far they havent seemed to be what you were looking for so I was suggesting the next logical step. If replace stock pads and calipers=0 then upgrade entire system. The stock pads break into chunks, they leave powder on the rims and they CAN cause warpage or become wavey within themselves and emulate warped rotors. A lot of us have had this problem.

 

if you have aftermarket pads and rotors already and its still warping them I'm not sure what to tell you unless there is something somehow wrong with the caliper.. which still brings us back to an upgrade or an oem component replacement. I had the dealer replace my rotors and pads on all 4 wheels when I had 30k miles on the car after replacing pads and turning rotors for the 4th time. Since that I have had no major issues with my brakes. :crossfingers:

 

the only down sides I see to a bbk would be the cost (obviously) and the fact that they wont clear oem rims (unless they clear spec Bs.. dunno bout that... was thinking about it this morning on the way in to work behind a "binary driver." )

 

I was being sarcastic in my post but I'm still trying to help with ideas. If you've alerady upgraded parts of your brake system you may be more receptive to upgrade it further than I would be.. who knows.

Our Wilwood Kit will clear stock wheels Plus thicker, higher quality pads will probably reduce the chances of this happening again almost to nil.

Well, your suggestion is rather ludicrous, given this IS a performance car, after all, meant to be driven spiritedly.

And I am trying to gather ideas based on actual experiences. I've told what I've done, and want to hear from folks who have actually experienced this problem and have found a solution! I will be doing the runout check sometime this week.

Yes, I have stock pads. No chunks, but black dust which is EXTREMELY common, and isn't part of this problem. Annoying, yes, but doubtful the dust is the cause of the shudder.

When I replaced the pads, I checked and lubed the pins, used the gold grease where I was supposed to, etc. Nothing stuck, nothing seized, nothing dragging. And, as I noted, polishing the disc surfaces with a Scotchbrite pad on a drill with the rotors spinning in a lathe made them pretty, but didn't help, so I think I can rule out deposits.

So, let's say I do find warped rotors, who makes the most warp resistant rotors?

whast the deal we gave you lots of helpful comments and so far they havent seemed to be what you were looking for so I was suggesting the next logical step. If replace stock pads and calipers=0 then upgrade entire system. The stock pads break into chunks, they leave powder on the rims and they CAN cause warpage or become wavey within themselves and emulate warped rotors. A lot of us have had this problem.

 

if you have aftermarket pads and rotors already and its still warping them I'm not sure what to tell you unless there is something somehow wrong with the caliper.. which still brings us back to an upgrade or an oem component replacement. I had the dealer replace my rotors and pads on all 4 wheels when I had 30k miles on the car after replacing pads and turning rotors for the 4th time. Since that I have had no major issues with my brakes. :crossfingers:

 

the only down sides I see to a bbk would be the cost (obviously) and the fact that they wont clear oem rims (unless they clear spec Bs.. dunno bout that... was thinking about it this morning on the way in to work behind a "binary driver." )

 

I was being sarcastic in my post but I'm still trying to help with ideas. If you've alerady upgraded parts of your brake system you may be more receptive to upgrade it further than I would be.. who knows.

So, let's say I do find warped rotors, who makes the most warp resistant rotors?

No one. Avoid the conditions that cause the problem in the first place... your driving style (not a bad thing, just a factor in the equation) and the sub-par OEM pads. Turn the rotors if you choose, or replace them with OEM blanks, but certainly get rid of the OEM pads.

trackhore's being a bit of a tease with his comments, and kind of a jerk but he's right. Chances are... your rotors didn't warp. Rotor warp is a misconception. It's not impossible for it to occur, but it is very, very unlikely.

The overwhelming cause of vibration and shudder under braking is uneven pad deposits/transfer left on the rotor, usually caused by pressing a brake pad onto a really hot rotor surface, and leaving it on there long enough to leave a pad imprint.

Here is an article that spells it out rather well:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

Basically, if the rotors are installed properly, your rotors are not going to literally warp as warping implies that your rotors are actually deforming.

Anyway, moving right along... get better pads first and foremost because better pads will not melt onto your rotors at a low temperature. I find that the stock pads SUCK for aggressive driving. I like the Hawk HPS pads. Make sure you break them in properly if you get them. It's a compromise though. You might get slightly more noise (maybe a tiny squeak) and can actually hear the pads against the rotor when they're cold and you're rolling slowly.... but it's worth it IMHO. Much better pad. Better bite. No fade.

Second, and a lot of people mess this part up... if you are driving aggressively, do not come to a full and complete stop after you have braked hard, because your pad will imprint on the rotor.

For me personally, when I have been driving hard and I know the brakes are hot and I really, really have to come to a complete stop, I slow down gently using the normal brakes and compression braking via downshifting, and when I'm rolling slowly, I finish the braking using my hand brake.

Ideally, you should never have to do that when your brakes are hot. You are supposed to take a cool down "lap" because as we all know, none of us drive aggressively on the street... we do it on a track!.

did you torque the wheel lugs with a torque wrench?

some people experience rotor warped when the wheel is not evenly on

Here is an article that spells it out rather well:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

Oh now you've done it, passed along a link to the online bible... warped rotors all over the world are now conspiring to stop you and your free thinking ways. madness.

Always, and in the proper star pattern. And given that I've seen runout FAR too many times, warping is for real.

Now, I did see some runout on my rotors. First thing I did was pull the rotors, THOROUGHLY clean the rotor seat on the hub and the backside (there was rust), and again, cleaned the discs with a Scotchbrite pad with a drill on a lathe. Haven't driven it yet, will update when I check it. Still don't buy that deposits are the problem in this particular case. And of ALL the cars I've ever owned, this one is, BY FAR, the worst for this.

did you torque the wheel lugs with a torque wrench?

some people experience rotor warped when the wheel is not evenly on

Uneven pad deposits show up as runout according to that article. Ever consider that it's the worst on this car for you because the stock pads are the suckiest but you drive it pretty hard regardless? Did you bother reading the article?

Cleaning your rotor with a scotchbrite pad isn't going to do anything at all for the braking surfaces in terms of the transfer layer.

Get better pads and use your brakes properly like what I said above regarding not coming to complete stops after hard use.