My girlfriend has a '97 maxima with the factory rotors.
I had the dealer resurface the rotor last year, but the uneven braking came back in a few months. Is this a common problem with the 4th gen cars?

Do drilled or slotted rotors reduce heat and prevent warping? I saw the thread for the group buy on rotors. Will these rotors fit with the factory 15" rims?

[Edited by eep on 12-20-2000 at 01:16 PM]

 

the last i had my rotors cut was about a year ago. I bought new rears cause the factory ones were shot and the fronts were still good. I just did my pads in October. Now about 3 months after they are making a hella lot of noise esecially on the highway when i go to slow down. Even at low speed sometimes. Im gonna have to have them cut and hopefully will fix my problem. So far i havent heard of a maxima without squeeky brakes. I hear it all the time on the 95-99 wherever i go.

 

Slotted and x-drilled rotors do no help in any way in cooling of the brakes. As amatter of a fact, you are reducing surface aread when you drill the rotors.

when you cut a rotor, the more you cut/resurface it, the thinner it gets, the thinner it gets, the faster it will warp. You might want to see if your g/f is driving through puddles of water or braking hard often. also, if you brake hard coming to a llight, it might be better to put the car in nuetral and let off of the brakes. Keeping the pads on the rotor will make those areas stay heated longer, thus contributing to rotor warping.

-Shing

 

One of the causes of warping is roadway water being splashed up onto rotors which are hot because of heavy brake use, or possibly because of a sticking caliper. Splashed water causes some areas of the rotor to cool suddenly, and this causes physical distortion (warping). A resurfaced rotor is slightly thinner than a new one, and therefore even more susceptible to warping than a new one.

Here's another possible cause of warping. This is something I read and don't know whether to believe it. Some drivers have the habit of coming to a red traffic light and sitting there, waiting for the green light, with their foot firmly on the brake. This is said to allow the pads to conduct heat away from the rotor in the area of contact. Selective cooling through the brake pads could cause warping, the same as from splashed water. Metallic brake pads are especially good at conducting heat, so they are the worst offenders.

Unevenly tightened lug nuts may also contribute to warping. A hasty tire-shop technician may zip those lugs tight with an impact wrench. It's better to take one more minute and tighten them with a torque wrench. It's almost as good to tighten them by hand, and judge uniform torque "by feel". I've known tire shops to overtighten lug nuts, so much that only Superman could loosen them with the factory-supplied tire changing tools.

 

oops, I meant to say '97 maxima...probably not much difference though.

 

What's the purpose of drilled and slotted rotors then?

Is there a solution to the warping problem? Changing my girlfriend's driving habits is impossible...lead foot and tailgating all the time =P

I still want to replace the factory rotors because I think they're defective if they warp so easily. any suggestion as to a replacement rotor?

 

My '99 GXE still has the original brake parts. The brakes have never squealed. Never.

Some Nissan owners insist that only factory pads will be silent. However, I have had good results with name-brand aftermarket parts (Raybestos, etc.). Did you use the Blue Goo anti-squeal compound? If not, you could apply some now.

 

from http://www.baer.com

"In racing, crossdrilling was designed to alleviate a problem known as out-gassing. In some of the older pad compounds, when the pads reached elevated temperatures consistent with performance or racing use, the binder (that’s the material that holds the friction material in place) boiled off, producing a gas. This gas would build up between the rotor and the brake pad, effectively keeping the pad from directly contacting the rotor. The holes provide a relief path for these gasses, as do slots, so the pad can once again contact the rotor. Crossdrilling was NOT designed to facilitate cooling."

If she's a lead foot and a tailgater, there's not much you can do. You could try a different brand of rotors, like Bendix, but if she drives the way she dose, there's nothing yuo could do.

-Shing

 

My brakes on my 95 SE squeal so bad. I've had the pads replaced but the rotors are stock. The car still stops very good but squeals and it really annoys me. I want it to stop, how much are rotors that will stop this insanity??? Help me please.
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GLASS PIPE PICTURES

 

Did you use the Blue Goo anti-squeal compound? If not, you could apply some now. Blue Goo costs less than new rotors.

 

What's involved in putting the blue goo on. How long does it take. I will try this if i have a little help on how to do it. Thanks in advance.
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PinkSweets

 

You remove the brake pads, apply Blue Goo to the metal back surface, allow a few minutes for "set up", and reassemble everything. Haynes has a good photo of this on page 9-7.