I know it's been discussed before, but I need help...
My car has now developed the infamous shake at higheay speeds. A few weeks ago, I started to feel a sensation of "grab...let go, grab... let go when slowly coming to a stop. I think my rotors are getting slightly warped. Why, I don't know. I changed the brake pads to ceramic about 10,000 miles ago, maybe this is the culprit? Also, yesterday, i got a nail in my passanger front tire in a great spot, right outside the steel belt at the seem where the belt meets the sidewall. I got it plugged up for now, but the the plug doesn't come in contact with the road. any thoughts?

 

As for the > 80mph shake, all you can do is make sure your tires have even pressure, they have been rotated, and you're aligned. If you've done that, and your suspension is in decent shape, then just get used to the "shakes."

As for your tire? If the plug is even close to the sidewall you're risking a blowout. Personally, I'd take my chances and keep the plug, but be prepared when another tire because the sidewall is a dangerous thing to play with.

And yes, sounds your like your rotors are warped. The rotors are undersized in our cars but should warp unless you're braking pretty heavily or the rotors are old. Get some new ones from Autozone for $29.99 or however cheap they are.

 

I had the grab-letgo-grab-letgo while braking too... (assuming you are applying constant brake pressure of coruse).... it turned out to be pads that were not seated properly - so they were wearing at an angle - it was really strange. Mine happened on the rear brakes... (these were the brakes when I first got the car)... I'm not sure exactly what all would have to happen for the pads to wear like that -> let me clarify, it wasn't that the inner pad was wearing differently than the outer pad, it was that the outer pad was wearing faster at the top then at the bottom.... I mean the pad was flush against the rotor but the wear material left on the pad was much thicker towards the bottom end of the pad... replaced both rotors and pads - and it took care of that stop-letgo braking feel - but as an added bonus, it took care of the highway vibration I had been feeling (I never even thought at the time that the brakes might be causing it and I was going to go for a rebalance the day after I did the brake job).

Sorry for being so long winded - I could relate exactly to your symptoms - so I wanted to give you as much detail as possible.

1. Check all the pads for even wear
2. If its a rear rotor that is warped, for some reason you don't feel as much of a shimmy in the brake pedal... (you don't mention feeling it) - but you could still have a warped rotor.
3. Rebalance the wheels/tires.

 

I have been having my rotors/pad on the passenger front heat up much more than the driver side. I noticed it steaming when i was washing my car after some hard braking. I noticed the damn thing steaming like crazy compared to the left rotor. I re-seated them and had no improvement and am not sure what may be wrong?

Do you think there is something screwed up with my brakelines or .. yah.. i don't know.

 

Your brake pads are sticking. The friction from them constantly rubbing while in motion causes the smoke, and that horrid smell you get from the dust.

 

i hate that shaking i get at highway speeds. sooooooo annoying but i can't do anything about it. i'm having the ame problem as you with the brakes too but that's because i know my rotors are warped. that's what i get for buying cheap $22 rotors.

 

Change that tire. Sidewall punctures are bad news.

 

Dousing hot brakes with cold water is a quick way to warp your rotors... avoid doing it.

In any case, your right caliper (passenger) might be sticking - either the caliper pins need to be cleaned and lubed, or you have a caliper piston that is sticking.
(It could also be a kinked brake line - but its much less likely than the first two suggestions).

 

There's no reason you have to just accept the shakes and live with it (well, depending on how much $$ you want to spend to fix it).

Things that need to be in order to eliminate shakes:
Wheel balance
Tire pressure
Tire condition
Alignment
Brake rotor runout
Brake rotor balance
Wheel mounting (hubcentric rings on aftermarket wheels)
Suspension in proper condition (struts, bushings, tie rods, ball joints)

A properly maintained and set up car will not shake.

 

Damn right. In addition to everything that mzmtg said, you also might want to check your wheel bearings, and give your CV boots a good look over as well. My car is going to hit 200,000 miles before the year's end, and I STILL get surprised at how smooth she is at 80, 90, or 100 mph.

Does it do it everywhere? It might be the road surface...I noticed my car shakes on specific turns or stretches of here and there...but the other family cars do exactly the same thing in the same places.

 

Same here. 201k miles and smooth sailing.