I just had my 3rd set of rotors put on my Max...yep, 3rd set(fronts that is)

Had my OEM ones cut twice before they gave up the ghost at around 62K....had a local mechanic put on some good American made rotors(he said they were Bendix but the box they came out of said "Qualitee" or something like that....anyways they seemed great for about 1000 miles and then the unmistakable vibe of warpage came back....

Brought it back to him and stated my case....he took care of me and put brand new Bendix(I saw the Bendix boxes this time)rotors...yay I am happy...for now.

He told me that the warpage is being caused by the design of the 5th gen rims....something about the long skinny spokes are not strong enough to handle the big heavy tires etc...everytime tou hit a pothole etc, the rim bends ever so slightly and this causes the rotors to warp over time...actually this is what the Parts guy told him...said it is happening on the the new Caddys also...

Could explain why my rotors warped so soon after being replaced?

What do you guys think? Why else would my rotros have been warped after a 1000 miles or so....I guess I'll see what happens with this set....

 

i doubt the rims are "bending." if so...it would be a huge prob. the wheels/tires would get out of balance. you would feel it as your drove...not only when you braked.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....rotor+AND+warp


something about rotor warpage.

 

this is total BS. I had my steel wheels for first 25K miles on my GXE, and went through my 2nd set. Just make sure you torque your lug nuts to 80-85lb/ft, no more.

 

Time for Stillen rotors bud! I have had a very hard time trying to warp these things!!!

 

The factory rotors just sux... Definitely go with the cross drilled, or both the cross drilled/slotted.. They'll last you a bit longer..

 

street cars...check many posts on this subject...most good specialty brake houses (Precision, FastBrakes, etc)do NOT recommend cross-drilled rotors for street use. Slotted yes, cross-drilled no.

 

Is there a direct replacement slotted rotor for 5th gens, specifically the front? I've only heard of x-drilled ones or the x-drilled and slotted version.

 

distributor for DBA (Disk Brakes Australia) and they do have a replacement rotor (MUCH better than OEM) for the Max. And they will slot it for u at a nominal charge

 

the ONLY contribution to rotor warpage with OEM rims would be the astronomical rotational weight and the lack of cooling with the somewhat closed spoke design

 

actually.....rims with wide opening can contribute to rotor warpage as well....if there is too much cooling and too much exposure to wind/water, it is not good for the rotors to undergo extreme temperature change.

 

I think you've got that backwards. Everybody at the tracks run slotted. The x-drilled rotors were splitting when used in extream conditions such as auto crossing. They can't take the heat, but on the street you don't generate as much heat and the x-drilling helps keep them cool, thus preventing them from warping.

Thats what I've heard from my buddies who auto cross and thats what I've seen on their cars.

Porsche is a street performance car, what's on them?? X-drilled!

 

I think the $200 set of dimpled and slotted rotors from Raceconcepts are available as slotted only.
Cross-drilled/slotted rotors front and rear for $200
Cross Drille/Slotted Rotors ORDERING INFO!!!

 

Thanks 4Real, I'll give them a shout out today and find out. That would be nice as those dimples don't seem to have much value add over slotting alone. Thanks to you to Galo for your info! Now to figure out which pads to get....

 

Just don't race with cross-drilled rotors. I cracked and warped mine within 2 months

Cross-drilled just aren't for racing. For street use though they're great.

 

By the end of the month, I'll have a set of 4 f&r dimpled/slotted rotors for sale. The rotors are by raceconcepts. They'll have about 750 miles on them by the time I remove the set. Nothing wrong with them. Just a bit too noisy for me. The dimples reflect a buzzing sound as the pad crosses over the dimples. Switching them left to right may reduce the buzz, its all relative to your preference. If the dimples were cross drilled through the rotor, the sound would escape through the hole and be quieter. I had the dimples & slots oriented to vent heat to the outer perimeter/diameter of the rotor. This orients the dimples 4-in-a-row crossing the pad which causes the buzzing. I'm selling the set for $100 firm + shipping. I live and work in Orange County, CA to arrange pick-up in lieu of shipping.

 

What size?

 

Probably the 2k OEM size.

 

Sounds like a great deal for someone but I've made up my mind I'm going to order the $200 set from Raceconcepts with slots ONLY and not deal with the dimples at all. Someone will likely be interested though, great deal.

 

The rotors are OEM size, direct replacement on my 2K Max SE.
I already have raceconcept, slotted only, rotors ready to replace the dimpled/slotted rotors currently on my Max. I'm not in a hurry to make a sale. Just put the word out that I have dimpled/slotted rotors w/750 miles for 50% of the original price.

 

Ahhhh, so we think alike...that could be an insult to you but its ok! Care to let me know what pads you're using? I've sent an email to Carbotech inquiring about some of their carbon based blends and will probably balance that against the MaximaDriver.com special on Porterfield R4S pads and pick from those.

 

I used Raybestos PG Plus pads with the dimpled/slotted rotors. The pads are pretty good, but probably better suited to stock rotors. A little too soft for grooved rotors.
I'll install Raybestos Quiet Stop pads with the slotted rotors. They look more durable than the PG Plus pads, the compound appears to be harder. I think it will be a good combination.
http://www.raybestos.com/quietstop.htm

 

...This story is total crap. The mechanic is feeding you a line of bull. There are cars with rims WAYYYY more slender than ours that don't have this problem, the problem is with the rotor. However, there are two bad conditions that will make even the best rotors warp over time:

1) Excessive temp. change (going from really hot to really cold too quick) like when you have been driving like a maniac (like we all do at times) and then go get a nice car wash with the high pressure 'wheel wash'... That cold water on your exposed (hot) rotors is a physics NIGHTMARE!

2) Overtightened rims. Torque to 80 or 85, avoid cold water on your rims/rotors after 'sprited' driving, and you'll save yourself a lot of rotor induced ulcers...

 

There's another reason for warped rotors that hasn't been mentioned. What happens when someone drives on the freeway and heats well the brakes, then exits and stops at the intersection? Most people with autos just press their brakes while keeping the car in D, so the rotor doesn't get to release heat uniformly and warps. I believe this warping is a lot more common in autos compared to properly driven manual cars where you can coast to stop and keep the car in neutral at stop lights.

 

i think mathew's got the answer about over-tightening.. my max also has rotor problems (steering wheel shakes like crazy when i brake..the faster i'm going, the worse it is).

my friend who has an auto shop says that you should ALWAYS torque the wheels on. he uses a torque limiter on his impact gun. when i was at pepboys a little while ago, i saw a sign on a clip board w/ large letters telling the workers to "NEVER USE AN IMPACT GUN TO INSTALL WHEELS".

kafene.

 

You beat me too it. I completely agree with you. Many people do it and don't even realize it. If you have an auto come to a stop and then inch forward a bit and stop again. Then inch a bit more, just to keep the pad on different parts of the rotor and to keep it from effecting one spot. This is a problem that F-Body's have had for years and someone on ls1.com mentioned this. It makes sense.

 

This is one of the best explanations there is . . . Properly torqueing the rim and therefore the rotor is key to keeping the rotor from warping . . . it's a known fact.

 

Over-torqueing of the lugnuts is the most common cause of warped brake rotors I have experienced. The factory alloy wheels on my truck and the factory alloys on my Max both will warp if the knuckle-dragging drooler with the impact wrench over tightens the lug nuts. It really is a cold, barren and desolate world out there just finding a decent garage to simply change the oil and rotate the tires properly. You are better off to buy a torque wrench and do it yourself following the factory specified torque value.
...That feels better already...

 

Installed all four of those rotors on my 2K SE, and Stillen pads all over, got the pads from avalonracing.net. The whole deal will set you back about $315+. Absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend the combo.

 

I'll second that opinion.

Although I'll take the wife's minivan to NTB, I'll do the rotation on my 02 SE myself, and on my son's Civic after he buys his rims.

Even on the minivan, though, I WILL NOT leave the vehicle, I WILL watch, and I WILL be VERY EMPHATIC that they WILL NOT use an impact wrench to put the lug nuts on.

Last time that I broke my rules, the moron decided to play NASCAR with one of the wheels. A few months later, I wanted to pull the wheel for some reason, and ended up snapping two lugs and severely damaging a third, leaving two good lugs. I made NTB replace all five.

Make sure you torque them by hand, in the proper star pattern, and to the proper tightness.

If you're really paranoid, snug them up in the star pattern, then tighten to about 40lbs, continuing the pattern, then final tighten to 80lbs.