AKAICEBERG

The subject says it all. I just changed out my pads and my good friend Bryan online told me that the rotors really needed to be resurfaced. I know that if the rotors are warped, etc. that the new pads will take that form.

I called my local Pep Boys and they wanted $36/side to take the rotors off and resurface. If I bring them in..its only $7/rotor. Problem is that my max is my only means of transportation.

How critical is it to resurface the rotors after a pad change??

Thanks

Dario

iTrader: (1)

well i was told this analogy

"its like taking a shower and not changing ur underwear"

now on a serious note, i wouldnt think its THAT critical but if u had some uneven spots in ur rotors than ur pads may wear unevenly. i always get mine re-surfaced when i get the brakes done.

KL99SEA

iTrader: (1)

Yes it is a good idea to have them surfaced. I have done probably a half dozen of my past cars without doing it....if they are not warped or grooved I can tell you you'll be fine. I always replaced pads before they damaged the rotors. For $7 if mine had shown wear or were warped I'd do it in a second.

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

http://www.braketru.com/

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Great tool Ben!

You should only resurface your rotors if they are pulsating, vibrating or show signs of glazing or scoring on the surface.

Don't take material off if it's not necessary, your only shortening the life of the rotor.

A quick scuff with some med grit emery paper will do just just fine when you put new pads on, but even that isn't really necessary if your rotors look and feel good.

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

i would disagree...normally when the old pads come off the rotor the rotor is shiney and smooth (a good rotor..not grooved, overheated or warped).

what you need to do and what every brake pad manufacturer tells u to do is to break that glaze. rough it up a little so the new pads have something to bite on and can break in.

even if the rotor looks and feel good (how do u know how a rotor feels? )...most of the time you'll need to do some kind of scuffing to break that shine.

MAXimumHP

iTrader: (7)

Whats the deal with these things? Are they any good? Anyone know?

BrianV

iTrader: (9)

Both bring up good points. I used to always believe that you should always resurface your rotors, but last time I did not because I needed to get my car on the highway but nightfall and all the places were closed. I haven't seen any negative effects of this at all, but they were just resurfaced like 20K before the last change.

Anyways, the theory is that your pads and rotors sort of mesh together. The pad's imperfections create grooves and blemishes in the rotor. The pad and rotor fit well together and provide stopping performance via pad to rotor surface contact. By putting new pads on you have an unmated rotor with inconsistent grooves and a new pad that has it's imperfections. The two don't line up and mesh very well which means you have less stopping power because there is less physical contact due to the pieces not fitting together as well. Overtime they will mend to each other, but if you're rotors were really grooved from the old pads it could take forever.

I will probably resurface every other time from now on and I will resurface it as many times as I can before replacing the actual rotor. I would only buy higher quality pads, they make a difference in many ways, noise, dust, longevity, rotor wear, and braking performance.

Frank Fontaine

Look pretty hokey to me. They get really wild claiming those cheap a** things work better than a lathe. who needs machinists? All you need is $19.95

Back to the main topic, I've done many pads without turning the rotors. Technically you may wear the pads faster, but when they're lasting 65k a pop, wearing them faster is splitting hairs. If you got pulsation, by all means, you need to turn em.

AKAICEBERG

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back with a reply, but this server is really hard to access. I can't believe the traffic this site gets!!

Anyway...I really appreciate all the responces. I have never experienced any pulsating, vibrating, or scoring from the rotors. I think I will try and scuff the rotors up a little to get the pads seated and broken in.

Thanks again,
Kevin

Maximax2

I've always heard that you should, but on the '95 did every other time I changed the pads (of course, I was burning through brake pads in about 20k...). BTW, taking the rotors off yourself is VERY easy, and then the charge for resurfacing is usually $8 per side. You will need a big breaker bar (long socket wrench) though, because the big bolts on the caliper supports are hard to start.