Okay, I have been having some steering wheel vibrations in my car when I brake and I have seen that a good number of people from the 5th generation forum also have this problem where they have steering wheel vibration when they brake--somewhere between 50-70 mph. Many have said that it is a rotor problem on the board. So, today I called midas and explained my problem to them--and they said that they need to put in new pads in order to resurface the rotors--is that true? or are they trying to rip me off? This means that they would be charging me for pads that I really don't need since these pad went in about 5K ago.

And I am curious, do any of you guys have this problem where when you brake at higher speeds (say 70mph) your steering wheel vibrates-- is this a problem with poor nissan rotors or is this a symptom of more severe suspension problems? (which I don't think it is).

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Brian

 

rule one...midas is a rip off!!!
i've done my own brakes and i can brake from 70+ and it's a smooth stop.
most shops will sell u the pads to get $$. generally you can sand down the pad a little so they are not shiny and install them on to the freshly "turned" rotors. generally cutting will decrease the life of your rotor and it will warp faster since there's less material on the rotor.
if u have the cash and don't want to mess around go out and get some bendix rotors and slap them on the car. your brakes should be smoooth. how old are your current rotors?
if they are old then just swap them out.
Dan

 

All you need is to have your rotors turned. If you are comfortable taking it ooff yourself, take it off, go to HiLo or what not, they turn it for like $10 a piece.

-Shing

 

Shing--DanNy??
I can go to my local mechanic and have him do it--I wouldn't mind doing it myself either, but it is hard for me to safely jack up the car--
so I wouldn't really need to have my rotors resurface then? just to have it turned? meaning--inside out?

these rotors are the original rotors from my 97Gle...so it has been almost 4 years now---and my car has 30K on it so far.

how long do brake rotors last generall? 100K? or am I kidding myself?

thanks for the advice guys.

 

$10 A ROTOR?? Man, that's CHEAP! Normally shops charge $30-50 per rotor to turn them.

 

"Turning the rotor" is the same thing as resurfacing. They put it on machine that will cut it, so the braking surface would be flat and smooth and vibration free.

Rotors would last a while, but I think Nissan under sized them in themaxima.

-Shing

 

A perfect rotor would be flat and have the same thickness at all points. When they are manufactured the final machining operation is grinding, because this is the most precise way to get them flat, equally thick and the best surface finish. (The most common way to resurface rotors is with a cutting bit, which is the same as a lathe.) There are residual stresses in the rotor when it is first made. When you use the brakes the rotors heat up, and if they get hot enough, when they cool down the stress is relieved, but they are warped. When they warp (no longer flat) the caliper is forced to move from side to side, and this is the shaking you feel. Now, the caliper is a floating style: it can slide from side to side on guide pins. If the warping is not too severe, they will slide back and forth with very little shaking in the steering wheel. (There is a specification on the rotors for how warped they can be.) The grease on the pins can dried out, or stickey, from the high heat and all the caliper movement is transmitted to the steering making the shake much worse. (I've had this happen with Nissan brakes.) Cleaning, and re-greasing these pins can reduce the shake a great deal.
I should also mention that when pads are replaced, and the rotors aren't reground (turned on a rotor lathe doesn't count) the pads do not make full contact with the rotor. This makes some parts of the rotors hotter than others (the pads too) and can increase the likelyhood of warping the rotors (and also glazing the pads). After brakes are replaced they have to be bedded in. Stopping several times from moderate speed (~40MPH) and letting the brakes cool down between stops is the way to do this.

 

So from all the feedback of you guys (thank you very much, by the way, you guys have been very educational)--it seems that I need to go have these rotor check out. They aren't that old --and I guess there shouldn't be to much problem in getting them resurfaced--

I guess also, then, I can stick with these pads that were put in? I figure it this way--since these vibrations don't really come around until 70+ miles, other than the annoying squealing, then I can live with it for some time and see how it becomes.

Does anyone know a good place for brake work in the NYC area that they have had a good experience with?

thanks agian.

=)

 

that since the steering wheel vibration doesn't arise until higher speeds (70+ mph), then it shouldn't be a suspension problem? and I can safely say it is of the brakes that are the cause of this problem... (??)