My Max vibrates when braking but the pads seem ok as there is plenty of stopping power. Am I right in think the rotors are probably warped? What is a typical lifespan for a front rotor on a Max? This is a '17 with 25000km.

 

I have never had good luck with OEM Nissan Rotors......every Nissan I have ever known has had pulsation issues early on. Some replaced under warranty (Which did the same thing) some not. replaced by Nissan... I replace rotors every time I do brakes

 

Any recommendations for good replacement rotors (in Canada) that aren't too expensive?

 

I have had good luck with Wagner Rotors from Rock Auto. I have also bought their cheapies that last as long as the pads, they do warp after a couple years...but at that time..I replace everything. I am not a racer nor do I drive hard...so I am not sure how they would fair with a young buck heating them up from stop sign to stop sign......

 

Good guess. You are spot on. Last year I bought a fantastic brake package for my 1995 Corvette. The braking has always been crappy on this vehicle. Couldn't even get the ABS to kick in on a wet road!!! It now stops extremely quickly. What I did was go with Brake Motive. The rotors seem to be of very high quality, especially the zinc coating. I've had the rotors on the car for about a year now and there is absolutely no rust anywhere. Amazing finish. To improve stopping power even more I discarded the ceramic pads that came with the rotors and went with semi-metallics. Slightly more dust but hardly noticeable. Of course the old Corvette came with semi's originally but several years ago I got swept up in the ceramic pad craze and paid the price for not using OEM pads. As for your Max, you should go with the ceramics because that's what this car is designed for. Did I mention the rotors are drilled and slotted. If you gotta' have good braking, might as well improve the eye appeal. You just can't beat their price for this quality. When the '17 is up for new shoes I'm heading straight for these Brake Motive ones. My '07 Vette will get them as well, and soon 'cause I'm starting to feel a little steering wheel pulsation with light braking. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Rear-...63b5289550f1e7

 

sometimes, it's just the last guy didn't tighten the nuts to spec when he had your wheels off (usually overtightened by a sloppy mechanic). Have them retightened with a torque wrench before jumping to any conclusions.

 

I had my rotors resurfaced around 25k miles to correct the warping that caused noticeable vibration. Vibration occurred at low speed as the calipers made some contact with the rotors. Braking was not great, and you could feel the abs-esque pulsation through the pedal due to the warping of the rotors. Once they were resurfaced, the vibration was gone and braking was smooth and linear again. I think the factory rotors are just too thin and do not dissipate heat adequately under hard or constant braking in typical city driving conditions. I’ve had this issue on almost all of my Nissans. The best thing you can do is upgrade the rotors when it comes time to replace as others have mentioned.

 

I am the other side of the coin as far as rotors go. Never had a problem with them on any of the several Maxima's and Murano's we have had. All have gone over 100,000 miles with no rotor or brake pad issues. Traded in wife's 2011 Murano with 120,000 miles still with the original pads and yes, there was still life in them, but it was getting close. I changed the pads on my 2009 Maxima at 100,000 miles because I had them, not because they were worn out.

 

Good idea. I totally forgot about the lug nut torque.

 

i can relate to that... barely any effort removing all five nuts on front left. no more vibration on fwy.

 

Hope this works for stodge. Nice suggestion ME.

 

Interesting. Thanks!