Question on brakes

Systems"

"Carmakers almost universally recommend against machining the surfaces of brand-new rotors and drums or refinishing rotors unless they're worn or scored beyond certain limits. All carmakers do, however, specify definite surface finish requirements for rotors and drums."

January 2003, "Brake Rotor Maintenance"

"Many vehicle manufacturers have stated that the rotors on their vehicles do not require resurfacing as a matter of routine during brake pad replacement. General Motors and Ford both recommend reusing rotors "as is" if they meet specifications for minimum thickness, thickness variation, parallelism and runout, no pedal pulsation is present and they aren't badly scored. GM has also stated that rotor grooves of up to .060 inch are acceptable if the rotor meets all other specifications."

If your rotors meet the above criteria and manufacturer's specs, they are candidates for use "as-is". I don't resurface good rotors because that takes away metal that conducts heat.

OEM pads are fine if they are Akebono. NBK ones are much less satisfactory. You may get either or some other brand depending on who is the lowest bidder this round. I would order Akebono aftermarket directly.

tj wrote:

worn really thin. Since it stops smooth I was thinking of just doing pads and skipping the rotors. Any thoughts?

worn really thin. Since it stops smooth I was thinking of just doing pads and skipping the rotors. Any thoughts?

Generally, Toyota specifies 10-12MM of thickness as a minimum. Take a 12MM wrench, if it doesn't slip over the rotor you're good to go.

Also, if the rotor is grooved, it SHOULD be machined or replaced, but I just did the pads on my Supra (14mm thickness and a groove around the lip...) and they work fine. Be aware, though, if you do this the pads will wear more quickly.

yup just replace the pads - grease the pins when ya put it back together. "tj" wrote in message news:aGG_e.15921$ snipped-for-privacy@twister.nyroc.rr.com... I am about to do front brakes on my Camry. It stops nice, but the pads are worn really thin. Since it stops smooth I was thinking of just doing pads and skipping the rotors. Any thoughts?

While just replacing the pads will work; keep in mind that: Rotors wear more than just a groove. they may be thinner at the edge than the middle A new set of pads on a glazed rotor may squeal, so you have to take them off again and turn them anyway. Rotors that have a slight warp may not be felt with the old pads but can be felt with the new pads.

The ASE standard it to measure every conceivable angle and check them before deciding to turn the rotors. I have long changed my attitude that rotors are going to wear; if done properly you get 2 or 3 pad sets off a rotor and that it's a small expense to turn them during the brake work and replace them when necessary. I prefer to do the brake job once.

Hey, Steve:

on my Supra, i did the fronts, complete: new rotors, new pads, new calipers.

The car is being put up for the winter either next week or the week after, but I had some squealing, so I just did the rear pads. New pads and bled the system. Left the old rotors.

Went for a nice autumn ride, hit the brakes and discovered it was the FRONTS that were squealing!!! The rears work fine, BTW...

Brakes are like that, I just redid the fronts on my Taurus and is noisy. As it is a work car, I'll fiddle with it later. I now the braking action is good.

On your car; what brand pads? I prefer Wagner thermo quiets. Harder pads squeal more often. Did you lube the back of the pads or even glue them? Squeal is caused by the pads vibrating in the brackets. Anti rattle springs or clips in place? I prefer not to use the multi layered shims in the pads; I've seen too many slip out so I remove all of them and glue the pads in. Did the rotors have a "crosshatching" finish (non-directional) or did they look like they just came off the lathe? On a Volvo we use OEM parts when the customer can afford them for that is the only way to guarantee no squeal.

But on Volvo's VW's BMW's the rotors wear as fast as the pads made of a real soft metal Expect to see this more and more American and jap cars too. On my "new" camery the brakes are starting to get noisy and it's still factory OEM