shakes when I break

Yeah, it rhymes and I didn't even start out doing that *grin*....

My '99 Forrester has been just wonderful...however, over the last month or two I've noticed whe breaking at times (mid-speed, higher than 15 , lower than 55) there is a distinct shake in the steering wheel....

Allignment ? Something else ?

Reply to
Jerseyj
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There is a very good chance that your front rotors have become warped. Two of my older Subarus had developed this syndrome, as heat dissapation seems to be a problem for Soobs. If it turns out this is the problem, I would recommend investing in a set of slotted/ cross-drilled rotors.

Does this sound reasonable to others?...Carl1luckytexan?

Reply to
j

That is probably the problem. I have had it happen on several cars over the years. New rotors is better than turned ones.

Don D.

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Reply to
Don

I had a similar problem with my 95 Impreza, replaced the front rotors and the problem went away.

A friend suggested that the warping was caused by "coming to a stop, thus heating the brake discs, then standing with the brakes applied, allowing most of the disc to cool without allowing the site of the pad to cool." He recommended stopping, shifting into neutral, and standing without the brakes until the light turns green. It might be a possiblity, I don?t have the patience to try it.

Reply to
Bredehoft

Yes, it does. I have also found bad tires to cause the same thing. The difference is often whether or not the tires are getting 'old' (not so much in wear - but in years too.) 'Warped' rotors are also likely to be felt as a pulsation in the brake pedal. THAT is very likely to be warped rotors. Since you have a '99, you tires can't really be 'old', so unless you have tires that are getting worn, have never been rotated, etc. ,you probably need to have the rotors turned or replaced. In an effort to keep unsprung weight to a minimun, nowadays rotors are somewhat less 'beefy' and if they have been turned before you may need new ones. Also, some folks have reported that, severely heated/warped rotors are likely to go bad again after being turned. I would probably opt for an entire brake rebuild with new rotors. If you want a little higher performance, get slotted rotors. Factory replacemnets will likely give you the quietest and most durable combination of rotor/pads. After markets like stoptech, brembo, Axxis, EBC ,etc. are good too - but may be noisy or decrease rotor life and are more for 'track' or high performance driving. Stoptech has some interesting reading on 'warped' rotors at their website that corresponds to what another post mentioned about applying the brakes and holding them following a hard stop.

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Bottom line - most likely rotors - most likely the fronts.

Carl

1 Lucky Texan
Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Front brakes. If there's enough metal left, you can have the rotors ground for a nominal cost. On a '99 my guess is that you'll need new rotors -- probably about $300-$400 at dealer.

Reply to
lkreh

lkreh scribbled:

You can find aftermarket rotors for far less than that, every bit as good as the oem rotors.

Reply to
MK IV

This is likely to have one of two causes:

1) Unbalanced wheels caused by tire wear or mud/debris lodged inside the wheel.

2) Subaru OEM brake pads use an organic binder that will cook out and deposit on the rotors after a full stop from high speed. Resurfacing or replacing the rotors will work until the next time the brakes are heated up. Aftermarket performance pads (I use Hawk street Performance Pads) can fix the problem and improve the brake feel.

I had assumed the pulsing was due to warped rotors and got very frustrated after getting them turned several times, only to have the problem reappear. I had also assumed that the mushy, vague feel was due to hoses and/or calipers, but the change with good pads was a night vs. day difference.

Reply to
Alan Ronemus

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice.

Reply to
Jerseyj

This has also been a recurring problem with my '97 legacy. My question is: Is is a safety issue or just annoying because of the feel?

Reply to
Jim

Loosen and then torque all the lugnuts equally with a good torque wrench before you buy new rotors.

Reply to
Rat

Someone posted an excellent article about his *MOST* modern-day rotor "warping" is actually caused by cementite deposits on the rotors caused by crappy heat dissipation since we're not making pads from asbestos anymore.

The best way to deal with this is apparently to make sure that the pads, after a particularly rough braking session, aren't allowed to cool while pressed against the same section of rotor for a prolonged period of time (like at a stop light.)

Reply to
k. ote

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