Not to kick a dead cat again but.......Okay, there is a lot of discusion on resurfacing the rotors when replacing the pads, or not. I know the arguments on both sides and have probably read every post on the subject (including timzcats sticky). Im leaning towards not doing it as long as there are not any obvious signs of irregular wear.

Here is what I want to know.......has anybody not resurfaced the rotor and HAD a problem?????

 

Dont resurface the rotor unless you have that "pulsation" thing happening. Resurfacing the rotor just because you are changing pads is silly. I resurfaced my front rotors because they were pulsating, but I did not resurface the rears.

 

Yeah, unless there is a obvious need to do so I wouldn't. Remember that when you shave the rotor down your taking away its thickness and ability to absorb/dissipate heat. The rotor can heat up faster and have a higher chance of warping than before it was shaved. Many times the pulsating you feel is built up pad material on the rotor. Sometimes you can sand it down by hand with sandpaper, re-bed the pads, and their smooth again.

 

well if it's of any comfort, I put Ferodo 2500 (ALL 4 sides) 3 weeks ago without resurfacing or sanding the rotor. There is absolutely no pulsation. I did bed the pads though. Also I did not have any pulsation with the old stock pads either.

 

I would personally re-surface rotors on every brake job.

You don't know if the rotor has run-out just by looking at it. Even if you don't see any gouges or grooves in the rotor it's still not the same as re-surfacing it flat .

If the mechanic knows how to cut rotors, he should not cut more than .004 on each side. That's .008 on both side of each rotor. That's probably half the thickness of a Dime ( 10 cents ).
Don't cheap out or slack of. Do it right the first time.
After you've done the job. You'll have that piece of mind that you did it right.

 

Nad,

An on-car resurface (really the only way to straighten things up) on an EVO is expensive, and in some cases hard to find a tech. to do it right.

Most of the time, a good, and slightly agressive pad will chew on the rotor just enough to take the warp out / brakepad buildup. I stomp on my stocker pads like once every two months, and the high speed pulse is taken right out.

For your statement, how would a rotor that is cut well from the beginning (as with most EVOs out there) 'run-out' over time?

0.02

jcnel.

 

You can cut our rotors on a conventional lathe. Just make sure everything is clean and free of rust. Which shouldn't be a problem on a one year old car.

In time, rotors will not hold up continued high speed stops and stay true. Weather always plays a role. If it's 20 degrees out and your out for a little run, then stop and park it outside. Rotors are metal, they constantly change temperature. Where it be 300+ degrees of hot braking or just Ambient temperatures.

They will always have run-out after so many miles of driving. where it be .001 or .018. Haven't seen one that held true before doing a brake job.

 

The service manual recommends resurfacing when replacing the pads. This supposed to be done on the car, not on a lathe.