Tire swap side to side?
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,415
Likes: 24,798
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
With the staggered setup, there is no rotating of the tires on the C5. And my current tires are directional in nature, so swapping side to side isn't an option either.
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; Nov 15, 2015 at 10:41 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5,278
Likes: 539
From: Kelowna BC
AFAIK you never swap sides. On my 325i, even though they are same size F/B you still don't rotate.
P.S. How do you know a rotor is causing the problem?
P.S. How do you know a rotor is causing the problem?
Last edited by grantv; Nov 15, 2015 at 10:43 PM.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 714
Likes: 104
From: Springfield Ohio
If your tires don't have a directional tread, they can be rotated side to side without any problems. Directional tires will normally have an arrow on the sidewall that indicates the direction the tire should rotate. Not all performance tires are directional so you'll have to look at what you have.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 477
Likes: 48
I had a pulse in my brakes that was due to warped front rotors. They are pretty easy to change out with the right tools and proper jacking procedures. The very first brake job I ever did was on my Vette. Check out the info on this forum and watch the videos on Youtube. I switched out the rotors ,and pads along with painting the calipers all at the same time.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 54
From: Raleigh NC
If you can do brake pads then you can swap rotors. Its two more bolts for the caliper brackets and walla....they come off. Its most likely your front rotors that need to be replaced. They will "pulsate" coming to a stop light when they need to be replaced.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,990
Likes: 346
From: Mt. Pleasant S.C.
If you have directional tires you can take them off the wheels, flip them, then put them on the same wheels and then on the opposite sides of the car from where they were. The inner sides will become the outer sides, and they will be correct rotationally.
Why do that? If you're running a ton of camber or some crazy toe out setup that's wearing the inner or the outer of the tire more than the other doing this can prolong the life of the tires considerably. If you're getting even wear there however, there is no reason or advantage to doing it.
Why do that? If you're running a ton of camber or some crazy toe out setup that's wearing the inner or the outer of the tire more than the other doing this can prolong the life of the tires considerably. If you're getting even wear there however, there is no reason or advantage to doing it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,008
Likes: 57
From: Kensington MD
Before buying new rotors, buy a sanding disc for your cordless drill and go to town on your existing rotors. What people think is pulsing from warped rotors is most often just uneven pad deposits on the rotor face.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 54
From: Raleigh NC
As cheap as rotors are for this car why waste the time though IMHO. AND our stock rotors are known for cracking. If it were me id just swap them out.
I remember when the rotors for these cars were around $30-40 a piece. Looks like they are around $50 a piece now
. Still not bad though
I remember when the rotors for these cars were around $30-40 a piece. Looks like they are around $50 a piece now
. Still not bad though
Last edited by Johnny wangwang; Nov 16, 2015 at 10:00 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,375
Likes: 426
You need to take the front rims off and bring them to a tire shop where they will swap the tires side to side and re-balance them. You should do it about every 10K.
With normal wheel alignment our cars scrub off the insides of the tread way earlier than you expect. You can have the car re-aligned to not wear the tires so hard but then the steering is a little more "dead" - and then why are you driving a Corvette?
I've never had to do that with the rears.
With normal wheel alignment our cars scrub off the insides of the tread way earlier than you expect. You can have the car re-aligned to not wear the tires so hard but then the steering is a little more "dead" - and then why are you driving a Corvette?
I've never had to do that with the rears.
Last edited by johnson-rod; Nov 16, 2015 at 12:29 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 54
From: Raleigh NC
They are the same price....go to the napa website. Take your pick. Drilled rotors crack faster. Blank rotors hold heat better and crack slower. Eventually if you do any hard braking...they all crack and will have to be replaced. Or go to pepboys. Think they have 10% off right now.
Last edited by Johnny wangwang; Nov 16, 2015 at 06:26 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,862
Likes: 594
From: Prescott, Arizona
I agree with huesmann that the pulsing could be due to uneven pad deposits on the rotors.
Check stoptech.com and go to their technical support and to white papers for a good description of uneven pad deposits and how to remove them
Check stoptech.com and go to their technical support and to white papers for a good description of uneven pad deposits and how to remove them
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,375
Likes: 426
Take the car up to about 60-65mph and bring it down to about 25mph HARD. Not panic stop - just HARD. Do this about 4 or 5 times to get the brakes really hot.
Then let them cool down by driving normally. Don't just pull over and stop. Let them cool down naturally.
You are burning and scraping the build up of junk from the pads off of the rotors. Half the time that is what is causing the chatter not the actual rotor.
Also - loosen and re-torque your lug nuts with a real torque wrench. Wheels and rotors now are a lot thinner than the old days when you could crank them down with an impact wrench. I think ours are supposed to be 100 to 110 ft/lbs. Do them in a star pattern. Give this a little time to work - like days. And always do this from now on. Especially after visiting a tire shop. Especially.
Hope this helps.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,990
Likes: 346
From: Mt. Pleasant S.C.
This might be a stretch, but I've seen it happen twice over the years. If the rotors are original and never been off the car they'll have a little star clip on one lug stud. Factory wheels will normally clear this clip. But sometimes a worn out factory wheel or a lot of aftermarket wheels will sit a little funny on that clip and the wheel will never roll true. That will make a slight vibration which will feel like an untrue rotor.