Brake rotors warp when hot
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 671
Likes: 10
From: Tulsa OK
Brake rotors warp when hot
I just returned from a 4,400 mile road trip in my '02 auto where we crossed the Rockies a couple of times. At one point on a 100+ degree day, on a 10 miles down hill run, the brake pedal felt like a brake rotor had warped. I down shifted, and tried to let the brakes cool as much as possible. Sure enough, when the road leveled off and the brakes cooled down, everything was as normal. The brakes are original with 38k miles of easy life on them but they didn't instill confidence so a change is coming.
Any suggestions as to what brakes might prevent this temporary warping in the future. I'm sure had I been driving a 6 speed, I would have had enough engine braking to prevent this problem. Trading cars is out of the question.
Thanks for your input and suggestions.
Okie
Any suggestions as to what brakes might prevent this temporary warping in the future. I'm sure had I been driving a 6 speed, I would have had enough engine braking to prevent this problem. Trading cars is out of the question.
Thanks for your input and suggestions.
Okie
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 593
Likes: 9
From: San Antonio Texas
Hi Oakie;
I am not a brake expert but I can assure you that if your rotors warped on a down hill they would have remained warped when you leveled out. What you experienced was likely brake fade where the rotors were hot and the friction material on the pads began to reach their maximum potential. The vibration or shaking that occured was the pad grabbing and releasing on the rotor as it rotated.
When they cooled they returned to their normal state. I would have a reputable service person inspect your pads and rotors and give you some advice as to how much remaining life you may have on your brakes. There are many combinations of brake material and rotors from which to choose and many threads on this forum will give you all the data you need to make a good decision. Good Luck!
I am not a brake expert but I can assure you that if your rotors warped on a down hill they would have remained warped when you leveled out. What you experienced was likely brake fade where the rotors were hot and the friction material on the pads began to reach their maximum potential. The vibration or shaking that occured was the pad grabbing and releasing on the rotor as it rotated.
When they cooled they returned to their normal state. I would have a reputable service person inspect your pads and rotors and give you some advice as to how much remaining life you may have on your brakes. There are many combinations of brake material and rotors from which to choose and many threads on this forum will give you all the data you need to make a good decision. Good Luck!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 671
Likes: 10
From: Tulsa OK
Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments and as I mentioned, brake changes are a comin'. I usually get at least 50k miles out of the original pads & rotors but the Corvette is geared high enough with the auto, that there is very little engine braking to help the brakes in routine or mountain driving. I will probably go with the drilled & slotted rotors that seem to be the "standard" replacement on the Forum.
Okie
Okie
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,213
Likes: 135
From: In front!
Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments and as I mentioned, brake changes are a comin'. I usually get at least 50k miles out of the original pads & rotors but the Corvette is geared high enough with the auto, that there is very little engine braking to help the brakes in routine or mountain driving. I will probably go with the drilled & slotted rotors that seem to be the "standard" replacement on the Forum.
Okie
Okie
You would be wrong. The physics behind why the slots or holes are there is quite simple. Now, for normal every day driving, you are not really going to reap the benefits; however, when you start hard braking, that is where the difference comes into play. Heat is evacuated faster. Not all rotors are created equal though. There is a reason why my 4 piston Stop Techs on my Viper will out brake the C6ZO6's 6 piston setup. That is more of a caliper thing but my rotors are of a higher quality as well!
Look at it another way, all the top braking systems on the top production cars in the world are drilled and/or slotted. The GT class at Lemans have drilled/slotted rotors. Trust me, they are not doing it just for looks.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,642
Likes: 1
From: Ca.
You would be wrong. The physics behind why the slots or holes are there is quite simple. Now, for normal every day driving, you are not really going to reap the benefits; however, when you start hard braking, that is where the difference comes into play. Heat is evacuated faster. Not all rotors are created equal though. There is a reason why my 4 piston Stop Techs on my Viper will out brake the C6ZO6's 6 piston setup. That is more of a caliper thing but my rotors are of a higher quality as well!
Look at it another way, all the top braking systems on the top production cars in the world are drilled and/or slotted. The GT class at Lemans have drilled/slotted rotors. Trust me, they are not doing it just for looks.
I'm not about to repeat all that has been said numerous times before.
I just disagree as do the many people who race corvettes..
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
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
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
Slotted rotors: cure for the commom pulsations
Here's my story of brake pulsation woe and how I fixed it, forever:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ulsations.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ulsations.html
Race Director
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 15,768
Likes: 3,283
From: Phoenix area, AZ
Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments and as I mentioned, brake changes are a comin'. I usually get at least 50k miles out of the original pads & rotors but the Corvette is geared high enough with the auto, that there is very little engine braking to help the brakes in routine or mountain driving. I will probably go with the drilled & slotted rotors that seem to be the "standard" replacement on the Forum.
Okie
Okie
Here's the link: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...9-shipped.html
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 10
From: Charleston, SC
I can't agree more with this statement. Good quality brake rotors are not cheap but you will be glad you spent the extra money.
You would be wrong. The physics behind why the slots or holes are there is quite simple. Now, for normal every day driving, you are not really going to reap the benefits; however, when you start hard braking, that is where the difference comes into play. Heat is evacuated faster. Not all rotors are created equal though. There is a reason why my 4 piston Stop Techs on my Viper will out brake the C6ZO6's 6 piston setup. That is more of a caliper thing but my rotors are of a higher quality as well!
Look at it another way, all the top braking systems on the top production cars in the world are drilled and/or slotted. The GT class at Lemans have drilled/slotted rotors. Trust me, they are not doing it just for looks.
You would be wrong. The physics behind why the slots or holes are there is quite simple. Now, for normal every day driving, you are not really going to reap the benefits; however, when you start hard braking, that is where the difference comes into play. Heat is evacuated faster. Not all rotors are created equal though. There is a reason why my 4 piston Stop Techs on my Viper will out brake the C6ZO6's 6 piston setup. That is more of a caliper thing but my rotors are of a higher quality as well!
Look at it another way, all the top braking systems on the top production cars in the world are drilled and/or slotted. The GT class at Lemans have drilled/slotted rotors. Trust me, they are not doing it just for looks.
Is this the GT class you are talking about?
Maybe it was these?
Last edited by AngryTurtle; Jul 4, 2012 at 07:38 PM.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 588
Likes: 1
From: Santa Ynez Ca.
Like others have said the debate rages on but I know when I replaced my stock ZO6 rotors with the drilled and slotted Baer I immediately noticed an improvement in the braking response. Everybody makes their own choices but I'm glad I installed the Baer rotors, even though they cost about $1300 when I purchased them in '02.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
Actually, there was an article in Car & Driver magazine a while back that compared stock cars to their racing counterparts and just about every racing version had slotted-only rotors. The Viper ACR had slotted-only and so did the first Cadillac CTS-V. Manufacturers equip some of their sports cars with drilled rotors because that's what the buyers (who don't realize that racers are shunning drilled holes) want. That is okay as long as the rotor is oversized to compensate for the reduction in surface area. Unfortunately, if you replace your blank rotors with drilled/slotted rotors, your braking surface area will be reduced by up to 30%. Remove the holes and the reduction is only 4%. That's an acceptable tradeoff for the elimination of pedal pulsations due t uneven pad deposits.