When to change rotors?
 

Getting ready to change brakes... Just wondering when is it time to change rotors?

Any comments will help. Thanks in advance.

When they crack, which will probably never happen with street driving. Turning rotors is a waste of money. Just change the pads.


Oli

When you take the rotors to be turned the shop should be able to tell you if they are still within the manufacturer's spec for rotor thickness.

I tell ya, turning them is a waste of money. The pads score the surface all over again, especially if you are running a performance pad.

:iagree:

How many miles do you have on the current set of pads and rotors - are they the original?

Turning the rotors is old school and with the new materials that are being used on the rotors not the best idea - you can just put new pads - BUTT - the best route would be to put new rotors on as well as new pads - rotors wear down as well as the pads and sometimes when to turn them they can warp easier and you'll end up replacing them anyway - just do it right and replace both!

It's only money that going to stop you! :lol: :lol: :lol:

If you don't track the car and it is used primarily for street driving both normal and some aggressive driving (come on you have too) you can run a ceramic pad, there quiet and almost dust free.

Going fast means nothing when you can't stop - don't over look the most important system on the car!

I run my 2002 Z06 in the Corvette Challenge besides street use. I will EASILY go through a set of front pads in three track days. I ALWAYS check the rotors for cracks etc.and if they look OK I install new pads only. It is best to stick with the same pad material as this is what is already bedded to your rotors. Bedding rotors and pad is another subject that you should read up on. I am on my third set of pads on my current rotors and they are showing some wear but are still in good shape. In time you will see rotor wear that you can monitor by the outer rotor lip where the pad doesn't make contact on the rotor, now if this becomes excessive you may need to replace the rotor. As the rotor becomes thinner it looses it's ability to conduct away the heat and your brakes will become less efficient. The same with pads as they wear down they will become less effective in dissipating the heat and loose some grip. Now if you see a crack extending to the outer edge of the rotor "change it out immediately" as this is serious. If all you see are small heat checking on the rotor face just watch that none extends to the outer edge and you should be OK.

Change the rotors if they are a) Badly grooved. b)cracked. c) less than the minimum thickness.

Rotor min thickness on C6 base rotors:

Front: 1.19" or 30.3mm
Rear: 0.965" or 24.5mm

It's so cheap to change ALL the rotors and pads these days.

I just received 4 Rotors (Front and Rear - Drilled and Slotted with zinc coating) and ALL the pads (Ceramic) for $180 Shipped to my door from Brakemotive.

Brakemotive is a vendor on this forum and they are awesome and will promptly reply to your PM's.

How can you beat $180 for ALL ROTORS AND ALL PADS ?

I'm going to change mine this weekend weather permitting.

I'm looking forward to the new look of drilled and slotted rotors. Im putting polished Stainless Steel Pad covers on and re-painting the calipers and brackets too.