View Full Version : Warped rotors
ckss06
11-12-2006, 11:00 AM
So once again my 06 ss spent the weekend at the dealer. this time it was to replace the driver side weatherstripping and also for my wheel shakin at almost any speed. After the truck sittin there all day i finally found out that my front 2 rotors are warped and OF COURSE they dont work on saturdays so it wont be ready till monday. Anyone else experince this...only have 15,750 miles on her. They tried to tell me they were only covered for 1 year 12,000 miles and they werent gonna fix them but so then i came right back at them with...Well I bought this as a demo with 4500 miles on it so technically you have to fix it so yeah... I am gettin sick of every week goin to the dealer...
Liquiddi
11-12-2006, 11:31 AM
The truck is a POS relibility wise but it sure is fun when they are running. I'm on the same plan you are. About every other week into the dealer for something new. The quality just isn't there. The LS2 makes up for it for me though.
Fishhunter911
11-12-2006, 12:25 PM
Man I guess I got a good one. The only problems I have had is the power seat harness being to short and the input shaft seal leaking. Other then that It has been trouble free for over 23k miles. I do not baby it either.. run her hard whenever I can. SOrry to hear you guys are having all of these problems.
Silver_06
11-12-2006, 02:34 PM
I got a pilot build vehicle and have had no issues that have required dealer attention. Yeah, I got some little things; leaky rear license gasket, suspect gas tank squeak, weather stripping squeak on cold day but no vehicle I have ever owned has been free of the little things. The truck does have some body fitment issues that make me wonder what the guys in Ohio were thinking the day they put this thing together however.
But, my Silverado rotors warped the minute I drove the thing off of the lot.
The TB/EN seem to have issues with their brakes. I believe they consider the rotors a wear and tear item, so as long as they make it for 1yr/12k they really don't care.
ScarabEpic22
11-12-2006, 05:08 PM
Man I guess I got a good one. The only problems I have had is the power seat harness being to short and the input shaft seal leaking. Other then that It has been trouble free for over 23k miles. I do not baby it either.. run her hard whenever I can. SOrry to hear you guys are having all of these problems.
Yea, me too. I have only had minor issues with my 02, but now Im starting to see some more little things going wrong. Trans not shifting into OD right (my error, I need to have it looked at soon), need new brakes probably in spring (finally, have ~67K on the oe ones), shocks, etc. At least Im getting a drop and some new shocks too though, should really help out the ride.:D
jonathan
11-12-2006, 06:44 PM
Not to brag,but I have not had one problem. My SS has 29,000kms and has never been to the dealership. Drive it fast and take great care of it.
The Black Pearl
11-12-2006, 06:52 PM
I had the front rotors replaced at 30,000 (warrranty), 40,000km (warranty) and now at 70,000km (I give up) I am going to get cross drilled rotors and I bought Akebono ceramic pads.
02redhawk
11-12-2006, 08:03 PM
Cross-drilled rotors won't give you any guarantee against warpage, FYI.
A high-quality rotor (blank, cross-drilled, or slotted), on the other hand, will be your best bet against warping another set. (recommend any from DBA).
Stay away from any rotor made in China.
vetruck
11-13-2006, 02:02 AM
Thats one I have not heard yet, the rotors warping, and both of them :crazy: Did the wheel shake a lot while braking or only while driving?
ckss06
11-13-2006, 07:50 AM
only while driving..thats why i said to the guy it really should not be the rotors cause then when I would stop it should shake like hell. He said I had a nail in my right front so I said maybe it was a shifted belt ( they plugged the hole)but he said def not. I mean if it fixes it great but if I have to go back there again I am gonna bug out
Spin20
11-13-2006, 08:30 AM
I wonder if those cooling ducts would help a little with the warping issues.
ckss06
11-13-2006, 12:32 PM
So here is where we are at mith the vibration problem...even with the new rotors they still have a small vibration. They swapped wheels and tires with another vehicle but it didnt go away. They have Hunter coming in to test the alignment and suspension cause apparently there is a new TSB on this issue. He then said it might be high and low spots on the tires which would be great cause id get new tires but he already swapped them and nothing happened..I want my truck back!!
matts
11-13-2006, 01:53 PM
mine's about to roll over to 11,000miles and only thing ive taken it to the dealer for was the foglight shaking. and i dont pamper it either, i drive it hard when i feel the urge
vetruck
11-14-2006, 01:24 AM
mine's about to roll over to 11,000miles and only thing ive taken it to the dealer for was the foglight shaking. and i dont pamper it either, i drive it hard when i feel the urge
Yeah, I think these bitches like to get beat hard :x I like to lay into mine once or twice a week at least just for fun to make sure she doesn't forget what it feels like :D I did notice a little vibration in the steering wheel tonight on my way to work though, probably just the road but I will keep an eye on it now.
blautens
11-14-2006, 10:15 AM
I had mine in to the dealer for steering wheel vibration repeatedly. Yet I watched them balance the tires perfectly on a Hunter GSP9700. Finally an independent shop noticed the front tires were sawtoothing (you could feel the funny treadwear with your hands) and I took it back to the dealer and demanded they check the alignment (which they *really* didn't want to do), and sure enough, the toe was wrong.
That almost completely eliminated the issue (well, that plus rotating the tires), plus the steering is far less "darty" and twitchy. I still get a tiny little shake sometimes, mostly when the tires are cold at 35-45 MPH. Once the tires warm up, it goes away.
It's been okay for 800 miles now - hope it lasts. Also hoping that switching to Michelins once these Eagle RSA's wear out will help.
Mainly to do with the friction material and cast iron (drum or rotor).
Stoptech.com used to be my main reference source, but they have changed their verbiage. Watered down and more weasel words. Know that from my days as an Engineering Program Manager and the interaction between Engineering, Tech Writers and Legal.
Braking with friction material to cast iron is best when some of the friction material is smeared onto the cast iron surface so that the pad/shoe's friction material rides on like material on the cast iron.
Also to cure the binders holding the friction together, which has many different compounds/materials.
That curing has it outgas, which is how it transfers to the cast iron....but....this coating must be even. If not, then the next time the friction material comes along, it bumps into this and the braking system will seem like it's got a warped rotor/drum.
The Stoptech.com article references 0.0004" thickness can be felt and 0.001" annoying. They used to have pictures of these baked on high spots, but their site no longer....wait, just double checked and they are there, but have to click on their hot links.
They also say there is no such thing as a 'warped rotor', but I've measured many and they do exist. Think they mainly reference racing, not street.
There is a sequence of getting up to speed, stopping in various degrees of severity and repeat, repeat at same, then different speeds. DO NOT stop rolling when the friction material is still hot enough to be outgasing, as it will bake on a high spot.
If you do, just re-bed them again.
Here's the short version:
After the new brakes are installed, run it up to about 25mph and hit the brakes semi hard, but don't stop.
Keep on rolling.
Repeat this about 4-5 times, but DO NOT allow the friction material to get too hot. If it does, run a bit to cool them off.
Then do this from about 35MPH.
DO NOT allow the friction material to get too hot, yet.
Repeat but at highway speeds and this will get them very hot, but since almost cured, won't out gas as much. DO NOT stop rolling! Some times the 'next' day as the cast iron needs to cool down before the highway speed runs.
NOTE that the harder (higher performance level materials) will have them make more sound (my Praise Dyno stuff sounds like gravel embedded on the friction material against cast iron when they are hot).
This always sounds like wearing too much off during the breakin, but it will actually last longer if cured and bedded correctly.
Another contribution to 'warped rotors' is uneven torquing of the lug nuts.
They must be tightened in a criss cross pattern and in ever higher torque steps.
If not, then the high rates of temp raise and ultimate temps reached will create and/or exacerbate any uneven stresses in the cast iron hub.
This will cause the rotor to go out of spec.
02redhawk
11-16-2006, 09:21 PM
I wonder if those cooling ducts would help a little with the warping issues.
Just a smidge. I tell ya what though, I certainly wasn't too impressed with the amount of temperature reduction that the cooling-ducts offered. IIRC, it was only a max of ~60-70*f on the rotor surface.
85vette
11-16-2006, 09:40 PM
One explanation that I haven't seen here is hot brakes and flooded streets or deep puddles. They don't even have to be deep. just a little cool water on a hot rotor will do it. Could this be a factor with some of you guys?
Silver06SS
11-16-2006, 09:45 PM
So once again my 06 ss spent the weekend at the dealer. this time it was to replace the driver side weatherstripping and also for my wheel shakin at almost any speed. After the truck sittin there all day i finally found out that my front 2 rotors are warped and OF COURSE they dont work on saturdays so it wont be ready till monday. Anyone else experince this...only have 15,750 miles on her. They tried to tell me they were only covered for 1 year 12,000 miles and they werent gonna fix them but so then i came right back at them with...Well I bought this as a demo with 4500 miles on it so technically you have to fix it so yeah... I am gettin sick of every week goin to the dealer...
If you're warping brake rotors this soon, you may need to adjust your driving habits. Warping brake rotors means you really wait too long before trying to stop and really lay into the brakes. These brakes are BIGGER then the regular TB and I haven't really heard THAT many warpage concerns on the regular TB's, so there shouldn't be a problem at all with the bigger rotor/brake package of the TBSS.