Hi all,

I just had my breaks done ('07 Sport w/ steely rims). First break change at 77,000km, which apparently is pretty good? Anyway, the dealership said that I should get the rotors turned to make sure they were smooth. They said they'd not guarantee the break pads without doing that.

Now, call me a nub, as I am, but I've never heard of this being required before. To be fair, before the Fit I've only ever owned beaters, so what do I know. Curious what you guys and gals think though.

For what it's worth, our dealership has been wonderful, so I am inclined to trust them... Just want to double check.

Digi

 

i would, for better wear and drivability. i wouldnt do a brake job without cutting rotors.. unless, of course, its a POS car

 

Good to know, thanks!

Owning a non-suck car takes getting used to.

Digi

 

I would get them turned for sure. Old rotors usually develop a lip near the edge of the rotor which would screw up new pads.

But @ 77,000kms I would just replace the rotors completely. Partsource sells them for like $20 / each!

 

I would not have the rotors turned (resurfaced) unless they are scored, warped, or "imprinted". You have a pair of rotors which are flat, true, parallel, even, and properly seasoned with a nice transfer layer from your old pads.

Don't screw it up unless you're switching to a track pad and actually going to the track.

 

Like said before if it was a newer car and not a POS I always turned rotors when doing brakes. Not only does it ensure that your new pads are mating up to a nice flat even surface, it takes out any warpage that may be there. My question about the Fit rotors is would turning them take too much material off and put them out of spec?

 

Recommended reading (three different pages):

StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

These articles help illustrate what you're up against when you have a rotor machined. For all practical purposes, a freshly machined rotor presents a virgin braking surface to the pad that's just like having a new rotor. Your existing rotor is already bedded-in and has a nice transfer layer. If there is no pulsation, getting them machined does nothing but wipe away that transfer layer and reduce rotor life.

Yes, you can carefully bed them in and get back to where you were before (in terms of functionality, not life). But why? If there are no pulsation complaints, what's the point in machining them?

 

There may be no pulsation, but if there are grooves and the like in your rotor they are more apt to make noise. Again its up to the end user, if they want to machine then I'd say go for it.

 

How much would it generally cost for the dealer or a shop to resurface your rotors? I was thinking, since OE rotors are so cheap, might as well buy new ones and have them put it on if it's about the same price.

 

for me, it really depends on the condition of the rotors. if they look pretty
smooth i'd probably just change the pads and have them turned durning
the following pad replacement.

if they are scores or grooves (or experience squeaks, etc) i would
definitely turn them.

 

Standard practice. New brake pads need a nice smooth surface to mate with. If your discs are grooved ever so finely full contact doesn't occur for a while and braking suffers. Start with flat pads and they will stay that way very well. Just make sure the dealer doesn't overdo it. There is a minimum thickness. Proper turning just barely takes out any uneveness and if the thickness falls below spec its new rotor time which is how unscrupulous dealers add to their sales by overdoing the turning).

 

Another argument against rotor machining:

Brake rotor maintenance | Motor | Find Articles at BNET

"The irony is that by turning every rotor that measures up, regardless of need, a very valuable commodity is lost: preconditioned rotor surfaces. Many rotors become very smooth through use. They may actually be smoother than we can make them by machining.

Resurfacing an otherwise "good" rotor reduces its available service life by making it thinner, sooner. A modern rotor is light to begin with, so losing metal to resurfacing reduces its ability to absorb and dissipate heat. This increases the likelihood that it will warp in the future, causing an unhappy customer and a service comeback.

Many vehicle manufacturers have stated that the rotors on their vehicles do not require resurfacing as a matter of routine during brake pad replacement. General Motors and Ford both recommend reusing rotors "as is" if they meet specifications for minimum thickness, thickness variation, parallelism and runout, no pedal pulsation is present and they aren't badly scored. GM has also stated that rotor grooves of up to .060 inch are acceptable if the rotor meets all other specifications."

TSB from GM: http://www.procutinternational.com/supplier_gm.aspx - "Rotor refacing during normal pad replacement is not necessary.

Rotor refacing for cosmetic corrosion is unnecessary. Clean up of braking surfaces can be accomplished by 10-15 moderate stops from 62-75 km/h (35-40 mph) with cooling time between stops.

Rotor service is ineffective in correcting brake squeal and/or premature lining wear out and should not be used to address these conditions unless specifically directed by a service bulletin"

Honda has TSB 00-088 in which they say to "Refinish brake discs if they are scored, or if there is pulsation when the brakes are applied" but it doesn't explicitly state what should be done during a simple pad change.

 

it has benefits if there is a reason to do so... but typically i
have not had the need to turn my rotors during the first pad
change under normal use (on street).

 

Glad this is being thrown around because I'm in the market for a brake job at 45k. I thought if they were glazed you should turn to have a rough surface for pad contact. Rough to smooth I wasn't too sure. Not an expert by any means. But my thinking was wouldn't a glazed rotor cause the new pads to glaze with heat over time? You don't want smooth pads do you?

 

We agree. new pads on an old rotor is virtually guaranteed to have noise, wear, and stopping problems. Just be sure the minimum thickness of the turned rotor is not below specs (usually stamped on the edge)

 

I've been putting new pads on old rotors my entire life and never had any of those three problems.

 

How about several thousand? In your sample you might get away without prepping rotors but the fact is that surfacing rotors (and pads, too) for smooth matching is best for better braking and longer life with less noise..

 

Motor/GM vs mahout rotor turning cage-match.

Fight!

 

Ok this might sound silly but there is one VERY IMPORTANT fact that barely NOBODY takes into account to ensure proper rotor wear and to mitigate rotor warpage.

TORQUE YOUR WHEEL'S LUG NUTS ACCORDINGLY!

I ran 75k miles on my original rotors and I whent through the OEM pads (21k miles) and 2 sets of Hawk HPS pads (27k miles on each set) on them. And both times I changed my pads it was to go to a track day where I beat up my brakes for 50+ laps on a 1.4 mile road course. The pads still had life when I changed them all and the rotors never warped. They did develop a lip on the outer edge over time and I changed them recently but they worked PERFECTLY, never shuddered or presented any weird problems for 75k miles without a single TURNING ever.

 

im sorry but u guys r all cheap dumbasses

get NEW rotors with NEW pads

even a kid saving an "allowance" can save up the measly few bux for a set of brembo blanks

buy the way, if u r driving a car that is a 2007or newer (north america), u r only lying to yourself if u say that u cant afford a new set of rotors when u change your pads

if your rotors r too expensive because u have a kickass type r, big brake, etc, then u can obviously afford to get a new set of rotors too


im not gonna bother to write why u should do this