Brake Questions-vibration from 70+mph?

[sindows]

Lately, my car has been vibrating if I put moderate-heavy pressure on the brake pedal while on the highway. The steering wheel wiggles back and forth and it feels like I'm driving over cobblestones. I'm also within a couple thousand miles of having to change the brake pads. So my question is, is this behavior the result of a warped rotor? Will "turning" them help the vibration or can I just get away with a set of new pads?


I also have another question regarding brake fluid flushes. If I do one, will I get improved pedal feel? My car has ~68k miles and to my knowledge, is still using the original fluid from the factory.

 

[BassBomb]

Think about what you just said for a second..

If this is because of your rotor, why would changing the pads do anything? You need new rotors, and possibly new pads.. and then break them in properly so they don't cause warping. Pads can cause the warping on the rotors... but if they are already warped you need to replace the rotor

 

[Zargon]

turn the rotors

or depending on car, could be cheaper to get new ones

 

[sindows]

Well I don't know if its because the rotors are warped or because the pads wore unevenly or some other misc problem...it only occurs when I apply brakes going 70+, braking from <70 is fine for some reason.

 

[Zargon]

Well I don't know if its because the rotors are warped or because the pads wore unevenly or some other misc problem...it only occurs when I apply brakes going 70+, braking from <70 is fine for some reason.

they are probably not warped that bad then

it could also be that you have a wheel slightly off balance so its not noticeable till higher speeds

 

[Bignate603]

I've got the same thing, it only happens on the freeway. I'm down to about 10&#37; pad on the front so it's time for a brake job anyways. If I really pay attention to it I can feel a very slight pulsing of the brakes when I'm braking at slower speeds but it shakes quite a bit at anything above 50 mph. That's probably going to be done tomorrow morning.

 

[KIAman]

Classic symptoms of either a warped rotor or extreme deposits on the pad or both. A brake job will fix this. If the mechanic tells you the rotor was warped (have him prove it to you), don't bother turning them, just get new ones. Turning rotors thins them out which makes them even more likely to warp in the future.

If you get new rotors and eventually get this vibration again, consider purchasing aftermarket rotors that have better heat dissipating attributes, typically they don't cost much more than the OEM.

My wife is VERY hard on the brakes (she is admittedly a bad driver) and at 15k miles on her honda, she was scraping metal. I swapped the rotors out for an aftermarket vented and slotted along with higher performance pads.

Edit: Forgot to address your bake fluid question. No, changing your fluid won't change the pedal feel much. Only if you had air inside your system, then proper flushing, fill and bleeding will provide better consistent brake feel. BUT, changing brake fluid is super cheap and easy so you might as well do them.

 

[MJinZ]

Lately, my car has been vibrating if I put moderate-heavy pressure on the brake pedal while on the highway. The steering wheel wiggles back and forth and it feels like I'm driving over cobblestones. I'm also within a couple thousand miles of having to change the brake pads. So my question is, is this behavior the result of a warped rotor? Will "turning" them help the vibration or can I just get away with a set of new pads?


I also have another question regarding brake fluid flushes. If I do one, will I get improved pedal feel? My car has ~68k miles and to my knowledge, is still using the original fluid from the factory.

Warped rotors.

My car had this fixed under TSB, all they did was resurface the rotors and replace the pads. It was defective/poor OEM pads that were causing the rotors to wear unevenly and warp.

 

[child of wonder]

We just had to have the rotors in my wife's 2007 Camry resurfaced because of this.

 

[AMCRambler]

Just replace the rotors. They will probably be too worn to get them cut. New pads and rotors and bed the pads in properly and you should be good.

 

[Pulsar]

Just replace the rotors. They will probably be too worn to get them cut. New pads and rotors and bed the pads in properly and you should be good.

Most rotors these days start out life so thin that by the time they warp, just the warpage alone will not allow them to be turned. In addition, turning vs. new is only a difference of $20 - $30 a rotor. It's not worth it.

Replace the rotors and pads all at once, on all 4 wheels. Get ones with lifetime warranties.