New Cougar Forum banner

Possible Soultion to Warped Rotors I was Told!

969 views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  smoothcat 
G
#1 ·
Had my rotors turned also at 12,500 miles mechanic asked if I washed the car alot I told him yes. He asked if I drive more than a few blocks from home to car wash ,ofcourse I said yes I was informed that it takes very little to heat the brakes up and the surrounding metals. Then he asked when washing the car, if I wash the wheels and rims and again I said Yes!He went on to tell me due to the heat build up from the metal and then the cold water hitting them that over a period of short time it can possibly warp the rotors,if you wash it alot.Well! I do alot like to keep it sparkling ya all know! He also said if inferior metal was used (guess means cheap!)in the calipers,pads,and rotors that would add to the the problem too. SO OBVIOUS question what to do. He suggested that if you reach in and can touch the calipers or rotors and to hot to the touch DO NOT HIT THEM with water.Wait till able to touch.I suppose in theory this is VERY possible. The man was a mechanic for a great number of years.SO If ya all think this is possible well take it for what its worth. As far as myself I`m going to try it since I just had mine done. Guess time will tell.
P.S. Thought this might give everyone a thought to rotor warping problem. Any Ideas to this let me know.
 
See less See more
1
#3 ·
That is the number one reason rotors warp, and it has 100% to do with the heat build up on them. When you drive and hit a puddle, that warps them a little each time. Even driving and stopping at a red light.

The way I keep my rotors from warping is by following a few rules.

1) When you stop at a red light, do not hold your brakes down. Let the car sit there without holding the brakes. If you have an ATX put it in N. Of course you can not do that on a decline/incline, but do it when ever possible. The reason is that you drive and your rotors heat up, especially while slowing down. Now they are hot and you are sitting holding the pads on a small part of the rotor, allowing the rotor to warp around the pads because the rotor starts to cool down but it can not "flex" under the small part that is being pressed together by the pads.

2) Do not get ANY water on them while they are hot. This includes washing the car and driving through puddles.

I have 53k miles on my Cougar and have no brake vibration what so ever. You can not avoid warping rotors all together, but you can help cut down your chances and slow the process by driving carefully. Also, if you ever have to change your rotors, you might as well buy a set of cross drilled ones, they cool much quicker than stock ones.
 
#6 ·
Well for starters Ford OE rotors really suck anyways... warped ford rotors is NOTHING new. They dont exactly have a reputation for good rotors... SO... yes Ill bet that is posible. When you do your brakes... if it is within your means I fully recomend the KVR rotors from Spmotorsports They are high quality and are actually a subsidiary of Brembo. They have Brembo stamped into them to prove it too. Beter metals will resist warping. I really cant see a stock set of ***** rotors making it past 40,000m.Spmotorsports
 
G
#7 ·
just to add my 2 cents, i had to send a set of KVRs back becuase they came warped. and it might have been a fluke, but i have a new set on my car and im seeing how these are. The Stock ones seemed better about stopping and resisted fading better than the KVR.
 
#9 ·
Usually you will feel it in your brake pedal. Rule of thumb is if you feel it in your steeringwheel it is most likely wheels out of balance. If you feel it in your pedal then it is warped rotors.

Depending on how bad they are warped you might have to replace them. If they are not that bad then you might be able to get by with just turning them. But a lot of places frown upon turning vented rotors because they are not that thick to begin with.

If you replace them I would recommend replacing them with some aftermarket cross drilled ones. They are not much more than stock ones and will last longer.
 
G
#10 ·
I was painting my calipers this last weekend and my Dad made an interesting point. That paint will cause the calipers to retain heat. If the calipers do not disapate heat as well because they are painted that may cause them to get hotter then normal and cause the rotors to warp easier. Any thoughts?
Marc
 
G
#11 ·
heeat transfer is from hottest to coldest, the calipers continually have air flowing across them, the rims act almost as fins driving air in, the vented portion if the disc is actually receiving 90% of the friction and is being vented from the inside. no paint doesnt really affect heat that much, the retained heat is very negligable.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top