Why do brake rotors get warped

Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site. Is your brake pedal or steering wheel wobbling when you brake, especially on the highway? You might have warped rotors. Your rotors are those round discs you might be able to see through the spaces in your rim. When you hit the brake, the brake pads the rotor to bring your vehicle to a stop. A technician would need to run some tests to diagnose the cause, but it could be a few things:.

Note: If your shocks are not performing as designed, they can also be the root cause of rotor warpage as excessive weight shifts to the front design braking. Rotors are a cast metal and the heat generated by braking can release the stress of the casting. Rotors are normally flat and smooth, and as the brake pads clamp down on them, your wheels stop. You have two choices: replace them, or machine them. All of our brake services are warranty-approved and performed with premium parts.

One of our certified mechanics can make a proper diagnosis and fix any other problems with your brakes that could be causing your rotors to warp. If you are experiencing shaking during acceleration, you likely have a different vehicle issue, such as an alignment or balancing concern more on these below. Depending on how warped your rotors are, a mechanic may be able to straighten them. Brake rotor resurfacing involves scraping down the warped metal to achieve a smooth surface.

However, it is becoming increasingly common for rotors to be replaced rather than fixed for three main reasons:. Thankfully, rotor replacement services are also accessible solutions that will eliminate the vehicle shaking and restore your braking safety.

Your tires are designed to coordinate their direction with the movement of your steering wheel. However, over time, the turbulence of the road can cause one or more of your wheels to rest at a deviated angle. Naturally, this creates issues for your vehicle, your tires, and your control on the road.

Alignment issues are closely related to car shaking symptoms. While a shaking steering wheel is a common sign of alignment troubles, these vehicle issues carry other revealing signs:. Wheel alignment is a quick service that will fix these vehicle troubles.

If the disproportionate wear of tires becomes severe, you may find yourself needing new tires in addition to a tire alignment. Annual tire alignments can help prevent these issues and help your tires last longer. Brake rotors that are not too badly damaged can often just be resurfaced or repaired, which can be significantly cheaper than having the rotors replaced entirely. On the flip side of that, brake rotors that have been allowed to be badly damaged due to continued neglect are more likely to have caused ancillary damage to the brake calipers and brake pads, which will drive up the cost of the overall brake repair job.

This is because failure to reintegrate the braking system correctly can lead to the brakes failing, and on the road this can have deadly lasting consequences or at the very least, wreck your car. Everyone has to start somewhere, but warped rotors might lead to other problems in the braking system that a novice mechanic may not recognize. There are several symptoms a driver might notice if their brake rotors are beginning to warp. Drivers should watch out for the following signs of warping brake rotors while driving:.

Because there is usually significant damage done to the braking system by the time some of these symptoms are noticed, it is important to have vehicles inspected regularly so that any wear and tear in these systems can be noted and addressed before it becomes a performance issue.

Not only is this the safest way to ensure that a car continues to brake correctly, it can also save in costly repairs to other components of the braking system down the line. The most noticeable difference in the way warped brake rotors affect driving is that they increase the amount of time it takes for the brakes to stop a vehicle. This lack of stopping power can come on gradually or all at once, depending on how the rotors are warped.

In practical scenarios, this can lead to a driver misjudging the amount of space needed to brake at a light causing them to plow into the vehicle stopped in front of them ,. Warped brake rotors can also lead to the brakes failing entirely, especially during an emergency stop.

This can lead to collisions or worse if the brakes fail while a driver is trying to avoid a street-crossing pedestrian. The main thing a driver can do to prevent brake rotor warping is to not brake at excessive speeds or directly after accelerating. Instead, a driver should take their foot off the gas pedal and allow the car to decelerate naturally before braking with an even, a smooth push of the brake pedal rather than stomping it to the floor.

By braking smoothly and coasting to a slower speed before applying the brakes, you can not only prevent warping of your brake rotors, but you can also increase the durability of your brake pads. A few simple changes to the way someone drives can greatly increase the life of their brakes. If it turns out that a car needs brake rotor replacement, it can often be an expensive investment.

Brake rotors rarely need to be replaced only above every third or fourth brake pad change, which means rotors usually only need to be replaced roughly every , miles. That means if brake rotors do need replacing, there has usually already been some kind of damage done to the pads and calipers. Replacing the pads, rotors, and calipers on a car can range upwards of a thousand dollars. Because front braking action is typically more important than rear braking action, for those on a limited budget, it is possible to replace the front brake rotors first and then get the rear brake rotors replaced at a later date.

One of the most important ways to prevent premature brake rotor failure is to replace your brake pads regularly. This should be performed approximately every 50, miles, but some high-performance brake pads are designed to go as long as 70, miles. Along with regularly inspecting your brake pads for signs of wear, you should also have your vehicle inspected on schedule by a mechanic, whether it needs repairs or not.

An optimal time to do this is during a routine oil change at the repair garage. This gives a driver time to arrange for a stop at the garage. Replacing warped brake rotors can be a hassle since it is costly and can be a repair that takes several hours, but this problem with the braking system of a car can be easily avoided with regular maintenance and careful driving. By allowing a car to glide at a slower speed before braking and being gentle when pressing the brake pedal rather than slamming the brakes or braking at excessive speeds, drivers can do their part to make sure brake rotors last as long as possible.

I'm Arwood, but the grandkids call me Big Papa.