When to turn rotors or replace?

[hawkman71]

Doing the front struts and stab links today. Saw that my brake pads are quite worn on the front. A brake job will be required soon. Might as well do it now while everything is apart and I've spent two Saturdays in a row on this thing.

Noticed that the rotors' surfaces are far from smooth. While the rears were smooth, these have an undulating surface, in the sense of grooves that are rounded, not sharp. So, if I replace pads, I assume I'll be wearing those grooves into the pad. Plus, the surface contact of the pad to grooved rotor will not be as it should be. Does this mean it's rotor replacement time or getting them turned?

 

[hawkman71]

For the sake of time, I might just leave them as the braking is good. Then, I'd get them turned when I can have that lined up and done.

 

[JExpedition07]

If they are worn down and have grooves I’d get the replacements. RockAuto is very cheap for good MotorCraft rotors and you’ll have them within a few days....I replaced all my rotors and pads with Motorcraft and powerstop pads from RockAuto....was relatively inexpensive.

 

[Black]

I have rotors turned once and replace unless there is clearly something wrong with the rotor.
I do it when I need pads unless there is some sort of issue but the pads are good.

 

[1955moose]

The problem with cutting rotors or drums is heat. A thinner rotor, even though it's thick enough by Ford standards, will build up more heat, causing pads to fade sooner. Brake pads/rotors are a funny item. They need heat to operate at their maximum, but then after that point , braking starts to diminish. Because of the weight and hauling capacity of the vehicles, pop on a new set. Unless you have a brake lathe yourself, cutting rotors is close to $20.00 each. Not really worth it, when replacements aren't much more.

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[Trainmaster]

I wish there was somewhere left on Long Island that still cuts rotors.

 

[1955moose]

It's becoming a dieing thing. Most vehicles made in the past 20 years or more have rotors that are just too thin. Back in 90's I worked at a VW dealership. We had a brake lathe in the back, but never fired it up. Whenever a customer's vehicle had a worn/grooved rotor, we sold them a new one. Even back in 94, the rotors were not thick enough. That and dealers wouldn't take a chance on anything involving brakes. Can't blame them, with lawyers just waiting to pounce on anything involving a lawsuit because of an accident. I guess maybe in the 70,s, 80,s the drums and rotors on Volkswagens were thicker, and they cut them. These days, machining is getting less and less. Even jobs like rebuilding cylinder heads is going away. More people buy new heads, and just slap them on, usually with a big bump in power.

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[ManUpOrShutUp]

The problem with cutting rotors or drums is heat. A thinner rotor, even though it's thick enough by Ford standards, will build up more heat, causing pads to fade sooner. Brake pads/rotors are a funny item. They need heat to operate at their maximum, but then after that point , braking starts to diminish. Because of the weight and hauling capacity of the vehicles, pop on a new set. Unless you have a brake lathe yourself, cutting rotors is close to $20.00 each. Not really worth it, when replacements aren't much more.

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This. ^

I replace mine every time I do the pads. I paid $90 for a pair of coated-edge AC Delcos for the rear vs the $40 I would have paid to have them turned. For the fronts, I paid $48 for a set of the same. (That was just some sort of Amazon price error I think though, as they are normally ~$110 a set and went back up less than 24h after I bought them.)

 

[ExplorerTom]

Hey ManUp- your avatar pic totally looks like you are naked with your legs spread.

 

[1955moose]

He is, but like a 60's ******* centerfold, he's covered up!

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[ManUpOrShutUp]

Hey ManUp- your avatar pic totally looks like you are naked with your legs spread.

It's just some random guy. His innocent vacation photo went viral and made the news because everyone thought he was ... well, you know. I just found it amusing (and these also).

 

[1955moose]

That's a good one. Nobody here knows what you look like, so we all assumed it was you, especially with your handle, Man up.

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[Trainmaster]

Classy

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Classy

lol. C'mon, have you looked around here? There's a guy whose entire interior is covered in camo contact paper.

 

[Trainmaster]

Camo contact paper? I never thought of that!

 

[Habbibie]

I dont do jack squat to my brakes unless it stops stopping or starts whistling at old bent out of shape men in traffic

Just my 2 cents

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I dont do jack squat to my brakes unless it stops stopping or starts whistling at old bent out of shape men in traffic

Just my 2 cents

That was me with my last truck. It started to turn into a money pit the last 18 months, so when the brakes started to squeal I thought: "I am not sinking another dime into this f'n thing!" I just kept driving it.

I'm at a stop light one night coming home. The light turns green, I hit the gas and CLANG. Well, that can't be good. I'd better stop. Ruh roh, Shaggy! Someone cut the brakes! Luckily, I happen to be on the street where my mechanic's shop is (it's on my way home) so I just coast down there and stomp on the brakes, which manages to just barely stop the truck. I already know the brakes are metal on metal at this point, so I don't even bother looking at them. Instead, I walk the block back to the stop light where I heard the clanging. There in the street lies one of my brake calipers. So much for that "not another dime" plan. :x Don't be me.

 

[hawkman71]

Hey ManUp- your avatar pic totally looks like you are naked with your legs spread.

I was going to say the same thing. Optical illusion.

 

[hawkman71]

... cutting rotors is close to $20.00 each. Not really worth it, when replacements aren't much more.

I'll look where you guys suggested. A quick glance yesterday showed me $88-$140. I figured $20.00 was a deal. But, I'll man up and get new ones soon when I replace pads, too, and just leave it for now.

The front wheels are always black. The front seems to take a lot more of the braking, and thus heat. I figured I had cheap pads on there. (Bought it used from a Dodge dealership 16 months ago or so.)

 

[Black]

Interesting in all my 20 years of working on vehicles (granted not that long in the scheme of things) I have never heard it called cutting rotors. I wonder if it is a regional thing? We have always referred to it as turning rotors around here.
I have had no issues having a quality aftermarket or OEM rotor turned once that had no other issues outside of a little vibration. O' Reilly's Autoparts charges $10 a rotor here.