i have noticed lately that when i brake at 50MPH or above the whole front end feels like i'm driving over gravel. the front end shakes even under light braking. are my rotors warped?

 

Whew, you had me worried over the Mr. P&P issue

 

Warped rotors usually show as a rapid shake in the steering wheel during braking..

How many miles are on your car?

 

about 12,000 miles. yea snap on the steering wheel and whole front end shakes. mostly the front end. i brought her in about 6 months ago for brake squeal and i was told the rotors were machined. it feels like rapid pumping of the brakes although i only brake lightly.

 

When I initially read the title of the thread I was thinking the rotors in your ENGINE were warped, & I thought HOW could you tell if they were??? LOL.

 

^ LOL same here! I was like hmm... this should be an interesting read... :p
but yea that sounds like warped rotors to me or uneven brake pads? I had a discovery before where the rotors were fine but when I got it diagnosed at a shop they told me that some of my brake lines were so dirty and clogged (I didn't flush it yearly or after taking it on trails) that the calipers were begining to apply force at an uneven angle and that the brake pads were being applied unevenly which caused the vibrations. But yea get it done soon while it's still warrenty issue!

 

I have had many cases of warped rotors over the years but never had the front end shake. It is always the pedal pulsating or vibrating with light braking. If you apply more pressure the pulsating will go away or decrease. Warped rotors are usually only a nusaince and don't cause any problems. I have even had some problems go away by themselves.

I would have the dealer check it out if the front end is shaking badly. It could be something else.

 

thanks. maybe lugs weren't tightened to the correct torque or the front end is out of alignment? i just had a tire rotation. can't remember if it was doing this before it was done.

 

Ohh wow...

You cannot potato chip warp a rotor on a car its a myth. My bet is that your rotor looks blue in color because of pad transfer to the disk. The pads you are useing must suck I sugest changing to something more perfomance oriented and getting your rotors turned at your local machine shop.


P.S.
http://www.coolrotor.com/whitepapers...otors_myth.htm

 

Yes and if you tell or B!TCH to your dealer they should replace the all. Thats what they did for me when I had 12,5M on my car.

 

I would say they are.

 

I owned a VW Passat Turbo and had to replace the brake rotors three times in 200000kms. On the last voccasion the whole car shook madly, so much so that I had to drive at very slow speed to the dealer. The cost over $1000...no I buy Japanese cars no more charcater, but reliable like arefrigerator. Another piece of advice NEVER wash your car when the brakes are hot.that's the very best way to warp the rotors.
9100RPM

Aside>My thread was terminated by the big brother moderator so I no longer bait Yanks. Pity they are so gullible and TTP so easily 9100RPM

 

From my limited knowledge it seems odd that the brake rotors would warp in only 12k miles, but still brake rotor warp is not a huge deal.
On my 300zx I sold to get my 8 I had warpped rotars. You could tell b/c when you hit the brakes the steering wheel vibrated. My mechanic machined down the rotars and it fixed the problem. I think it cost about $80 as long as you don't have to replace your brake pads.

 

It might be pad transfer. My EVO had a bit of the pad transfer and cause the same symptom that you're describing. The cure was to do a few back to back 70-0. Worth a try before spending ~$100 for a resurface.

 

If you take you rotors to DCT they do it for like $9. a rotor.