Resurfacing Rotors, Should it be done?
 

I had read some posts where people state that the RX8 rotors should not be turned because they are too thin from the factory but I have not any technical data. Any input?

Bump.

if your rotors are outlasting your pads, you're not using an aggressive enough pad....

I was recently told by the Goodyear guys that rotate my tires that I need to get new pads, and I'd need new front rotors too since they were too thin to turn. It seemed a bit strange to me because 40k seems early to me to require new rotors, rather than just turning them.

Also, according to justjim's fantastic brake FAQ, once the front rotor is thinner than 22mm, it is time to replace it, rather than turn it. Unfortunately, I cannot say how thick it comes from the factory, but I cannot imagine it would come thinner than 22mm - it seems more likely that it's just thin enough that by the time pads need replaced, it has gotten too thin.

Sorry I cannot be more help - Googling has turned up nothing useful for me yet.

In the ol' days it was ok to "turn" your rotors, but not really worth it now. 'sides, a good reason to go with some nice slotted rotors. ;)

Cost to turn rotors is $15 each in my area. Cost of new Centric rotors are about $65 each. I think it's better to buy the new ones and be done with it.

The more mass that a rotor has, the longer it takes to heat up. I will turn my rotors once, then I will replace them.

I disagree, i've seen stock rotors last up to 70,000 miles with frequent track days.

No offense but you don't know what you are talking about.

Yeah the stock pads and rotors have been great for me. I autox my car a few times a year and I have never really seen the need to upgrade. I will be getting slotted rotors (really for looks) soon but I would like to get another couple of months on these rotors since I have a new pair of OEM pads sitting here.

Then this summer when I get my Bilstiens I will do new rotors and hawk pads all the way around. I just spent a ton of cash so I need t slow down a bit.

Its been my experience that turning rotors is not necessary nearly as often as it is done. I suspect that uneven brake deposits by drivers overdriving their pad thermal range caused most of the recommendations by mechanics for turning rotors. That combined with poorer machine tolerances of days of yore would account for common practice. That and the desire for repair shops to make money.

As braking systems have improved over the years (braking systems adequate for the type of driving likely to be encountered in the vehicle) pad deposits are less common (ie the RX8) but are still often encountered in cars like FWD vehicles that are pushed hard (Honda Accord) or with subpar pad compounds. I have put some horrendous grooves on my FWD Acura rotors at the track and they have probably routinely seen temps in excess of 1000 F without warpage, runout, or problems other than the grooving and the brakes were smooth as butter. I put over 90,000 miles and 5 track events on the OEM rotors without turning them before they wore too thin and I replaced them.

You can have them turned if it makes you feel better but I don't bother anymore.

Good info, you are the second person to tell me that. Should I sand them lightly? If so, what grit paper?

I have about 50k on my car and I've turned the rotors once already. If my memory serves me right I had them turned at 35k while replacing the pads at the same time; at the time there was a rather large lip at the edge of the rotor. Now at 50k it looks like I'm going to have to replace the rotors here shortly, so I'll probably just do pads at the same time. Having turned the rotors once, I don't believe I'll bother again I'll probably just replace the rotors and pads at the same time from now on.

In case you care I haven't done any track time in the car, just daily driving with most of it being city driving.

I use the brake pads in the bedding procedure to sand the rotors.:)

80 grit or rougher.

Get both sides and evenly.

40k seems very early. I bet the goodyear guys were just trying to make some extra $$

The stock rotors are 24mm (I think) and min. thickness is 22mm . So by the time you are at the stage where , in the old days you would turn the rotors , you are already down to min. thickness .
Short answer - just replace them .

Yeah, the guy said, "I'd do it today but I can't get the parts until tomorrow" and I wanted to reply "Like hell you'd do it today." They wanted $480 total for new front rotors and new pads on each corner.

Thankfully I have an old neighbor who will do the work next time I'm around Chicago, and I got RacingBrake slotted rotors and Hawk Performance Ceramics pads for $350. I will say, though, the rotor does seem a bit thin, and there is a bit of a lip on it now.

When I was at Autozone recently to have them reset my knucklehead "you didn't fully tighten the gascap" CEL, the guy commented that I needed new rotors. Of course I don't, but all these types try to sell you brakes/rotors. It's a quick & easy job for them with a huge markup. Kinda like the cosmetics of the automotive world.

The Racing Brake slotted rotors with Hawk Ceramic pads are precisely what I'm going with somwhere down the line.

I was actually surprised, the breakdown on the $480 was lighter on labor than I thought it would be. The killer was they wanted $125 each for Raybestos rotors and about $110 total for Raybestos pads. Once I factored out taxes and such, the labor was only like $90. Not cheap by any means, but lower than I thought it would be.

I believe 22mm is the minimum thickness for the front rotors.

Check date you n00b ! :lol: :SHOCKED:

turned em once, was at 25K probably not needed but only $25 each cash.

WTF... guy must have deleted his post.
I saw it on iSpy... I SWEAR!!!

SEE! Last post in my iSpy!
Attachment 147797
I knew I wasn't completely crazy :cwm27:

^lol @ saving credibility on an internet forum

Well done sir.