do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

recently I've notice my brakes are not as efficient as before in my 97 del sol, can I just replace the brake pads? or I have to do something to the rotors? the brake pads I'm planning to change is the Hawk HPS.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

If you're willing to greatly increase the chance of squeaking and excessive brake vibration then no. How you drive and pad quality affect the answer you're looking for. Some people with some brakes do fine turning the rotors every other time. I have always resurfaced mine by hand. A good 1' sanding block with 60 grit used back and forth on the side of the disk as it is slowly turned can accomplish a great job if done carefully. Alot of people have never heard of this but it was a suggested method of at-home resurfacing in a shop manual I had about ten years ago. I've used it dozens of times on my cars since with great results. It can also be cheaper to replace rotors rather than have them turned, especially for the rears.

On a side note, I bought some of Summit's best ceramic pads (i'll have to check on the brand) 7 years ago for my front brakes. It's been a DD ever since and has also gone from one side of the U.S. to the other 3 times. The pads are still good and have never squeaked or vibrated in the slightest. Order the best pads you can- it's sooooo worth it.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

i never resurfaced my rotors i just bought news ones cuz the passed a new thing now on the rotors it has to be in spec for them to resurface them

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

how can you tell if the rotors can be resurfaced or not? also, what are some recommended rotors for daily drive use? I dont need brembo or fancy slotted drilled expensive rotors, just decent for daily drive usage. thank you.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

usually if they have lines in them or are rough they should be turned.
usually it is cheaper just to buy new rotors though, some people charge $15 a side to turn when you can buy both brand new for $40

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

imo if ur using reg rotors just buy new ones, as Pothole987 stated, its sometimes cheaper and easier just to replace them. now if u get into the slotted and drilled rotors thats a diff story!

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

passed a new thing? brother, rotors ALWAYS had to be in spec to cut them and after you cut them if they went out of spec then you HAD to replace them.


if you want to do a proper brake job you will:
replace your pads and rotors
replace your hardware and lube up your sliders
flush and bleed your brake system.

do it right or don't do it at all

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

you really can't resurface drilled/slotted rotors. it's a super pain in the ass. typically they don't warp too bad anyways. i would check runout on slotted/drilled rotors before making decisions to replace or attempt to resurface.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

what are some recommended rotors that are not expensive? should I just replace the front or both the front and rear? If I just replace the front, all I need is the front rotors and brake pads, but what about the rear? should I just leave it as it is?

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

ONLY RICH PEOPLE RESURFACE THIER ROTORS. I JUST GO OUT AND BUY NEW ONES.. HA HA

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

why cant you turn slotted and or crossdrilled? a rotor is a rotor.. just because it is crossdrilled or slotted doesnt make it any harder to turn.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

NOT REALLY

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

I resurfaced my rotors and i'm mega-poor. granted, i work at a honda dealer and it cost me nothing. :P

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

thats faster also. it takes like 2 days to get the rotors back. but it cost like 25 here to resurface a rotor. and the rotors on my truck were 39.99 each. so ya, i bought new ones.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

Slotted rotors are harder to resurface. If the bits aren't even you'll get chatter marks. Uneven pressure can also cause the lathe to cut runout into the rotor. It isn't impossible but it is definitely tougher.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

thats faster also. it takes like 2 days to get the rotors back. but it cost like 25 here to resurface a rotor. and the rotors on my truck were 39.99 each. so ya, i bought new ones.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

When you dont resurface them, you sometimes get noise and vibration from your brakes. Stop being cheap and resurface them.

Where do you guys get your rotors resurfaced and it takes 2 days??
Pep Boys does it in like 1 hour and they charged $12.99 a rotor. New ones are $19.99 for my DX, but I bought some Hawk HPS pads on clearance for $20 with a coupon to resurface each rotor for $5.99. I usually just get new ones since theyre so cheap though.


My right side my a raspy noise some times while driving, any input on that?

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

get new..
resurfacing is for cheap old men.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

uneven pressure? do you understand how a lathe works? the bits are tightened down so there is no movement from that.

just because there is a gap or hole in the rotor doesnt mean you will have uneven pressure.

have you ever turned a rotor before? because sometimes the bits arent even (inside compared to outside bit) due to the hat of the rotor protruding. when teh bits finally move outward sometimes the outside surface is still cutting while the inside surface is not cutting. i have never seen any problems with chatter this way.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

NO...just chamfer the pads and theres no issues...move on

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

Not True ^^^

If you don't get new, then resurface at least.
There WILL be pulsation/squealing if you don't. Old pads wear specific grooves in the rotor, and buffing them, or buffing up the pad will only work for a little while. Trust me, I do a lot of Brake Jobs at work and you are wasting your time leaving the old rotors as they are.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

I searched Kragen, and found raybestos rotors, are those good for oem replacement? if not what are some recommendation?

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

DUDE!! IF YOU JUST WANT TO REPLACE YOUR STOCK ROTORS FOR DAILY DRIVING, GET THE CHEAPEST ONES AT KRAGEN, PEP BOYS, ETC. You dont need anything fancy, the cheapest ones ( as long as they arent cross drilled or slotted) work perfect.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

Resurfacing costs about $6 per rotor at the local shop. It all depends if you need it or not, too much resurfacing will end up with you having to buy new rotors when they can no longer be resurfaced.

Re: do you have to resurface/change rotors when changing brake pads??
 

Talk sh** if you want but I've seen it happen. When one bit is cutting and another isn't there is pressure on one side of the rotor. In the future if you want to disagree dont be a dick, especially if you're wrong. As I said, it isn't impossible, but you to have to take extra precautions. And how many slotted rotors have you cut?