Okay, this has been something with the car for a long, long time. Whenever I brake from high speeds (50mph+) the steering wheel will shake. I do not know what the cause is. I've noticed this behavior before and after I replaced my rotors and pads a few months ago. It does it every time. I've had my rotors warped before so I know its not the same thing.

I've asked about this on the H-T board before and no one's given me a straight answer. Does anyone know?

 

Try and balance your rims.

 

Thanks Teken...but I know its not warped rotors. The car brakes in a smooth linear manner, no jerking. The wheels are properly balanced, as I experience this vibration with 2 different sets of wheels/tires. My car is lowered, but after I lowered it I had it aligned and and the camber adjusted.

Anyone else have any ideas?

 

A micrometer only measures thickness, And while variations in rotor thickness can cause a vibration, that doesn't come up very often. To properly check for lateral runout, you would need a dial indicator.

One thing I didn't see mentioned is the rear rotors or drums. I don't see it from rear rotors very often, but I have seen it. (They usually have to be in pretty bad shape.) Problems with out of round drums is alot more common.

 

what kind of rotors did you put on? I bought some brembo slotted/cross drilled to test them out for the front, and they warped within a few thousand miles


[Modified by jgrotkier, 5:57 PM 5/17/2002]

 

They're stock replacement size Brembo black rotors, no slots or cross drilling. I've got them matched up with Porterfield pads.

 

but rears wouldn't make the steering shake, it would just cause uneven braking (like a jolting front to back).

My money is on warped fronts, even though you don't think they are.

 

Yes they can. I see it all the time, especially on Civics.

 

I never said it wasn't the fronts. I was just offering other possibilities. If it was mine, the first thing I would do is turn the front rotors with an on the car brake lathe. That would either fix it or rule that out as a problem.

 

Ugh, quit saying its rotors. Are you telling me that brand new rotors I put on the car were warped?!? B/c the behavior didn't change after I switched rotors. I can't see warping as a cause, there is no shake or vibration in the pedals whatsoever.

 

My front rotors are still warped as a bitch, and I don't feel anything in my pedal, just the steering wheel. Also they are saying it could be your back rotors. If I remember correctly, I could slightly feel shaking in my wheel when my back rotors were warped, but my front were fine.

 

yeah, that was pointed more towards the original poster, than you..

 

Soory, but you did reply to my post.