So, I did a search on if it is necessary to resurface the rotors when replacing new pads and found an old thread from 2002 that said its not necessary unless the rotors are warped. I'm wondering if this is how you guys who road race a lot feel is true. I'm entering my second year of doing hpde's and bought some Hawk HP Plus pads but cannot get my old rotors off. I don't want to mess up my rotors by hitting them with a sledge hammer or coming up with some home made contraption to get the rotors off. Figured if my old rotors are still good, I'll just switch the pads and next time I'll buy new rotors when I need new pads.

 

I would scuff them with some sandpaper to help the new pads develop their transfer layer more evenly.

 

Why cant you get the rotors off?
if you use an impact driver the screws come right out.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...r-Set/_/N-25dw

 

If the rotor is stuck to the hub, you can put 8mm bolts in the holes opposite the screws and gradually tighten them to force the rotor free.

 

My rotors don't have any screws in them holding them in. They're brembo slotted so I guess the previous owner never put the screws back in. I hit the hell out of them with a hammer and a punch from the back, trying not to damage them but they didn't budge. I saw a video where someone used 2 bolts to force the rotor off but I don't want to take the chance of damaging the rotor, so I think I'm going to hold off on it until I get some replacement rotors. I'm registered for the Streets of Willow Springs next week and don't want to wait until the last minute to order new rotors.

 

Take off the pads and caliper. Whack the hell out of the outside edge of the rotor. Alternate sides... left/right and top/bottom. You can use a dead blow hammer if you're concerned about messing up the existing rotors OR a small sledge and a piece of wood.

Christian

 

Thats what I would do... Dead blow hammer, wont damage the rotor.
FYI the brembo, stop-tech, all those overpriced rotors, are just that overpriced.
You can get just as good performance from an autozone oem type rotor.
Slotting and cross drilled dont make the rotors better.

 

Yeah, I learned that a lot of the guys in NASA in HPDE groups 2 and 3 use autozone rotors which is what I'll be doing from now on. Their money goes more into pads.

I tried rotating the rotors while whacking them from the backside but they just wouldn't budge. I hit them on the inside where no pad contact is made with a punch and also placed a piece of wood on the face of the rotor on the back and pounded it while rotating. So, I'm gonna just use the new pads and leave the old rotors on. I don't have any vibrations or shuttering while I drive, so I'm thinking the rotors should be fine until I can order new ones.

But do you guys always have your rotors resurfaced when you change pads? Or do you guys go through 2 or 3 sets of pads before replacing or resurfacing them?

 

 

It's always a good practice to know what thickness your rotors are new.
Use a set of calipers on them as directed by the manual.
Follow the honda manual as a rule of thumb as to what min/max depths are allowed for resurfacing.
Personally I have never resurfaced a set of rotors. but if its within the min limits id say why not??
Once you get to the max limits id replace them.
Just my .02 .....everyone has to figure out what works for them, and their budget.

 

I go through 2 or 3 sets of ROTORS per set of pads, lol.

Those rotors should be made of stock type blanks. You should see two counter sunk holes for the screws that hold the rotors to the hubs. Then there should be one or more smaller holes that are probably all rusted up. Those small holes are where you screw in a bolt or one of the rotor hold down screws to pop off the rotor. (The little holes have threads in them for the bolt, and they are the same size and thread pitch as the rotor screws.)

If you get those really tight and the rotor still doesn't pop off then try some light hammering. If that doesn't work then get some penetrating oil like WD-40 or PB Blaster and soak between that lip that sticks out on the hub and the rotor and let it sit for an hour or two. Then take a propane torch and heat the rotor hat (the part of the rotor where the lugs stick out) Then hammer some more.

Don't be afraid of the hammer. The only thing you could possibly mess up is the rotor which you need to be replacing anyway.

If bolt, wd-40, heat and hammering don't work (they will) then pull out the wallet because you are going to have to pull off the uprights press out the hub from the back, change wheel bearings and get some new hubs. In addition the snap rings that retain the bearings are going to be so rusted that a lot more lube, heat and hammering are going to be required.

When you get rotors off clean up the face of the hub (and the old rotors if you are reusing them) with a wire wheel or some sandpaper and put some high temp anti-seize on the back of the rotor hat to keep this from happening again.

Turning these rotors is a fools game, because its going to cost you $20 to turn a $25 rotor. Its also likely that no one is going to turn a drilled or slotted rotor because of the risk of catching and breaking the cutting head.

edit: What kind of pads have you been tracking on before? In some cases HP+ pads are not going to stand up. But its usually only an issue on people with no track experience who are a lot harder on brakes before they get better in the corners. If you have not been having problems on stock replacement type pads then they will be fine.

 

word scott so very true!

 

Can you tell I've done this before?

 

I've been using HP S pads for my past 3 events. They did ok but I noticed I'm braking a lot earlier than a lot of other drivers. I've read on here that its best to start with what you have and upgrade to better parts once you become a better driver and are more familiar with the car and how it reacts. My car has been my daily so I was using HPS pads because I didn't want anything too aggressive on the street as well. But now my car will be used mainly for track so I figured I'd work my way up to more aggressive pads. The HP+ were the next aggressive and if I need something more aggressive then I'll try the HT-10's next.

Thanks for all of the advice! Anyone going to Willow Springs this weekend, maybe I'll see you there. Driving there from Vegas.

 

5 lbs dead blow from harbor frieght works great. With one of those, you can swing it like a bat from behind and still be fine. THey guy in the stall next to me does it all the time.

When I'm pulling stuck rotors off, I usually get away with pulling pressure on the left side with my hand and give a few whacks with the dead blow on the right side. The left will pop out a little, and then I give the left side a quick whap. The right will pop. I'm doing these as flat rate, and it works out for me.

I turn my rotors, because I do it for free for myself. The rotors for my CRX only cost me $12. Like Scott said, $20 to turn $25 rotors is not really worth it. But if you want spares (for ChumpCar or any other racing series), and the rotors are warped or grooved, it might be worth it. Or if you pulled rotors at the junk yard and wanted to clean them up.

 

This is a must have tool. the dead blow hammer.
Cheap and man does it work.