following my line of rotor threads...
it seems that my car cruises a little smoother on the highway after replacing them.
it seems that my car cruises a little smoother on the highway after replacing them.
Is it possible that a warped rotor may cause wheel vibration at high speeds?
- Thread starter Lifer
- Start date
Well, a warped rotor would only really be a problem if you were hitting the brakes. Otherwise, they shouldn't make significant enough contact to cause you to feel anything.
i dunno...
i was just assuming maybe because of the imbalance of the rotors, it might cause some vibration at high speeds.
just like how if your tires aren't balanced? ya know?
anyway, just wondering.
i was just assuming maybe because of the imbalance of the rotors, it might cause some vibration at high speeds.
just like how if your tires aren't balanced? ya know?
anyway, just wondering.
I think that you'd notice a warped rotor more at low speeds, particularly while braking.
If you've got vibration at high speeds, I'd suspect a tire that's out of balance before looking at the rotors.
If you've got vibration at high speeds, I'd suspect a tire that's out of balance before looking at the rotors.
I just had the rotors and pads replaced on my car less than 1000 miles ago and when I brake, the wheel vibrates. Not installed right or what?
Oh yeah, definitely. I was feeling the vibration for sure during braking.
just wondering if it was possible during high speed as well, like an unbalanced tire.
new rotors can come out of the box warped, which is why it's a good idea to have them turned once just to make sure they're perfect. Especially the cheap ones. Mildly warped rotors will only really be noticible when braking at high speeds.
Siddhartha
Lifer
- Oct 17, 1999
- 12,505
- 3
- 81
JC
Diamond Member
- Feb 1, 2000
- 5,848
- 68
- 91
Warped rotors will only cause a vibration when braking, which you described. The rotors may not have been balanced very well, could explain why it seems to be smoother on the highway now.
But the wheels could have just been put on in a different position, which could have cancelled out a slight rotor imbalance.
But the wheels could have just been put on in a different position, which could have cancelled out a slight rotor imbalance.
Never heard of a rotor that was "out of balance". I don't think it's physically possible. Well actually it is, on some of the very heavy truck rotors that have weights welded on to them - but I've never seen one come off.
You're experiencing lateral runout in your rotors - they're warped. If you are only experiencing a vibration while under braking this is most certainly the case, and is almost always in your front brakes. Take it back to the shop so they can put a dial indicator on the rotor and check it.
Unfortunately they'll probably just offer to machine the rotor back to true. This will take care of the problem in the short term, but the rotor WILL warp again. Once it bends, it wants to keep on bending - like a spring. By rights they should install a new rotor, and new set of pads as well, because the ones you have are already bedded into the set of rotors you have. They may be able to get away with just the rotor. In any event, I think it's unlikely they will do this free of charge anyway. It is possible that you warped the rotor after the fact (probably what they'll say) - did it do it right from when you picked up from the shop? Try to take your vehicle back right away after any repairs if something isn't right.
FYI, an easy way to warp rotors is to come to a hard stop from highway speeds and then sit in one spot for a while (like a stoplight). What happens is your rotors cool off quickly by radiating the heat away - except for the part which is covered by your brake pads. Now the rotor is cooling unevenly and it may warp. What I do in situations like that (while waiting at the light) is let the car creep forward a few feet slowly, so the whole rotor has a chance to cool at the same rate. It only takes a few seconds, until that initial heat that's built up can radiate off.
You're experiencing lateral runout in your rotors - they're warped. If you are only experiencing a vibration while under braking this is most certainly the case, and is almost always in your front brakes. Take it back to the shop so they can put a dial indicator on the rotor and check it.
Unfortunately they'll probably just offer to machine the rotor back to true. This will take care of the problem in the short term, but the rotor WILL warp again. Once it bends, it wants to keep on bending - like a spring. By rights they should install a new rotor, and new set of pads as well, because the ones you have are already bedded into the set of rotors you have. They may be able to get away with just the rotor. In any event, I think it's unlikely they will do this free of charge anyway. It is possible that you warped the rotor after the fact (probably what they'll say) - did it do it right from when you picked up from the shop? Try to take your vehicle back right away after any repairs if something isn't right.
FYI, an easy way to warp rotors is to come to a hard stop from highway speeds and then sit in one spot for a while (like a stoplight). What happens is your rotors cool off quickly by radiating the heat away - except for the part which is covered by your brake pads. Now the rotor is cooling unevenly and it may warp. What I do in situations like that (while waiting at the light) is let the car creep forward a few feet slowly, so the whole rotor has a chance to cool at the same rate. It only takes a few seconds, until that initial heat that's built up can radiate off.
Regs
Lifer
- Aug 9, 2002
- 16,665
- 21
- 81
Sounds more like hub bearings or wheel bearings to me . Had that problem with my Toyota. After a certain speed I started feeling a little vibration and thumping noise. Front tire or rear, can't remember, needed a whole new set of hub bearings because they were egged shaped from lack of lube. Need to get those fixed or your tire may lock up on the road causing very costly damage or even worse, a bad accident.
He says it happens when he brakes - that's indicative of rotors. If it was hub bearings it would most likely make noise all the time (regardless if your foot was on the brake or not), and the intensity would increase with speed and possibly change as the vehicle was steered either way (depending if hub was bad or both). If humming/vibration noise of a wheel bearing increased when the vehicle is steered to the left, then most likely the right side hub bearing is shot, and vise versa. When the vehicle weight is transfered to the side with the bad bearing it will get louder. If both are bad, then it's more difficult to tell. One way is to jack the car up and grab the wheel and rock it from top to bottom. If there's any play than it's probably the bearing.
Regs
Lifer
- Aug 9, 2002
- 16,665
- 21
- 81
Not exactly CFster. My hubs did not make that noise going 25-35 mph. When I reached 45 mph I could only then feel it. If he had a warped rotor, he would likely hear a loud squeal coming from the e brake rubbing up in the inside of the rotor even without braking. I'm not saying it would not be the rotor, it's possible. But this sounds like a whole lot like my situation 2 years back.
Huh? The e-brakes are in the back, and in traditional setups activate a lever which pushes the brake SHOES against the inside of the brake drums. Newer cars with 4 wheel disc brakes use a lever on the rear caliper to apply the brake pads. Some use a combination of the two. The only thing that could cause a "squealing" sound are brake pads down to the wear sensors or beyond, or rear shoes which are down to the the rivits. It could be the wheel bearings falling apart and grinding metal against metal - but again, that wouldn't just manifest itself under braking. Other things could be the springs and linkage falling apart inside the rear brakes and grinding against the inside of the drum. Or something crazy happening with the e-brake bracketry (rear disc brakes), like getting bent up against the rotor or something. Maybe this is what happened in your case.
About the hub bearings, I go back to what I said originally - if he only feels it under braking then it's most likely warped rotors, not hubs. There's really not much else that could wrong to cause that kind of symptom. If it's vibrating any other time (like when his foot is OFF the brakes), then that opens it up to about hundred other things it could be...
I've never heard a warped rotor squeal. It will more than likely give you a vibration in the wheel when stopping from a higher speed. Squealing is usually only from pads/shoes worn down to the wear markers or loose/hot pads that are vibrating.
Thats waht causes it. Need the rotors turned, or buy new ones. If you have a GMC Jimmy (i wanna say ours was a 1999, thats a huge flaw, rotors go every 8 months
EDIT:
I thought you ment when stopping. Well then id say take it in and get ur tires checked,rotated, then an alignment.
EDIT:
I thought you ment when stopping. Well then id say take it in and get ur tires checked,rotated, then an alignment.
Have you ever looked at a caliper on a brake rotor? the pads are always SLIGHTLY touching the rotor. Spin the spindle by hand with the caliper on, and then again with the caliper off. You should be able to spin it freely by hand with the caliper removed, and it shouldn't free spin with the caliper on, because of the drag of the pads. There are no springs to pull the pads away, thus they are always in contact. If the rotors are severely warped, it would POSSIBLY make the steering vibrate. Possible, though unlikely.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter