[Shotimes] Odd rotor stripes

[Jon Heese]

I suppose I could give it a few miles before I do anything unnecessary...

Thanks for the info.

Regards,
Jon HEese

Dave Kegel wrote:
> I've seen this happen before and wouldn't worry about it.  You probably just
> had some very minor high and low spots on your old rotor, and subsequently
> the pads.  After a few miles it will wear evenly.
> 
> Dave
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
> On Behalf Of Jon Heese
> Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 4:21 PM
> To: shotimes@autox.team.net
> Subject: [Shotimes] Odd rotor stripes
> 
> 
> About 3 months after doing the '96 brake upgrade on my '95 SLO (using 
> "barely"-used rotors and new pads), I started getting some shaking 
> during braking, which got worse over the course of the next month.  I 
> assumed that one or both of the rotors was/were warped, so I bought one 
> Wearever $24 rotor (xref NAPA 86334) from Advance and swapped out the 
> front drivers' side.  After a quick test drive, everything felt and 
> looked fixed, so I figured that rotor must've been warped.
> 
> About a week later, I started feeling the shaking again, so last Sunday, 
> I went and bought another identical rotor and swapped the front 
> passenger side.  After a quick test drive, once again, the problem 
> seemed solved, but when I got back in the driveway and looked, I saw 
> that the shiny new rotor had only been swept by the brake pad in one 
> stripe, about 1/2" wide, on the outer boundary (towards the rim) of the 
> normal swept area.  My first thought was that the pads must have been 
> worn funny and I probably needed a new set.  It was after 7pm and the 
> sun was going down, so I stabled the car for the past week and pulled it 
> out today to check it.
> 
> When I took it around the block today, once again, everything felt fine, 
> but now the rotor is being swept in two stripes, the same outer one and 
> now a 1/4" stripe on the inner (towards the wheel hub) extreme.  I took 
> the caliper off and inspected the pads and they seemed prisitinely 
> straight with a good 1/2" of material left.  There was no (discernible) 
> slant to their wear patten.  I put everything back on and took it for 
> another test spin and saw the same double-stripe rub pattern on the 
> rotor.  It didn't occur to me until today to look at the inner surface 
> (towards the axle) of the rotor, but when I did, I saw the same 
> double-stripe pattern on that surface.
> 
> Now, the question:  What is the likelihood that my brand new (cheap) 
> rotor is cupped so that the center stripe of the swept area is recessed 
> from the brake pads?  Since the pattern is present on both the inner and 
> outer surfaces of the rotor, I'm leaning away from my original thought 
> of oddly-worn brake pads due to a misshapen old rotor.  Unfortunately, I 
> didn't keep the receipt for the rotors, so either way I go, I have to 
> put down $25-30.  So I figured I'd consult the oracle first.
> 
> What do you all think?
> 
> Regards,
> Jon Heese
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