Steering wheel shaking after rotor/pads replacement

[gsxr]

Chiming in here; I went to my local Land Rover dealer (Lynnwood), and they wanted over $2k for front and rear brakes including labour. I was surprised to find that they always replace the discs at the same time as the pads - there's no consideration for machining discs that are in spec. Is this standard fare for Land Rover?

It may be standard fare for that particular dealer. More profit margin for them, thinner wallet for you.

If the discs are not warped AND not below the minimum thickness allowed, there is no technical or safety reason to replace the discs.

 

[Easycool]

Well, Adventure Tim, I have found that turning rotors is a waste of time. I've had it done at the AFB here in AZ, The Toyota dealer, 2 brake shops, and even Midas. None lasted very long before the steering began shaking. (Warped rotors) So, I always change the rotors and pads. That's $600.00 price tag from Toyota. And that's just the parts price. (2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited.) So now, I need to do the the brakes on the 2007 RRHSE. Have you tried the EBC version with ceramic pads? I will replace the pins as well.

 

[Robin Parsons]

It is 99% for sure warpped rotors, actually common on fresh brake jobs with new rotors, if stored vertically, or not slowly broken in on install. Take it back and tell them to turn the rotors. Then when you get it back, accellerate to 30mph and brake hard, down to 10mph, roll for 50 yards and repeat. Never stop. Then drive for a few miles. This will almost always resolve. I always turn new rotors, even expensive ones, before installing, then brake in oroperly. LRs are heavy with huge breaking load, and poor rotor cooling. And most part places store for years vertically, not horizontal are recommend.

 

[Easycool]

I'd sure appreciate any suggestions for rotors and pads. Autozone Duralast Gold, Carcraft Premium pro, EBC, Centric, Power Stop, etc. My daughter drives back & forth to the AFB from home - a 65 mile trek one way! I want her to be safe and sound through the abismal traffic here.

 

[gsxr]

Well, Adventure Tim, I have found that turning rotors is a waste of time.

I agree about not turning / machining rotors... it's generally not worth it. If the rotors are bad enough to need machining, replace them. MOST of the time, if there had been no shaking or vibration issues when the pads are worn out (and discs are above min spec), you just install new pads without touching the rotors. I did this on my LR4 front brakes last year, had zero problems. When the current pads are worn I'll measure the rotors again to see if they will last through another set of pads or not.

On a side note, turning/machining rotors on a lathe that leaves a spiral pattern is bad juju. If this is done, the machining grooves should be removed before installing, with a proper cross-hatch finish for the new pads. Many shops don't do this. There was a great video online showing exactly what happens, but sadly the site is 404 / DOA and Archive.org only has the main page; the video itself seems to be gone permanently.

Have you tried the EBC version with ceramic pads? I will replace the pins as well.

I would not recommend ceramic pads unless your ONLY concern is zero dust on the wheels, and you don't care about stopping power, and you don't care about squealing noises when cold. After installing ceramics (Akebono and Ate) on several other vehicles over a few years, I will never buy ceramics again. I'll clean my wheels more often instead.

 

[gsxr]

I'd sure appreciate any suggestions for rotors and pads. Autozone Duralast Gold, Carcraft Premium pro, EBC, Centric, Power Stop, etc. My daughter drives back & forth to the AFB from home - a 65 mile trek one way! I want her to be safe and sound through the abismal traffic here.

I put OEM Ferodo on my LR4 and had zero issues, however I don't tow or go offroad. They're affordably priced as well. There was a separate thread discussing EBC Yellows as an upgrade, but they are expensive.

I haven't seriously researched discs yet but I'd lean heavily towards OE/dealer rotors unless the price is insane - may be $160 front, $115 rear, MSRP? Get then cryo treated if you are having troubles with warping from severe duty (towing, etc). I don't like Chinese rotors and AFAIK, most anything from AutoZone, Carcraft, Centric, and PowerStop will all be from PRC. From a quick look of brands available, Zimmerman would be high on my list to try out.

Front LR4 = SDB000624:
https://importecautoparts.com/parts/part_number/SDB000624

Rear LR4 = SDB000646
https://importecautoparts.com/parts/part_number/SDB000646

 

[Easycool]

Wow! I have used TRD ceramic pads on Mercedes 280CE, S420, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Del Sol, and Datsun 280ZX. I love the stopping power and piece of mind knowing when I push the pedal, my car stops with no brake fade. That's In Germany, Okinawa, NM, AZ, CA, MT. I've tried organics, and semi metallic. Ceramic pads worked best for me.

 

[cperez]

If the discs are not warped AND not below the minimum thickness allowed, there is no technical or safety reason to replace the discs.

My rear pads are getting thin but the rotors don't have a pronounced lip. I don't believe they've ever been machined but am not sure as they are the ones that were on there when I bought it preowned 1 yr ago (also no sensor warning yet FWIW). Is there a threshold lip depth on LR4 rear rotors where you need to replace them vs just slapping new pads in there and getting new rotors on the next cycle?

Putting it another way, if a rotor has a lip but is within overall thickness specs, is that OK?

 

[gsxr]

Wow! I have used TRD ceramic pads on Mercedes 280CE, S420, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Del Sol, and Datsun 280ZX. I love the stopping power and piece of mind knowing when I push the pedal, my car stops with no brake fade. That's In Germany, Okinawa, NM, AZ, CA, MT. I've tried organics, and semi metallic. Ceramic pads worked best for me.

If ceramics work best for you, that's great! Use what you are happy with on your cars. I've had the opposite experience but it could be the combination of my vehicles, brand of ceramic pad, driving style, and expectations. Note that most pad mfr's do not recommend ceramics for "performance" applications including towing, racing, or (sometimes) heavy vehicles/trucks.

For example, EBC does not even offer a ceramic pad compound (Redstuff) for the LR4:
https://ebcbrakes.com/Assets/ecatal...ogue/USA_Automotive_Catalogue_2016.html#p=260

Putting it another way, if a rotor has a lip but is within overall
thickness specs, is that OK?

Yes, that is OK. The lip doesn't matter, it's the thickness of the main swept area of the disc. I don't know the spec off hand, it will be in the FSM, and is also usually stamped somewhere on the disc itself (may need to wire brush the hat & outer edge to find the markings).

 

[Quijote]

With respect to disc thickness, I'm linking my thread from my first brake job two years ago. My findings were that the discs wear very slowly. Two pads per disc seems completely safe.

https://www.landroverworld.org/threads/changing-rear-brakes-now-some-questions.28728/#post-171742

In contrast, in my BMW's, the discs definitely would not have survived two sets of pads, so I changed them all at once. They also lasted over 50K miles easy, so why not at that point.