Aftermarket brake rotors options?

[AZTaco]

If you are hard on brakes, maybe you need bigger brakes. The hybrids have bigger brakes. Look into an OEM upgrade.

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[Bravada]

If you are hard on brakes, maybe you need bigger brakes. The hybrids have bigger brakes. Look into an OEM upgrade.

OP doesn't have a hybrid, unless they removed the badge, so that may be an option. Maybe cost prohibitive. New rotors, probably different caliper and mounts, ETC. Maybe even new wheels, as mine are 18", I think non hybrids are 17"?

 

[soupy1234]

Please tell us more. I have not heard that nugget of wisdom concerning rotors before. I know I need to do that just to make sure nothing backed off.

It's actually in the manual (at 1000 mi)
 When rotating, repairing or
changing your tires, check
that the wheel nuts are still
tight after driving 1000 miles
(1600 km).

Since most drivers are not aware of it, many mechanics will over torque the nuts a bit.

I had completely forgotten this and was having a lot of shaking when braking one time a few years ago. I happened to think of it and pulled over at a rest stop. Sure enough some of nuts were loose. I tightened them and most of the shaking went away. Was too late to save the rotors but at least I could drive it until I had time to replace them.

Now when I get back from anywhere that touches the tires I back off and torque to the correct tightness then retorque after a few hundred miles. I keep a torque wrench in the truck now.

 

[32spoke]

There's two forces at work here, both have to do with lugging your nuts. So when you got loose nuts, you wobble. That wobble is gonna cause some rotational imbalances on your rotors, thus speeding up wear.

2ndly, when you got tight nuts, that counter clockwise potential energy is gonna wanna counter your positive travel in a linear direction, thus adding a lot of friction (so think heat and wear) into the rotors and eventually warp them.

So your theory is a better sell, if the driver side wheel studs have left hand thread. Loose wheel nuts will allow the run to chafe material away from the wheel studs like a beaver chewing through a tree. I have seen it many times. Also advised to lubricate wheel stud threads to prevent false torque when torquing the wheel nuts, using grease can also create false torque as well, trapped grease… a thin oil is ideal.

 

[WKTJR1]

The worst case I’ve seen was on my own vehicle, from a mechanic who worked at the shop where I was (I worked the desk). I had to use a floor jack handle on a breaker bar to break the lugs—yes, you read that right.

 

[32spoke]

The worst case I’ve seen was on my own vehicle, from a mechanic who worked at the shop where I was (I worked the desk). I had to use a floor jack handle on a breaker bar to break the lugs—yes, you read that right.

Yikes!!!

 

[WKTJR1]

Yikes!!!

Yeah, I was really pissed. I discovered it after I had left for another store. If it was on purpose—which it really seems to be—I cannot think of anything I did or said that could have caused it.

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