Understanding Warped Rotors

Brakes are designed to convert

movement energy into heat in order

to slow and stop your vehicle.

The friction material on the brake

pads wears off over time, but

replacing brake pads alone is not

always enough to maintain efficient

braking. Here are three common

reasons why brake rotors also need to

be replaced:

With a worn brake rotor, heat can't be dispersed

effectively, leading to a loss in stopping power.

Worn pads or foreign objects can

cause damage to the disc surface.

Installing new pads on grooved discs

can result in accelerated pad wear

and increased squealing from the

brakes.

The friction of the brake pad against

the disc eventually causes the disc to

become thin.

An unevenly worn rotor can cause the steering

wheel to shake and the brake pedal to vibrate.

Efficient braking requires the disc to

dissipate the heat generated as

quickly as possible. With a thin disc,

the heat is unable to escape quickly

enough from the surface, causing

brakes to overheat and lose stopping

power

Under certain circumstances, such as

extreme braking followed by

prolonged pressure between the

brake pad and hot disc, some of the

friction material from the pad can

become embedded into the surface of

the disc. This causes the disc to have

uneven thickness.

The warped effect on the disc can

cause the steering wheel to shake

and the brake pedal to pulse -

especially under heavy braking.

Information Courtesy of Copyright Technet 2020 MotoVisuals