Last year I redid Artoo’s stock brakes (R53) with Brembo disks and Hawk HPS pads all around. I am very experienced and have done hundreds of brake jobs in the last 45 years.

All the parts went in fine but in pulling out of the driveway the front end shook violently and it was undrivable. The DSC light came on and turning off DSC made little difference. I did all the usual looking, gave up and got stock front parts and all was fine. Two weeks later I replaced the stock pads with the Hawks and it was perfect for the last year.

Today I wanted to flush my brake fluid and decided to try the Brembo rotors once again. But I had them skim cut just to be sure. I put them on and once again it shook violently. I checked and double checked the Brembo part numbers and they are correct. I do not want to put the rusty OEM rotors back on.

So, assuming the Brembo’s are bad somehow, and yes I did compare the most important aspects of the rotors side by side, I am considering the ATE coated rotors from Way. I am gun shy on Brembo’s but will try to send them back to see if there is anything Brembo can find. Coated sounds like a good idea and was wondering if 1-anyone had any problems with Brembo’s but me and 2-what your thoughts are on front rotors for a car that doesn’t see the track but does see some spirited driving on occasion.

Thanks in advance,

Rich

 

I'm assuming that you installed the rotor hold-down screws. After installing the Brembo rotors and before re-installing the calipers, did you dial indicate them for run-out, both laterally and concentrically.

 

[QUOTE=NC TRACKRAT;3782004]I'm assuming that you installed the rotor hold-down screws.

Yes.

No. Simply too much work for a simple brake job and the fact is they have to be bad. It’s the only thing that I change that makes it go from bad to good. And the guy who skim cut them, who I trust, said they looked good. Go figure.

I am just going to order new rotors and see if Brembo will somehow troubleshoot and make good on the old ones.

But I was wondering if anyone else has seen this. It’s not like the collective here doesn’t go though a lot of pads and rotors.

///Rich

 

Put the R-56 JCW big brakes on my R-53 last year. When I first installed the disc hold down screw to my Brembro rotors I visually noticed a good bit of runout in the disc. After removing the disc, I then wire brushed all four hubs for rust and scale and since I have wheel studs, I ran all four lug nuts onto the disc prior to installing the disc hold down screw. This solved, for me, the visual runout for all four disc.

 

Interesting. I put the stock rotors on just because and it was fine. Went back to the Brembo’s, DSC and shakes the front end hard.

I am beginning to think the hats, or one hat, is/are not machined correctly. But I will try the lug trick to see what happens just for yucks.

Thanks,

///Rich

 

So today I installed the WMW coated front rotors. Worked perfectly. I again compared the Brembo’s to the stock rotors I took off and can’t find anything wrong but if you put them on the front end jumps around and the DSC light comes on. With the new rotors, no issues so it has to be the Brembos.

So Monday I will see if Brembo will make good on these and send me a new pair which I’ll install next year.

So for now, this issue is over.

///Rich

 

When you say the front end shakes, I'm assuming it happens regardless of whether you're on the brakes or not.
I'm wondering if there's something with the material of the rotor's hat that's interfering with the hall signal of the wheel speed sensors. Are the rotor hats magnetized?

 

Yes. For some reason the DSC kicks in and out. And it’s worse when on the brakes. The speed sensors are inside actually far from the disk but I am not ruling anything out. All I know is those particular rotors don’t work and stock or the WMW coated ones do. And it’s not the shoes.

///Me