Need front pads- reuse rotors?

[HoosierJeeper]

My front pads are about due to be replaced. The old pads are EBC green stuff and the rotors are Centric ones. I don't have any vibrations when braking and they don't seem to have much of an outer lip. Would it be fair game to just put new pads on? Rotors and pads have 30k or less on them.

 

[CzarKJ]

Would recomend getting them turned atleast.

 

[LibertyTC]

When I swapped my front pads into semi-metallic, there was not a lot of miles 20k.
Still I had rotors turned, as it is better for seating in new pads, with being groove free.
There is a spec for minimum thickness on rotors, check before turning.

 

[Conundrum2006]

You can just swap pads if it's not too glazed. Maybe a light sanding to freshen the surface.

Last time I had rotors that needed to be turned it was more economical to buy new. used to be a few bucks to get a rotor turned, in our area I couldn't find anybody to turn them for less than $20 a side. Screw that.
I used to turn them when I worked at a parts house for $2-4 each back in the early 2000s. Loved working with that machine. Very easy, not labor intensive at all.

Redneck fix is just slap on new pads and go boy! NASCAR pit stop! hell yeah!

Joking aside if it's not warped or heat glazed to hell, you can get by with minimal rotor R&R .

By the book is to have them turned.





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[jeeplib05]

From what I've seen it's not good to turn rotors now adays
The materials used make them brittle after being turned
Also as what was mentioned before for the cost of getting them re-surfaced you could just get new ones
I'd personally change it all while you have it taken apart and save the headache

 

[CzarKJ]

Oriellys site says 10$-20$ per rotor to turn them

 

[Conundrum2006]

Maybe they will turn it for $10, but I've not found anybody who'll touch one for under $20, new rotor for the liberty start at $15 according to rock auto.
most if not all of the aftermarket rotors are from china (even some good names you'd think wouldn't farm out production), so I would not be surprised if they are more brittle than they used to be .



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[Dave]

In the old days I replaced pads and had rotors turned. It used to be cheap to have rotors turned as long as they were in spec. That was then.


One time I even replaced pads and didn't turn the rotors because they looked really good.. That was in the old days. No more.


These days I think rotors are crap made in china lousy quality metal stuff. When I did mine I noticed the OEM rotors were stamped "Bosch". I just replaced them with the best quality ones NAPA had. I saved those OEM Bosch rotors for awhile because they looked pretty good and I was going to have them turned. Never got around to it and a couple of years later threw them out in the recycle bin when I was cleaning out the garage. You wouldn't believe the crap I had in the garage that I saved and never used that I cleaned out.


That's my story anyway.


I would just replace them with good quality ones if it were me.


Dave

 

[tjkj2002]

From what I've seen it's not good to turn rotors now adays
The materials used make them brittle after being turned
Also as what was mentioned before for the cost of getting them re-surfaced you could just get new ones
I'd personally change it all while you have it taken apart and save the headache

Turning rotors has no effect on them besides making them thinner which the pads will do.

Maybe they will turn it for $10, but I've not found anybody who'll touch one for under $20, new rotor for the liberty start at $15 according to rock auto.
most if not all of the aftermarket rotors are from china (even some good names you'd think wouldn't farm out production), so I would not be surprised if they are more brittle than they used to be .



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If your paying $15 for a new rotor your safer to "fred flinstone it" for brakes.That is a rotor made out of some very cheap steel,if you can call it steel.

Quality rotors start at around $50 for the KJ.

 

[CactusJacked]

Rotors from the "old days" had a lot of extra material, and you could get 1-2 machinings till they were down to minimum spec. Current day rotors don't have much extra and are pretty much down to spec once the pads are gone. With no grooves in the rotors, many times I have sanded the surface with a drum sanding attachment on the drill, or used a sanding disc on my right angle grinder. You want to kiss the rotors lightly but enough to rough them up so that the new pads will break in well, don't just slap new pads on and go.

 

[jeeplib05]

Or just get some Duralast Max rotors with a 3 yr warranty and not worry about it
Just take the worn ones back to AutoZone and they give you all new ones no questions asked
Brake pads have lifetime warranties so same deal
I used to use them on my Pontiac with zero problems, haven't used them on my KJ yet since the dealer put new ones on in December but I will once these get worn down

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I think I'll get the same Centric rotors again. Pads, maybe Powerstop evolutions or Centric Posi-quiets?

 

[tommudd]

Installing new brake pads without replacing rotors is like buying new shoes and wearing holey socks to your wedding.

 

[profdlp]

Disclaimer: I just replaced my own brakes for the first time ever about three weeks ago.

I think in the old days, pads were of much lesser quality than they are today. Rotors may have been of lesser quality as well, but I don't think there was as much difference in their quality between now and then as there is between pads comparing them now against back then.

The takeaway on this is that thirty years ago a pad might be 80% worn while a rotor might be only 30% worn, assuming you started with new ones of each. Nowadays, it's likelier that by the time your pads are 80% worn your rotors are near the end of the line as well. I put this down to improvements in brake pad technology, not a decline in rotor quality.

I base this on the fact that back in the day it seemed like I was paying someone to replace brake pads every other year while rotors seemed to go on and on.

 

[tjkj2002]

Disclaimer: I just replaced my own brakes for the first time ever about three weeks ago.

I think in the old days, pads were of much lesser quality than they are today. Rotors may have been of lesser quality as well, but I don't think there was as much difference in their quality between now and then as there is between pads comparing them now against back then.

The takeaway on this is that thirty years ago a pad might be 80% worn while a rotor might be only 30% worn, assuming you started with new ones of each. Nowadays, it's likelier that by the time your pads are 80% worn your rotors are near the end of the line as well. I put this down to improvements in brake pad technology, not a decline in rotor quality.

I base this on the fact that back in the day it seemed like I was paying someone to replace brake pads every other year while rotors seemed to go on and on.

Gotta remember 30 years ago the brakes were severely undersized in vehicles.Compare brakes on a F150 from 30 years ago to ones on a brand new F150 and you will see the newer F150 has brakes twice the size of a 30 year old F150.

 

[jeepguy4276]

I just had rotors turned at O'reillys and they came back warped. I knew I should have just put new ones on instead of turning. I think brake parts are more r&r nowdays. Especially considering their importance. I'd just bight the bullet and do it all at once.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'll get new rotors for sure. What do people like for pads?

Don't think I'll go with the EBC green stuff pads again. Didn't last long, dusted worse than OEM ones and didn't think the stopping power was any better than stock.

 

[tjkj2002]

I just had rotors turned at O'reillys and they came back warped. I knew I should have just put new ones on instead of turning. I think brake parts are more r&r nowdays. Especially considering their importance. I'd just bight the bullet and do it all at once.

If a rotor has to much lateral runout (AKA "warped") it will always be "warped".The brake lathe will only flatten the surface but once the rotor get's hot (1st application of the brake pedal) it will go back to it's original shape but will have more lateral runout due to the machining.

In 27 years of driving I have never turned a rotor on my personal vehicle.I always replace the rotors/drums with new pads/shoes.

 

[tjkj2002]

I'll get new rotors for sure. What do people like for pads?

Don't think I'll go with the EBC green stuff pads again. Didn't last long, dusted worse than OEM ones and didn't think the stopping power was any better than stock.

I'd go with a premium semi-metallic.

I'm loving my Black Magic pads on my KJ,and yes they now make them for stock KJ brakes.Just be warned you will go through rotors well before you ever have to replace the pads.I'm on my 6th set of rotors and the pads still look brand new after 30,000 miles(10mm of pad left).I'm using the Centric Premium rotors like they recommend but these semi-metallic pads are harder on rotors then the best sever duty pads on the market but they just plain work,hot or cold,if you follow the bed-in procedure.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

OE is ceramic right?

I get that semi metallics will stop better...but I just want the low dust and the stock brake performance has always been good for my usage (mainly highway now, some city and no towing).