brake question

[Tempted]

Who turns rotors while they are still on a vehicle???

Most big shops have an on-car rotor lathe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TorEE_fJ3ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRIBwvm_i-k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAOFErcUMoE

 

[1997chevydriver]

Ok I did not know that.

 

[1997chevydriver]

No place around my area has one of these even the dealers

 

[Tempted]

I think all NTBs and Kauffmans have them. Most shops around here have them. Oddly, Just Brakes does not use them around here.

 

[1997chevydriver]

Never heard of any of those places

 

[Tempted]

Man do they keep you guys hidden under rocks out there?! NTB, National Tire and Battery, is one of the biggest maintenance shop chains there is. Kauffman I'm not sure about but we have them all over the place down here. Just Brakes is nationwide, there are thousands of them. I don't have one at my shop, I have to remove the rotors and toss them on my machines. I do balance the rotors on my personal vehicles by using my Coats 3DB wheel/tire balancer. Not something I do for customers unless they ask or I really like them.

 

[sewlow]

Balancing rotors? Cool! Never had this done or even knew that it could be done, outside of the original manufacturers. There is a place here that does do wheel balancing on the vehicle, which I figured would compensate for any weight variations in the rotors, themselves.

 

[Tempted]

Yes, balancing the wheel on the car is an awesome way to go. Nobody around me does it or I'd take it to them. Balancing rotors alone is very time consuming since you can't add weight, only remove it. When I check new rotors they are normally less than a half ounce out static. I grind down the cooling vents and edge of the rotor to drop the weight. Checking the balance is easy. I started doing this on my purpose built cars in 2005. I can't say how much it helps, but I'm sure it helps some at high speeds. I don't bother with my 94 because all it does is tow. I go through quite a few rotors with it, I exceed the tow capacity routinely and drive in city limits(stop and go). I warped them a couple weeks ago and before I bought new ones I decided to do a 4wd conversion. I'm fighting with the SAS right now, thinking about using an IFS. One of the things I like about the IFS is the use of a floating rotor.