New Rotors gone bad ???

[LRDisco94]

I bought a kit from atlantic british that came with new rotors, pads and all the seals. plus i changed the wheel bearing while i was in there.... but now my front rotors look... grooved? and when i brake easy it is alright but when i have to slow down fast the rover tends to be pulled to one side.... is that normal or should i call AB and see if it is a defect or something ? and the back ones seem to be alright, they are smooth

[Adam in NYC USA]

Originally Posted by LRDisco94

I bought a kit from atlantic british that came with new rotors, pads and all the seals. plus i changed the wheel bearing while i was in there.... but now my front rotors look... grooved? and when i brake easy it is alright but when i have to slow down fast the rover tends to be pulled to one side.... is that normal or should i call AB and see if it is a defect or something ? and the back ones seem to be alright, they are smooth

Two questions:

1. DId you remove the stuff that they put on the rotors so they don't rust? You usually wash it off with brake cleaner. Wash and wipe your rotors again and give it a few good stops to see if that is it.

2. What type of rotors and brake pads did you buy? The most aggressive semi-metallic brake pads tend to scar the surface of the rotor faster than the stock pads.

The stock pads also need time to get their grip and sometimes the rotors are not quite the same material used as the OEM.

[LRDisco94]

Yeah i sprayed the rotors with brake clean, and i just bought the normal brake kit at atlantic british...it doesnt have a name for the rotor or pad and i put the kit on last year in october...i will get some pictures up

[Muddy Oval]

If it's a generic kit- it's probably really really low end rotors, but still- grooves are not normal, but are not caused by defects. There's no defect that will cause that- it's usually rocks or crap mashed into the surface by the pads.

[apbtpetey]

When mine was pulling to one side under hard braking it was becuase of a bad caliper.

[LANDY96]

Well, here is my experiance!!
I had replaced my rotors a little over a year ago. I also bought them from atlantic british. I have noticed the pulling, but no grooves. The disks did however become warpped. I am unsure if it is because of inferior metals, or because there was a bad batch, or perhaps even my calipers were bad. I did notice some pulling and excessive brake dust about 5 months after I put all new rotors and pads on. The pulling started then. I had this discussion with atlantic british, and they have sent me new front rotors this week. Just to be safe, I am replaceing all front calipers BEFORE I put the new rotors on. I am starting to believe there was a bad batch of rotors. According to the guy I talked to at Atlantic British, these are supposed to be very good quality rotors. That is why I believe I got a replaecemt for free. Good luck on this problem.

[Muddy Oval]

Would they tell you if they sold Pakistani rotors that wholesale for $7?
Rotors warp mainly because people don't use a torque wrench when they install them. 99% of the time, that's all it is. It sounds as if your caliper is bad on one side.

[Adam in NYC USA]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

Would they tell you if they sold Pakistani rotors that wholesale for $7?......
It sounds as if your caliper is bad on one side.

If you can show me a $7 "Pakistani" rotor, I would believe you.

The majority of the inexpensive rotors have their origins from Tiawan. Not that the rotor should be considered a true high performance part. However, there is a lot of hidden technology inside those rotors and in those calipers.

The majority of the inexpensive rotors out there now have dual rotor construction with cooling cavities (seen edgewise) with the diagonal slotting but not the holes seen in the more high end rotors.

One thing I was pondering about the grooving noted on the new rotors.

It is my guess that the caliper's pistons are not releasing equally. Since the caliper is lifting asymetrically, one edge is dragging on the surface. One good way to detect it would be if you had access to an IR camera and put it right in after a hard braking event. One side of the brake pads would be hotter than the other and the drag pattern would be visible as banded striations on the rotor until it cools off.

[TEMPL4R]

In England, we call them Vented Discs. If they warp, it is usually down to heavy braking, with a too soft compound on the pads. You find a lot of brake dust on the wheels.

I live by the Sea, we get a lot of scored discs ( Rotors) due to the calipers seizing.

Chris

[Muddy Oval]

The $7 Pakistani thing was a joke- but there are some real crap rotors on the market that Unipart sources from third world countries. They really are something like $7 wholesale, then Unipart puts it in a box, sells it to Paddock who sells it to a US store who then puts their brand on it.
Stick with name brand stuff.

[LANDY96]

Atlantic British told me that the rotors came from Great Britin. He said they were supposed to be of good quality.

[Rovin4life]

three things cause a pull, one stuck caliper, two stuck pins, three tire pressure.

finally its also possible a ball joint is loose.

but I would got with the first three.

Especially on old trucks.

[Muddy Oval]

from the UK= Unipart, who bought them from somewhere "very East" from them. I had that conversation with Paddock and Unipart already... I'd like to get a less expensive rotor as an option for people who are short on cash, but if they can't tell me who makes them I'm not going to buy them.