Brake job re-do

[nahvkolaj]

I've been using the FAQ and search function to research brake rotor choices and haven't been able to get as much data as I had hoped. Current setup that I installed on my 3.0i about 1.5yr/13k miles ago is plain Meyle rotors and Stoptech Street Performance pads. Long story short, the brakes are pulsing (not in the pedal, but I can feel it in the way the car decelerates, sometimes in the steering wheel) and I can see some discoloring on the rear rotors where about half of it (a 180 degree patch) is slightly blue-colored. Needless to say I think I am looking at a brake job soon and I could use a little help.

I've since read bad things about Meyle rotors and they're no longer available anywhere I've looked. I'm considering rotors from Zimmerman, Brembo, and Stoptech. Would slots or cross-drilling do anything to help keep the solid rear rotors cool? My gut says probably not. I haven't seen much support online for slots and holes.

As for pads I'm super happy with the Stoptech pads. They have good feel and little fade on twisty downhills...I'm hoping these weren't the culprit. I noticed a lot of people like ceramic pads, mostly Akebono but I remember seeing a Powerstop and an EBC user on here. I don't mind dust but I definitely wouldn't be sad to see less of it, as long as performance doesn't suffer for it.

I'm open to all suggestions, but my first concern is getting good rotors. I live in the Mojave Desert so things get toasty on summer drives, and I also daily this thing year-round. Thanks!

[MIKYZZ4]

I would make sure the handbrake is adjusted properly,
along with checking for sticking guide-pins at the rear.

The rotors you mentioned should work fine,
as I run with StopTech rotors + Akebono pads.

[jclausen]

I used textar pads and rotors, no problems

[PbFut]

The discoloration on part of the rotor suggest that that section of the rotor is heating more than the other part.
The basic principle of a brake system is easy to understand. Brakes convert forward (or reverse) motion energy into heat via friction. The heat is taken away via the air. If you are not heating the rotor evenly and one area more than others, indicated by the one section of rotor discoloring more than other areas, you have a problem with that rotor. It is either machined incorrectly or installed incorrectly or warped. It is also likely the reason for the pulse. That rotor is doing something to put more friction in one area, causing more heat, and the pulse you feel. Rotors rarely warp, but it kind of sounds like you may actually have one. If the rotor is truly discolored in one area over another, it's shot. You will always have a pulse as the color indicates a change in metal properties. That will change the friction coefficient in that area and so you get a pulse. Also if the rotor is not installed correctly, flat to the wheel flange, it could have cause some of this. Or it could just be a bad rotor. In any event, the rotor needs replacing.

[nahvkolaj]

Thanks for the feedback. I cleaned the hubs last time I did the brakes so I would have a good mating surface. I plan to replace all the guide pins...I can’t remember if I did that last time or if I just cleaned them.


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[Mr Bingley]

Can't speak to use in the Mojave in the summer, as I live in the North East, but I have had great luck with Powerstop pads and rotors and heartily recommend them. I have been running Powerstop Extreme Street Warrior on my ///M for four seasons now with great success. I have several other cars and run Powerstop Evolution on them--also with great success. I've been using Powerstop for many years (I can't remember exactly when I got my first set, but it has been a long time--like 8-10 years or so) and swear by them. Some people say ceramic pads don't provide as much stopping power, but not such as I've noticed. They do eliminate brake dust however--that I can say positively. Made in America as well.

[fmcfad01]

Centric Rotors and whatever pads you like. That's all I've been using for many years. Great quality and low prices. However, if you don't garage your car and you're having pulsating brakes, you very well may have a caliper problem. You can rebuild, but probably easier to just replace. If the caliper is the issue, replacing rotors and pads is only going to be a temporary fix.

[nahvkolaj]

Centric Rotors and whatever pads you like. That's all I've been using for many years. Great quality and low prices. However, if you don't garage your car and you're having pulsating brakes, you very well may have a caliper problem. You can rebuild, but probably easier to just replace. If the caliper is the issue, replacing rotors and pads is only going to be a temporary fix.

What should I look for on the caliper to determine if it needs to be replaced? The car is garaged but does see rainy conditions a few times every year. Under hard braking the pulsing goes away and everything fees fine.