Do rotors on brakes wear down?

Answer 1

they get damaged of you dont change the break pads before they wear down to the metal.

Answer 2

On European cars brake rotors are machine from a fairly soft iron that is designed to wear at the same rate as the brake pads. Therefore when you need to change pads on your Euro-machine you usually end up doing rotors too. If you measure the rotors when they are brand new then measure them again when it is time to change pads you will notice that yes, they are thinner. It's not just the pads.

American cars tend to use a tougher iron that allows rotors to be re-used in many circumstances. Sometimes they have to be machined to eliminate grooves or ridges around the edges where the pads don't sweep. The depth of those ridges is a good indication of how much thinner rotors get just from normal use. Machining rotors is rapidly becoming a thing of the past though. They don't make rotors as thick as they used to and once they get down to discard thickness they can't be turned and should not be re-used.

Answer 3

Absolutely. Most modern brake pads are "metallic" and really do contain metal. Though they are softer and wear faster than the cast iron brake rotors, they do wear the rotors too. Metal to metal contact will always wear both pieces of metal.

The rotors are designed with a minimum thickness, and when they are worn to that point they can't withstand the heat and pressure of stoppping the car and will need to be replaced. "Turning" or machining the rotors won't fix this; it cuts a small amount of metal off the faces of the rotor to make it smooth and even, but it makes the rotor even thinner.

Answer 4

Yes they do. The brake pads compress against the brake rotors to convert kinetic energy into heat energy. It's basically the friction material of the brake pads with carbon and or other materials including some metal scrubbing up against the metal brake rotors. The brake rotors and the brake pads both eventually grind themselves thinner and thinner until they need to be replaced. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Yes, they will wear down and eventually wear out. When you press the brake pedal, the pads press against the rotors and over time will wear down. Also, if rotors heat up while traveling and you encounter water such as rain or carwash, it can cause the rotors to actually warp, which will cause a lope action while vehicle is moving.

Answer 6

Yes, they do. it can be from regular wear and tear, waiting too long to replace brake pads, and rust from not parking in a garage although that one usually takes quite a while.
I use to drive 20,000 miles a year because i had a commute of 100 miles per day. the heat generated from long distance driving can also warp the rotors. I was told by my machnic that the best you can do is get 4 to 5 brakes jobs before you would need to replace them and less if you drive long distances.

Answer 7

As a rule they don,t wear out as in get thin like brake pads do but they do warp and cause a vibration when braking and if they are turned on a brake lathe to correct this condition minimum thickness guidelines must be adhered to so that they are at an acceptable thickness level.But in time they can thin somewhat but usually the leading cause of rotor failure is warpage I.E. vibration problems.

Answer 8

Yes they do wear and sometimes need replacing. If you take good care of your brakes as most things they will last a long time.

Some times grit gets in and really cuts them up. A bit of sand or something like that. With proper care they should last for at least five years and many times much longer than that.

Answer 9

yes and no

yes they wear.

but it'rs rare that rotors need to be replaced or repaired for that reason.

usually it's because the person didn't do their brakes, and the rotors were damaged as a result.

Answer 10

yes if you wear the brake pads down to the metal but not so much if you get your brakes changed before they get to the metal

Answer 11

They don't wear down like the pads do, but they get ridges and glazing, and need to be resurfaced from time to time. THIS machining removes material, and they will eventually become too thin and have to be replaced.