can bad pads damage rotor?

Question

Can cheap pads damage the rotor?
I have been goin nuts with my rotor warping ever since I put pads on last summer. Finally I put new pads and rotors on
that were Toyota. The "new" pads from last summmer were ceramic and had some minor cracks. Could this have been
the cause of my 9 months in rotor "hell" ? They were ceramic
btw and of cousrse after market. Brake shop kept turnin rotor
and telin me it was MY driving style and normal to toyoytas/
this

Answer 1

i own a repair shop,and any cheap rotor will ruin a pad or the opposite,these days all the manufacturers aren't using good metal in the rotors so once in a while you can get hold of some bad ones,i have seen them completely wear down in less than 3 months due to cheap metal,and brake pads that have to much metal in them,together this can wipe out a good set of rotors or pads,all there concerned with now days is bottom dollar profit,and they don't care for a few come backs,i used a good set of synthetic pads last year and the destroyed a real good set of rotors,the best pad i have found to use it the cheap ones,they stop as good,they don't last as long but they don't ruin the rotors either ,so ever which way you go you can get bitten by something,,another thing you have to watch out for also is bad calipers also,these will sometimes stick causing the pads to eat in to the rotors creating heat spots which cause cracking,and warping,my advice is go with a good set of rotors,and a cheap set of pads,id rather replace pads once a year,as rotors any day ,its a lot cheaper that way,good luck,i hope this helps.

Answer 2

I drive hard and have taken to buying cheap rotors and pads *every* time I need brakes. In today's market, turning rotors only make them thinner, thus, more susceptible to warping. And while I'm on that subject, what happens when hard braking is the heat generated is absorbed into the pads and when you stop completely, all the heat stored in the pads moves back to one small area in the rotors. That creates a hard spot on the rotor that does not wear away like the rest of the surface, eventually causing the vibration/bumping/warped feeling. Often, when they cut the rotors, they don't cut deep enough to remove the hard spots and very soon after the 'warp' shows up again. Couple that with the rotor being thinner, the heat is absorbed more readily. See the pattern?

Answer 3

The best thing to do is replace both the rotors and the pads at the same time. Before installing the new rotors, clean the wheel hub using a sanding disc. This removes rust that can lead to rotor warpage. Install the rotors and pads. Use a brake lube to grease the sliding surfaces and make sure the caliper slides move. If the caliper slides don't move, the caliper stick on and act as though you are constantly applying the brakes.

Make sure everything moves freely. Install the wheels and torque them down. Uneven torque can cause the brake rotors to warp. Ceramic pads are harder than semi metallics and can cause the rotors to overheat even during normal application. On my car, I had ceramic pads and I had to machine or replace the rotors frequently due to severe pulsation. I finally went back to a semi-metallics and haven't had a problem since.

Answer 4

Rotors come in different grades of metal. Generally a cheaper rotor is more likely to warp than a higher priced rotor due to the properties of the metal. Ceramic pads are better for cooling but, every time the rotor is turned metal is being removed. The more metal you remove the less the heat can dissipate causing the rotor to warp. There may be a small bit of truth to how its driven but, the best solution is better parts. Turning rotors is becoming an obsolete practice because there usually is not enough rotor left to get a good turn out of it.

Answer 5

with out a doubt if you ride your brakes it will cause the rotors to warp. High speeds and hills will reak havoc on your rotors from building up to much heat. You should not have to apply the brakes for any more then 5 seconds then let off do not hold your brakes unless you have to. also when applying the brakes you should feel the deceleration almost immidietly.

Answer 6

too much heat causes rotors to warp and these companies don't use good rotors anymore, they are really thin and can't take the heat and if you use your brakes hard or do a lot of city driving the rotors warp.

Answer 7

from hard braking, from quick stops.not cutting rotors when you did the brake job and cheap pads when you do it do it right from the start and you avoid the problem that follow.... good car treat it right and it will last a long time good luck...

Answer 8

ceramics are hard on the rotors. normal pads are of a softer material

Answer 9

If you have bad brake pads it will either warp them or cut grooves into your rotors and possibly mess up your brake calibers

Answer 10

You should have returned the cracked pads when they were new - they were defective. It may have started your problem. The cracks will make for uneven wear and heating which causes warpage