Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes Warp Warp Warp - Them is the brakes!

I'm getting tired of this. Am I doing something wrong?

I have a '99 SVT. I replaced the factory SVT wheels with 17" Borbet's (looks great btw). Maybe 200 miles went by and I started to get the dreaded warped front rotor feel in the steering wheel. I thought OK, maybe the OEM rotors are not up to it. So I dropped some coin and got some nice rotors from BAT ($89) with the Mintex pads. WOW!! This car has some brakes!! Well now it is 1,000 miles later (mostly highway) and the warping has started again. Yes, I have torqued the wheels down (95lb) each time the wheels have come off. What in blue blazes is going on? I've never had rotors warp like this car. Any ideas?

My opinion is that your torque is too high. 60 - 80 ft-lbs should do the trick (I do 80). Can't say if that caused your warping or not, but it might be a cause.

Yeah definitely make sure the wheel lugs are not overtorqued...last time I had the tires rotated the shop tightened the lugs way too tight and was causing a warping feeling in my brakes. At least check the lugs before you spend any cash...

BAT's rotors are known for warping. Sometimes they are warped out of the box.

Here are a few suggestions to help cut down on warped rotors. As others have suggested, be careful about properly torqing the lug nuts. Break in new ones gently to not only bed in the new pads and rotors, but also to more gently heat and cool the rotors for several cycles. If you do get warpage, don't be afraid to machine the rotors. As long as you don't need to cut them too much, a used rotor that has been through several heating and cooling cycles can actually be a better rotor than a new one. If you are still having a lot of trouble with warping rotors, consider having them cryogenically tempered. You can read about it at www.frozenrotors.com You may want to shop around as you may be able to get better pricing if you can find a place that does this work closer to you. It does work. The rotors last longer and are more resistant to warping.

Thanks for all of your help. I am confused about the torque spec. The factory service manual states 95lb. If others have had luck with 80lb I will try that. I've been very particular about getting it right.

I will have the rotors turned. They are virtually brand new and I hate to lose the $89 bucks. Do you think I can use the same pads. I usually don't but these were also $80+.

Thanks,
jagman

That maybe for steel wheels not Alloys. Alloys are always lower.

-Andy

If they are nearly new, you should be able to use the old pads. Just make sure they are not torn up.

i thought i read 68 ft pds for the lugnuts

could it be that i am slippin in my old age

Whatever the latest rumor is for torque specs make each lug same and I've been told and practiced to do it in several steps/sequences.
The higher the torque the more steps you should take to arrive at the final value.
This 4 lug set up ( IMHO) makes it all too easy to end up with uneven torque across the rotor. Now get this, even though the torque wrench reads XX on ever lug nut at the final sequence, it's a laws of physics'thing???
I'm not a guru, but every car, I've owned with the 4 lug set-up, has had warped rotors.
Paul
So I'm all wet that's the way it is when you're old. But one thing is for sure "the more I've learned the more I realize I don't know!"

Ford's Factory Manual said 62ft*lbs not 95ft*lbs I believe. Eitherway, did you use a torque wrench after the car is totally on the ground or off the ground? It makes a big difference because if the car was dropped on the ground before you torque it, you're putting unequal torque on all four nuts. Think about it, the suspension make the wheel goes in an arc; so when you lift the car up and drop it back down, the outside edge of the tire hit the ground first. If you torque after the car is complete on the ground, the nut that's closest to the top of the car is always undertorque and the one closest to the ground is always overtorque.

What I always do is try to torque all the lugnuts to 80ft*lbs with the wheel off the ground. If that's not possible, I lower the car so the tire just touch the the ground creating enough friction so I can torque the nuts without spinning the wheel. After driving the car for a little bit, I loosen and torque the lugnuts back to 80ft*lbs one at a time. Finally, I check the torque at least twice a month to make sure they're all torque correctly. I find that each time I feel the car vibrate while braking, I can retorque the lugnuts and the vibration will go away.