Input requested: brakes (1 Viewer)

[Pucker5]

So here it goes. I have about 25k on my current brake pads and rotors. Lately though I’ve been experiencing a rotational vibration when I softly apply the brakes to reduce speed. When I need to stop and press firmly on the brake pedal the car stops instantly (yay) . In any of these circumstances there is absolutely no vibration at the wheel. I feel it at the pedal.

My raptor friend said it could be warped rotors.

Anyone else experience this

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Warped rotors are felt in the pedal and steering wheel like you describe. Have the dealership turn them on vehicle.

 

[SteveH]

If you do your own work, consider replacing the front rotors and get new OEM pads from the dealer. I personally use inexpensive Chinese rotors with good results, but if money is less of an object, you can get rotors from the dealer. In my experience, turning rotors is expensive (compared to replacing) and the results of turned rotors don't seem to last as long as new ones. YMMV.

 

[Pucker5]

@Trunk Monkey and @SteveH thanks for the responses. I have new pads ready to get put on and will have a brake fluid exchange as well. The third part of that was ideally getting the rotors turned on vehicle, not replacing them as they were new about 25-30k miles ago. They are brembo “premiums” off rock auto

If i replace rotors I’d do the work myself snd just do all new wheel bearings with oem rotors this time around

 

[Rhetoric]

Stick with Toyota parts. I had “aftermarket” rear rotors and they “warped” something fierce in about 20k miles. Toyota rotors and pads solved the issue.

 

[GTV]

I'm curious to know if improperly preloaded wheel bearings can cause a pulsating brake pedal. On my last pad change I put a dial indicator on the rotors and they looked great but I still have a pulsing brake pedal.

 

[squeezer]

Rotors on passenger cars almost never warp. The pulsing pedal that we often attribute to a warped rotor is actually material buildup on the rotor. A proper re-bedding of the brake pads will usually fix the problem.

Stoptech has some great info on this.

https://www.centricparts.com/media/wysiwyg/technical-bulletins/TECH_BULLETIN_C22-01.pdf

https://www.centricparts.com/media/wysiwyg/technical-bulletins/TECH_BULLETIN_C22-02.pdf

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Bearings would be felt all the time, not just during braking.

 

[zgfiredude]

Can also be due to a sticky caliper causing one pad to be kind of stationary and the other to move more freely....maybe take a look at the slide pins for build up of debris. But more than likely due to some warped front rotors. The fronts do the vast majority of the braking force, so it happens there much more frequently than the rears.

 

[Pucker5]

Update, rotors were at 29.5 thickness so they have to be replaced. Wheel bearings are pretty new. Is it hard to remove the bearing races inner/outer. Was gonna repack the bearings

 

[Eyedaho]

I'm curious to know if improperly preloaded wheel bearings can cause a pulsating brake pedal. On my last pad change I put a dial indicator on the rotors and they looked great but I still have a pulsing brake pedal.

That's what I was thinking as well, is that slightly loose wheel bearings could cause a similar effect. It's at least something to check early in the trouble shooting process.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Bearings would be felt all the time, not just during braking.

This. Could be caused by different reasons: stuck caliper pistons, warped rotors, or pads that may have caught debris big enough to cause rotational distortion- but pretty much the brake system assembly that moves/rotates.