To Turn Or Not To Turn...

[Stylous]

Some say always, some say only if there was damage to the rotor(s) and some say they don't do a complete turn on them but use the roughing pads to prep the surface.

 

What do you do?

[Stevens03]

I'm not a fan of turning rotors, unless is a very small amount. Usually after having them turned, the first time you heat them up good is they warp.

 

Thats been my experience over the years. Not a fan!

[Draenor]

Unless the rotors are out of spec, I dont touch them. If, I replace them. I want as much metal as possible on them.

[Matt_]

I've turned a lot of rotors in my days at the shop and have never had one person come back due to warping... however, I only turn rotors that are still well above spec after they have been turned.

 

At a minimum, i would scuff them up to eliminate any pre-existing grooves from the old pads... if you just toss pads on, your likely to develop squeaks.

[markw8]

I think GM says not to normally turn rotors. Only to fix a known problem.

 

Mark

[davzog]

I agree....you do need to cut through the glaze that was created by the old pads....a good scuffing is all that is needed.

 

I only turn the rotors if the brake pedal is pulsing while braking, due to warping. Often, they are out of spec at that point and usually I wind up replacing them at that point.

[DBVille]

I suspect GM says not to turn them to reduce costs, and sometimes that can create problems, if not done right. It also reduces thickness, which is some times a problem - requiring rotor replacement.

 

Rotors rarely, if ever "warp" - see this article from StopTech.

 

I never turn my rotors - I install new pads, properly bed them in, and go on. If there is a problem with them, I replace them.