C4 Brake Rotors

[RIISITAS]

I've decided to do a brake job on my 96 C4 with 53K miles this week. This is the first time I've done a brake job in quite awhile. I bought OEM pads for the job. One question... Can the brake rotors on a C4 front and rear be turned/refinished? It looks like my front left rotor definitely needs to be turned or replaced. I can see a slight gouge on the inside of the rotor surface. This is the first brake job this C4 has ever had. Any suggestions/tips to go along with this task would be appreciated.

 

[Dustoff529]

Not a big fan of replacing 1 side or the other.. I like replacing in pairs......(both fronts or both rears) As for the feasibility to resurface them ask the guy @ the machine shop.. the same idea applies for resurfacing..BOHT or neither

Charlie

 

[LT4man]

The front rotors can certainly survive a resurfacing. Let the machine shop tech advise you.

The rear rotors are so inexpensive, I would replace them both if either one of them is not perfectly true and smooth. MAM sells the rears for not very much.

Going with the OEM pads is the best way to go if you are not tracking or racing the vette. Some might think they are a little pricey, but they dust very little and work very well.

AFTER COMPLETING YOUR BRAKE JOB, DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE THE !

 

[vetteoz]

The rear rotors are so inexpensive, I would replace them both if either one of them is not perfectly true and smooth. .

Full set of OEM factory rotors including 13" fronts $80

C4 Corvette Rotor Set 13" Front / 12" Rear

 

[John Robinson]

Turning

In my FSM it says not to turn the rotors unless the scoring is greater than 1.5 MM or (.060) They only recommend turning if there is a pulsation in the brake pedal otherwise do not turn them per GM. As for turning them if the scoring is greater than speck they say to set the cutting tool to the depth of the score and then to rough up the surface after turning by using an air grinder or sanding pad on the rotor while it is turning on the lathe. The min. thickness for the rotor is 18.6MM front and 18.4 rear.

I only pass this on as information and am not trying to get a controversy started

 

[RIISITAS]

Thanks for all of the great tips! That's an excellent price on rotors from Corvette Recycling!

 

[Hib Halverson]

Don't machine the rotors unless they need it.

The instructions for how to determine the need for turning rotors is in the service manual.

Generally, if the rotor is thicker than the discard thickness, it has no problem with thickness variation, it has no grooves deeper than .050-.060 and it's got no problem with "hardspots", simply replace the pads and continue to use the rotor as-is.

 

[LT4man]

I have been doing brake jobs since 1973. For those who are not mathematically inclined, for over thirty-six (36) years. I would NEVER not turn a brake rotor unless it was PERFECT in every way.

One can take off a minimum of material from the rotor. Resurfacing all of the rotors guarantees you will have no pedal pulsation. The brakes will work the way they were designed to work. The time spent resurfacing the rotor is small compared to the time spent doing a job over again. Not to say anything of the time spent convincing the customer that you did not screw up the job in the first place!

When you are driving a motor vehicle, I would say the MOST important system is the brake system. The ability to stop and avoid accidents and/or hitting people is of paramount importance.

The cost of OEM rotors as shown in the above post is a very small investment.

AFTER COMPLETING YOUR BRAKE JOB, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE THE !

 

[geekinavette]

Don't machine the rotors unless they need it.

The instructions for how to determine the need for turning rotors is in the service manual.

Generally, if the rotor is thicker than the discard thickness, it has no problem with thickness variation, it has no grooves deeper than .050-.060 and it's got no problem with "hardspots", simply replace the pads and continue to use the rotor as-is.

Absolutely agree...I would NEVER remove material from a brake rotor unless it was a last resort. You want to keep that rotor as thick as possible...as the thinner it gets the more prone it will be to cracking. Given the cost of rotors heck I wouldn't even turn it...if it is that questionable I would just replace it and be done with it. Be wary of cheap Asian made rotors...even Raybestos (supposedly a very reputable name in brakes) offers cheap (poor quality) rotors. A sure sign of a poorly made rotor is a difference in thickness on the inboard and outboard halves of the rotor...they should be perfectly symmetrical (at least visually).

 

[g-force junky]

following advise on this forum ...i recently changed, "PADS" only, as prescribed ,front and rear on the vette, and my wife's 96 z28, with excellent results.little, to no, pedal pulsation. Feedback came only on extreme application and short braking distance, initially. Now that the pads have set in, very happy..

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think anymore a lot compared to rotors from probably 20 years ago when turning them down was so much more common, rotors were also a good bit thicker then and could safely be turned farther. A lot of rotors these days a machine shop will only turn them down once and even then going by their safety specs will not turn very much off of them at all. C4 brakes are a piece of cake to change, as long as braking is smooth and not pulsing then keep an eye on your pads and change them when they start to wear down and when it is time to do something with the rotors, they really are pretty inexpensive to just replace with new ones.

 

[dogfish246]

I dont want to hijack this thread but what brakes do you need for the Heavy Duty Brake system option? Are there any special brake rotors/ pads? Thanks!:cool

 

[air1jpg]

I dont want to hijack this thread but what brakes do you need for the Heavy Duty Brake system option? Are there any special brake rotors/ pads? Thanks!:cool

All vettes were upgraded to the HD brake option for the '96 model year. I think the only difference was that the rotors are 17" and the brake pads are a little bigger as a result. You can get the pads & rotors at just about any auto parts shop, just specify that you have a '96 model vette!

 

[LT4man]

All vettes were upgraded to the HD brake option for the '96 model year. I think the only difference was that the rotors are 17" and the brake pads are a little bigger as a result. You can get the pads & rotors at just about any auto parts shop, just specify that you have a '96 model vette!

Brakes were upgraded for the 1995 model.

Front rotors were increased in diameter to 13". If a rotor was 17" in diameter, would be very difficult to fit inside a 17" wheel.

New threads are welcomed and helps prevent confusion when folks use the "Search" feature.

AFTER BUYING YOUR NEW ROTORS, DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE THE !

 

[Topless]

Just my $.02, but if the rotors are not warped (no pulsing), rough them with sand paper and call it good. Now, if you have some serious groves, resurface. Otherwise, why remove material needlessly?

On the rears, thoroughly clean and lube the guide pin. If they drag at all, they will eat the pads.

Oh, and please do not forget to flush your brake fluid. Speed bleeders, or just some clear plastic tubing with a big enough loop to prevend air getting back into the caliper.

 

[air1jpg]

Brakes were upgraded for the 1995 model.

Front rotors were increased in diameter to 13". If a rotor was 17" in diameter, would be very difficult to fit inside a 17" wheel.

New threads are welcomed and helps prevent confusion when folks use the "Search" feature.

AFTER BUYING YOUR NEW ROTORS, DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE THE !

Sorry about the mis information.... :bash LT4man is right, it was the 1995 model year and I don't know what I was thinking with the 17" rotor..

 

[LT4man]

Just my $.02, but if the rotors are not warped (no pulsing), rough them with sand paper and call it good. Now, if you have some serious groves, resurface. Otherwise, why remove material needlessly?

One cannot tell if the rotors are good with just your vision. Even a rotor which looks perfectly flat and true to your eyes with have runout of some sort.

If the rotor is installed on a brake lathe, you can see immediately there will be some runout. By cutting just a few thousandths of an inch, you will end up with a perfectly true rotor. Not to mention you will have brake pads which will wear evenly.

When one does brake work for money (I owned a shop for almost twenty (20) years), this simple operation assures the owner of the vehicle a perfect brake job. Why would one want to scrimp on one's brakes?

The brake rotors on Vettes are very easy to remove. The cost of having them machined is negligible compared to the cost of an accident or a life! Can you tell I feel very strongly about this? :bash

Also, the cost of C4 rotors is inexpensive (read: cheap!). If you want to save the cost & time of machining them, then by all means, buy new ones!

AFTER MACHINING YOUR ROTORS, PLEASE REMEMBER TO SAVE THE !

 

[LT4man]

Sorry about the mis information.... :bash LT4man is right, it was the 1995 model year and I don't know what I was thinking with the 17" rotor..

Don't worry about it! You brought a smile to my face while I was picturing in my mind that 17" rotor! :L Does Baer even make rotors that big in diameter? Maybe!

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Sorry about the mis information.... :bash LT4man is right, it was the 1995 model year and I don't know what I was thinking with the 17" rotor..

Get a big enough hammer, it'd still work...