shaky steering wheel when braking

[yober1]

i have been enjoying my car now and whith the good wheather we were having in New York its been a blast. I noticed when im bracking that my stearing wheel starts to shack and a squicky noise starts to follow. i deafently want to change out my rotors and pads. what should i consider???

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

I would say with a 2003 you should take it to the dealer for some warranty service. It should not be shaking.

 

[DRTH VTR]

I had a '97 that had a steering wheel shake on hard braking. The rotors were slightly deformed, most likely due to improper lug nut torque. The lug nuts should be torqued to 100lbft in 3 stages.

 

[Patrick]

Wouldn't a shaking/vibrating steering wheel indicate that there's a front end alignment issue?


-Patrick

 

[DRTH VTR]

Wouldn't a shaking/vibrating steering wheel indicate that there's a front end alignment issue?


-Patrick

It just happens 'under bracking'. That was the only time my steering wiggled, and the rate of wiggling was directly related to the car speed when braking.

 

[JRMaroon]

Curious about this as my C4 does something similar. With a combination of hard cornering and braking, the front brakes chatter or pulse (not an ABS pulse). Straight line braking regardless of urgency is solid and straight.

My solution has been to improve my driving and break before the corner but I'd like to know why it does this.

 

[motorman]

i have been enjoying my car now and whith the good wheather we were having in New York its been a blast. I noticed when im bracking that my stearing wheel starts to shack and a squicky noise starts to follow. i deafently want to change out my rotors and pads. what should i consider???

look for deposits on the rotors from the brake pads and use a orbital sander to remove them. been there done that

 

['04 Torch Red]

Sounds like warped rotors...problem can be corrected by having rotors turned..best bet is to first take it in under warranty...see if it is covered...worst case scenario would be to replace the rotors(new pads also)..not really that expensive...If you get new rotors or have the old ones turned...make sure to "bed" the brakes correctly...this will help with future warping...hardly anyone does it because they don't know about the "little trick"...do a search on Google and type in "bedding brakes"...

 

[DDLS3]

Warped rotors is most likely. The most common cause is incorrectly torqued wheel lug nuts. Try re-torqueing your lug nuts, tighten in 3 stages 60 ft/lbs first pass, 80 second pass, 100 final pass. If this doesn't cure your problem, I would suggest replacing the rotors, I really hate cutting the old ones especially since the newer ceramic pads will likely wear out the rotor before the pad is worn to replacement thickness. just my .02 worth.

 

[Hib Halverson]

It might be "warped rotors" due to incorrect wheel nut tightening but, more likely, it's the cronic problem C5 rotors, esp. base rotors, have with metallurgy and heat cycling. if retightening the wheel nuts, per the service manual, does not solve the problem; the only permanent fix is to buy premium brake rotors. A premium rotor is one that uses iron with a high silicone content and is heat-treated during manufacture. There are almost no OE rotors like that. The latest info I have on that issue, which cooincidentally came in an interview with the Baer people last week, is that certain Porsches and, maybe, the new generation Viper, use heat-treated rotors.

A good choice in premium rotors is the Baer Eradispeed-S. In many cases their cost is only slightly more than OE and in some cases might even be less. For more money, you can get Eradispeed rotors that are cross-drilled or grooved, but know that with today's brake pad materials, cross-drilling or grooving is strictly cosmetic and does nothing for brake performance.

 

[yober1]

i have went to the my local mechanic and i have ased him to torque the nuts. he did so and the problem didnt go away. He told me that my rotors were warped and suggested that i get new rotors. what choices do i have?

thanks

 

[DDLS3]

Like Hib said, go for premium heat treated rotors. Bendix makes a heat treated and they are available at Advance Auto for about $10 more than OE.

 

[yober1]

hey just wanted to update eveyone

i made some research and have found out that a great and inexpensive solution to my problem was to choose power slot rotors with hawk hps brake pads for my car.

what do u guys think? should i order them?

i found the front rotors for $199.80

and the brake pads for $85.63

 

[mel 2001]

I went to dealer b4 3yr/36k warranty was up. They turned front rotors at 25k. Lasted 5k. went back to dealer. They said out of warranty. Called GM. They gave the ok for dealer to repair. Dealer turned all 4 rotors and put 4 new pads on 2 months ago. I figure if they warp again, I will get different rotors.