OEM BREMBO parts are very expensive. If its time to change pads you change the rotors as well. Brakes are wear and tear parts so it really depends how much surface you have left on the rotor but better to be safe then sorry. A cheaper alternative would be to go with STOPTECH 1 piece slotted rotors which are significantly cheaper than the OEM rotors or you can opt to the 2 piece rotors which will be lighter and will disapate heat better. There are wide array of pad selection out there, I myself have the NISMO R-Tune pads which I love but are quite expensive, something comparable would be Endless Vita Nuova pads or Project U B Force. The B Force pads are out of stock but we do have the Vita Nuova's. Browse around our brake section as they is a lot of info there, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

http://www.mynismo.com/categories/?id=2308

 

rlwjr1 wrote:
I know a lot of you are too young to know what a record is but, when a rotor is turned the carbide bit cuts grooves into the rotor. The metal filings will get into these grooves. On your first brake application that metal will get shoved into the pad. When I do turn rotors I always do a NON DIRECTIONAL FINISH and wash the poop out of those rotors.

Good to know. That's just how my rotors look now w/o resurfacing - like they should be laying down flat at 33rpm. There are very small grooves and you can feel the surface isn't flat running hand across the fronts. I guess that is from crap caught inbetween the pad and rotors (like road sand/slush mix in the winter)This is with 29k miles on Brembo OEM 2004 6MT. Starting to get the feeling need to do something with mine, too...there is a very narrow lip on the outside edge, too.

- Steve

 

Better safe than sorry? Why waste money buying new parts when they are still good? You use a caliper to measure the thickness of the rotor before and after you resurface them. There is a minimum thickness requirement for the rotor, as long as you are above it, you're safe. Furthermore, if you are under the minimum thickness, it will just warp the rotor faster.

That's like saying if you're tires only have 65% tread left, then get new ones, cuz they'll wear out eventually. If your tires last a year, why replace them after 3 months? No one does that, they wait until its time to replace them. Brake rotors are the same thing, if you can get 1-2 resurfaces out of them, why replace them when they are still good?

I guess if you have hundreds of dollars just burning a hole in your pocket, then go for it. But if they don't NEED to be replaced, I would spend that money on other mods.

 

Makes sense to me, if cost of turning is reasonable and you can expect to get a decent amount of miles out of the rotors once turned. It's clear this is something you don't pay the labor out of pocket (or pay less). Good advice, just doesn't work for everyone. My Dad when I was young stopped changing his oil and I didn't understand why vs. paying a lot of money (to me) to have it done - then he laid out the lost $$$ that he could have been out making money, I understood.

Your analogy with tires is good - but what if I was incurring the cost of swapping seasonal tires - Winter for Snow - and I still had 30% left on the Summer tires - would I pay to have them remounted knowing I would maybe be right back for new tires in 5k-7k miles? Maybe, probably not. I had rotors turned once on my ancient Altima - then they were shot and OEM Nissan would have been $90/side front only. Replaced with Powerslot new instead for a lot less. The last time turning 2 rotors at the dealer was something like $70.

Point is if after turning I only had 30% left I would be paying for labor to replace the rotors and the pads (probably) in the not-too-distant future. If I am going to get hit up in 6 months for a second trip and a second labor charge to do the brakes, it doesn't add up to not replace the rotors if they are that far worn - labor to go in a second time and put in the new ones plus another day trying to schedule the job. It's not just parts - not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do this work at home or someone's garage - I lose money taking time to go get it done because I only get paid while working, lose money for 2X labor charges in the same year - not worth it to me. I could lay out all the costs, but trust me when I say its a wash - if I had to actually take a day off I could have practically purchased the rotors with the lost income.

But, I still change my own oil, wash and wax my car, "time-wasters-all", not letting go of that. Some things are sacred

ps. THANKS to the other people who posted sources of rotors for less than the outrageous OEM costs!!!

 

you can get rotors + pads + stainless steel lines + fluid for $700.
then pay the dealer to install. ftw.

 

From where? Best I have seen is rotors only for the Brembos (x4) for $700.

Thanks!
- Steve

 

Of course your logic is correct and is very obvious, why replace rotors if you do not have to? Like I said, brakes are wear and tear items and it really depends what the condition it is in as you clearly put it. The reason why I say better safe then sorry is because on majority of the brake pads installs we have done, the customer has already worn down the rotor beyond its threshold and resurfacing them would simply not do. Also if you are paying a shop to do the install, why pay for labor again when you can do everything at once when you are at a point where the rotors need to be replaced anyways?
We consider brakes to be a crucial part in the dynamics of any vehicle, it is a safety issue. If your rotors are obviously not warped and can be resurfaced then by all means, go with the logical choice. But with a lot of the cars that come through our dealership, in most cases, customers come in thinking they only need to do a brake pads swap but when we inspect the brakes further, their rotors end up being warped to the point whereit is no longer resurfacable, I guess it really depends on your driving habits as well.

 

OK, well of course if your rotors are under the minimum thickness, then you do NEED new rotors. But if you have life in them, I would resurface them.