Can out-of-balance wheels cause warped brake rotors?

[FUELER]

Theoretical question for you experts out there

 

 

Can out-of-balance wheels cause "warped" brake rotors?

 

 

2 of my wheels have a slight (but very noticeable) shake at 55mph + due to poor quality tires.

 

The reason I ask, is that I had warped brake rotors after only one year of use, and don't know whether to attribute this to the extremely worn rear drums, poor quality rotors, unbalanced wheels, or maybe a mix of all 3?

 

Thanks in advance

[GrimGreg]

I would guess you are too heavy footed on the brake and just heat soaked the damn things.

[GhostPath]

Short answer?

 

No.

[laxman0324]

Short answer?

 

No.

too long

[94extreme]

I would guess you are too heavy footed on the brake and just heat soaked the damn things.

x2 lol

[FUELER]

I would guess you are too heavy footed on the brake and just heat soaked the damn things.

 

 

I was VERY easy on the brakes, always careful not to clamp down on them after long, hard stops, always using engine braking whenever possible... I've always been very conscious about the brakes, as weird as that may sound

 

My (trustworthy) mechanic found that the rear drums had very deep grooves scorched into them. He said the drum covers were impossible to get off, I think because it was the first rear brake service in the entire 145k on my QX4. He machined the drums, put on new shoes, and adjusted.

 

I'm thinking that might have been a major cause of prematurely warped front rotors

 

 

Do you guys recommend checking the adjustment of rear LSV? Or no, since mechanic adjusted rear at the drums?

[88pathoffroad]

How do the rears work after servicing? If they're not up to par the front brakes have to take up the slack. Stopping a car with only the front brakes can take a toll on the rotors.

[FUELER]

How do the rears work after servicing? If they're not up to par the front brakes have to take up the slack. Stopping a car with only the front brakes can take a toll on the rotors.

 

Car seems to brake better than before, but under regular driving only so far. Haven't tried super hard braking yet.

 

 

I know that the warped, cheapo rotors I just replaced, couldnt lock up the tires or engage ABS at all when literally standing on the brake pedal (and it wasnt to the floor) from 70 mph to 0.

 

I noticed now that the e-brake handle does seem slightly tighter, maybe 5 clicks to hold the QX4 on an incline, 2-3 clicks is sufficient on flat ground. I like that, It was like 6-7 clicks before.

Edited April 29, 2008 by FUELER

[GhostPath]

Did you also have cheapo pads?

[Simon]

Cheap pads + cheap rotors = too much heat that the cheapo rotors can't dissipate.

[unccpathfinder]

In theory yea I think you could cause a rotor to be out of balance with a sever out of balance wheel/tire...but I think it would have to be so bad that you wouldn't be able to drive it over 50 mph (i'm thinking of these old IFS ford/chevy trucks i see on the highway where the front wheel is almost hopping off the ground b/c its so out of whack such that it would wear one side of the rotor more

 

in reality though I don't think this would happen b/c the relationship between the spindle, wheel and rotor is fairly rigid and the pads would wear a lot faster than the rotor to have a significant impact

[adamzan]

In theory yea I think you could cause a rotor to be out of balance with a sever out of balance wheel/tire...but I think it would have to be so bad that you wouldn't be able to drive it over 50 mph (i'm thinking of these old IFS ford/chevy trucks i see on the highway where the front wheel is almost hopping off the ground b/c its so out of whack such that it would wear one side of the rotor more

I see that on dodge caravans ALL the time around here. You can see that pathetic excuse for an axle piece hopping up and down underneath.