Ouch! Please suggest something less painful!

[nfpgasmask]

Hopefully Beej will reply also.

I have had the R1 Rotors and pads on now for about 2 weeks. The browning is still there, and we have had no response from R1 regarding this. So, I don't know what to say about that.

As for performance, I'm on the fence. It seems like with everyday normal driving on FLAT surfaces, the brakes work fine. But just yesterday, I was driving through the mountains and one a winding road going downhill, the guy in front of me slowed down to make a turn with no signal real fast. I started braking and the brakes were not gripping very good on the downhill. I actually got a little scared for a second. So, I don't know, I mean, is it the weight of the VX that was causing this? Or brakes that don't bite as hard as they should? Or is it an anti-lock issue? If I am going down a moderatly steep hill at say 30mph, and I JAM HARD on my brakes, should they lock up my wheels? I didn't like the feeling that my brakes were not working very well. Its almost like I need to STAND on the pedal to make the brakes grip as hard as I felt they should. Could it also just be that the brakes are new and need a little more time to break in?

Bart

Biju,

Is there any update on the rotors? I was thinking of replacing pads and rotors when I got under the VX to repack the front bearings (might also paint the calipers too). Are they working fine? Has the browning gone away? What's your overall opinion?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[biju]

mark: my final opinion >> worth the money.

i mean, they were only a couple hundo for the set - so i can't complain. great looks, equal if not slightly better performance than the oem's (but could be due to new pads).

the browning? it seems to be gradually getting less and less noticeable - although still slightly there. i have a feeling it will continue to decrease (*crossing fingers*).

because my garage is down to one vx i find that I'm braking much more often these days, being extra careful/mindful of traffic around me. brakes work just fine and feel really solid - i'm confident.

would i buy them again with the same budget? >> yes.

bart: i'm not a gear head/mechanic - but maybe an adjustment is in order? - or possibly low brake fluid?? ... just a thought.

-biju.

[nfpgasmask]

Well, like I said, under normal conditions, they seem fine. It was just that downhill experience I had yesterday that kinda freaked me out.

When you get your brakes and rotors changed, don't they have to bleed and refill your master cylinder?

Bart

mark: my final opinion >> worth the money.

i mean, they were only a couple hundo for the set - so i can't complain. great looks, equal if not slightly better performance than the oem's (but could be due to new pads).

the browning? it seems to be gradually getting less and less noticeable - although still slightly there. i have a feeling it will continue to decrease (*crossing fingers*).

because my garage is down to one vx i find that I'm braking much more often these days, being extra careful/mindful of traffic around me. brakes work just fine and feel really solid - i'm confident.

would i buy them again with the same budget? >> yes.

bart: i'm not a gear head/mechanic - but maybe an adjustment is in order? - or possibly low brake fluid?? ... just a thought.

-biju.

[Ascinder]

Usually you only bleed the brake system if you are getting a spongy pedal, or have opened any part of your brake system(which usually isn't done when replacing pads or rotors), or if you have low fluid(which usually means something is leaking or seeping somewhere). That browning would concern me a little since steel turns colors when being heat treated/tempered. Are you getting any colors besides brown in there, like purples or blues? I have never had disc brakes turn brown......

[nfpgasmask]

I know what you mean about other colors, like when you take a grinder to a fresh piece of steel. No, it just looks like a brownish film. Not quite rust colored, more somewhere between a "burnt umber" and a "raw sienna".



Bart

PS - When the fark am I going to see your VX on the road???

Usually you only bleed the brake system if you are getting a spongy pedal, or have opened any part of your brake system(which usually isn't done when replacing pads or rotors), or if you have low fluid(which usually means something is leaking or seeping somewhere). That browning would concern me a little since steel turns colors when being heat treated/tempered. Are you getting any colors besides brown in there, like purples or blues? I have never had disc brakes turn brown......

[Ascinder]

not for at least a week since it is up in the air on four jackstands with the entire front suspension/driveline torn out. I am in the middle of doing the differential drop, replacing all CV boots with mecatech, replacing the brake lines with the kevlar/stainless braid set from independent4x.com, putting in my heavy duty tie rods, 285/55/R20 nitto dunegrapplers on black Mega 835 rims after indexing the torsion bars and cranking, and installing my rear spring jacks(which will hopefully work) and wiring in my four offroad lights to the roofrack then into the cabin, and finishing my low profile rack mounts. Needless to say, it should be pretty cool once it's all said and done, but man what a daunting set of tasks. Then I still have to refill the front diff., change the gear oil in the rear diff, do an oil/filter change(100% synthetic Mobil 1 all around),mount and balance and install the wheels and get an alignment done. Right now, I'm waiting on differential bearings/seals/snaprings, brakeline kit, CV boots, and rims, all of which should be here by the end of the week. Hopefully that gives me enough time to get the drop brackets done and finish the 1 tie rod I'm still working on, plus the plethora of other stuff in the mean time.

[kpaske]

any ideas what this brown discoloration is from?

I think it's probably rust. If it's only on the surface where the pad wears away at the rotor, it's nothing to worry about as it will be scraped off each time you brake. Does some of the discoloration go away after you drive it, then build back up over night?

[Joe_Black]

I'm leaning towards heat discoloration as they shouldn't rust up overnight as the pad keeps the surface polished. If it's a bronze sort of brown there's likely some issues with the alloys the rotors are made from, meaning they could be re-branded seconds.

[VehiGAZ]

Any news on the R1 rotors?

I ask because my recent brake job didn't last - the rear rotors that I had replaced in November (with pads, $890!!!) have warped. Can you believe that?! I am pee-ossed!!

If the dealer doesn't replace them for free, I'm going to need some options. The $30 Autozone specials are looking pretty good right now!

[biju]

sorry to hear about your rotor woes...

yeah - my R1's, granted i was worried at first, have done grrrreat. for the money you can't go wrong.

best of luck to you.

-biju.

[nfpgasmask]

I agree, I have no real issues with mine.

Bart

sorry to hear about your rotor woes...

yeah - my R1's, granted i was worried at first, have done grrrreat. for the money you can't go wrong.

best of luck to you.

-biju.

[VehiGAZ]

Thanks for the update guys - the dealer said that the brake repair gone bad is covered under their 1 year parts & labor warranty, so they will pick up the tab for replacing it. If they try to weasel out of covering it (probably not - we bought our Audi there and service both there as well), I'll go aftermarket.

There is a confounding factor with this, though - one of my rear Goodyear Wranglers is going bad. The belt is loose and shifting inside the tire, which pushes the treads off to one side, which makes it feel a lot (but not entirely) like an unbalanced tire. Kind of an odd thing to go wrong with it, but I need to sort that out and get it replaced (also under 1-yr warranty) before the Isuzu service writer is going to admit that the rotor is warped.

Will keep the board posted... I'm sure some bizarre problem will be discovered before this is all done. :-)