hey guys,

i need to replace my front brake pads as i've heard the squeeks from the wear bars. my local mechanic has suggested that i just change the pads and from his experience, recommends that i just leave the rotors as is. he explained that in previous g35's that he's done machining the rotors is unnecessary and may even cause problems. he recommends just changing the pads and after those pads are done changing out the rotors and the pads.

thoughts?

 

I think he's either an idiot, or he's looking forward to servicing your brakes again sooner than necessary.

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that a new pair of shoes on a set of unturned rotors will outlast the same on freshly machined rotors.


$.02

 

^+1 I would your rotors resurfaced and then next go around replace

 

If you're machining the rotors because you feel a shimmy, there's no point because (from my experience) the shimmy just comes right back. In this case it's better to just buy new as most white box grade are very cheap these days.

In general, I'd check to see how much white-box aftermarket rotors are, they might be comparable to machining cost. And white-box are perfectly fine if you're not using an aggressive pad. I've been using white-box with Hawk blues on my coupe for years and no issues.

 

I got away with just replacing the front pads with no resurface. My intention was to replace the rotors, but they were one order. I initially did it just to see if could get the vsc and brake lights to turn off. They both turned off and the performance was not compromised, so I left it alone and will replace the rotors when the pads go.

 

In the times I have replaced the pads without doing something with the rotors, I always eventually got judder well before the end of life of the new pads. In the end, it costs you time and money. I personally do not like machining rotors so I always go with new pads, new rotors.

 

While it's recommended that you machine the rotor when replacing brake pads, it is not necessary to do so.

If you find "warping" from brake pad material buildup upon a simple visual inspection of the rotor, then machining them would definitely be a great idea.

 

Over many, many miles, years, and vehicles, I have yet to have a set of rotors that went through the full normal lifespan of a set of pads (30-40-50K miles, depending on the vehicle) that weren't in need of resurfacing. I don't see it as even being an option if I expected a full life out the next set of pads. Sure you can do it, but you'll never get full lifespan out of it; it's just that simple.