Brake shudder........

daveinozbikes · 04-07-2005, 10:41 PM

My wife drives our EF Fairmont series 2 far more than I do..she reckons that if she brakes at speed (fairly hard too!!) there is a noticable shudder at the front end which also transfers thro" the steering wheel.....with "normal " lighter braking the shudder is not there and the stop is very smooth...any suggestions are welcome...how serious is this and does it require immediate attention? (can"t afford to sell it!!!!) :hihi: PS...owned heaps of cars and this is the best!!

Psycho Chicken · 04-07-2005, 11:01 PM

Machine the front discs, that'll fix it.

drewinEF · 20-09-2005, 12:56 AM

well im glad my EF isn't the only one that has brake shudder. 50km+ they start to shudder no matter how lightly you brake, and from 90km+ the steering wheel shakes like an old washing machine! I am sending it in tomorrow to have the front discs machined. I was quoted about $30 per disc, although I'm not too convinced that this is going to fix the problem. cross fingers

Biggoggs · 20-09-2005, 01:03 AM

From what I've seen, brake shudder is a pretty common problem. My EA's brakes were fine around 50 or 60, but slowing down from speeds of 100 the shudder was quite violent (the `washing machine' description above suits pretty well :P). Got some new discs & pads, now braking is smooth and passenger confidence is restored

ilsautomotive · 20-09-2005, 06:53 AM

You are only supposed to machine them once. If it has been done before or if the discs are too worn, you'll need new ones. I'm not sure if DBA slotted etc would be less inclined to warp. Also try to avoid hard stops from very high speeds as that will warp them very quickly.

Trevor 57 · 20-09-2005, 07:05 AM

Definetly the rotors need machining or replacing, it is a common problem on the E series, but even worse on BA series 1.

Papa Smurf · 20-09-2005, 07:06 AM

You might also want to check the Front Wheel bearings? They can cause problems similar to that and Front Strut bar bushes?
Take the front brgs out and make sure there is no blueing on the rollers.

bindi · 20-09-2005, 07:30 AM

I too had braking issues earlier in the year (and took me a while to get the moulash I needed together to fix all the problems!).

Ok well I had the serious shudder. I knew it was the brakes but checked out everything else first to ensure that when I did the brakes, there would be no more problems. Started out with a new front tyres and a wheel alignment, which eased the shudder but not enough. So took it back. When the car was taken apart, the pads and rotors were taken off... the rotors were almost dead. Pads were ok-ish. Also had a worn upper ball joint which really didn't help with the shudder. Had it all replaced.

There is debate about slotted vs standard rotors. After much research and question-asking on here, I decided to go for standard DBA rotors with Bendix Advance pads. I am not into performance or modding too much at all (too broke for that stuff atm lol), and although standards can affect your braking capability by not releasing the buildup of hot gasses through the slots (someone debated this theory though), the slots chew through brake pads quickly. I decided that my EA used to stop just fine with standards, and went for the best standards (DBA) and pads (Bendix Advance) that I could.

Others will probably get a bit huffy, but if your wife is not using the car on a race track or into modding and you don't want to go through brake pads like a hooker goes through condoms, then I recommend standards with good pads.

Don't go RDA, they are a cheap Asian knock-off of DBA Australian made which don't warp anywhere NEAR as quick as the RDAs.

MustangNicko · 20-09-2005, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindi

There is debate about slotted vs standard rotors. After much research and question-asking on here, I decided to go for standard DBA rotors with Bendix Advance pads. I am not into performance or modding too much at all (too broke for that stuff atm lol), and although standards can affect your braking capability by not releasing the buildup of hot gasses through the slots (someone debated this theory though), the slots chew through brake pads quickly. I decided that my EA used to stop just fine with standards, and went for the best standards (DBA) and pads (Bendix Advance) that I could.

Don't go RDA, they are a cheap Asian knock-off of DBA Australian made which don't warp anywhere NEAR as quick as the RDAs.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Slotted rotors do perform better than standards. They vent gases far better and prevent the rotors from "lipping". The "gas venting" isnt a theory, its been proven to work, and well at that. Ive been using slotted rotors for a while now and have never had problems with them. Ive even taken standard rotors to engineering workshops and experimented with different slotting patterns. I machine them when they start to shudder/warp. This is mainly due to the harder compound pads i use (EBC greenstuff). Bendix are crap pads, and DBA's are overpriced. There is nothing wrong with RDA rotors. Ive used them in my cars and have never had a problem. I always recommend them without hesitation.

harry · 20-09-2005, 02:09 PM

i have had blue rings arond my discs from braking heavely. i have never had any schutter or worping before. i think the disks are the same on the ef xr serious?

bindi · 20-09-2005, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustangNicko

Slotted rotors do perform better than standards. They vent gases far better and prevent the rotors from "lipping". The "gas venting" isnt a theory, its been proven to work, and well at that.

Here's a post that Racecraft made on the "old" forums... and it helped with my decision:

The slots will allow more air to travel between the baffles (the seperators between each disc) hence reducing the temp of the rotors but Falcons do not and are not designed that way so you don't get that air into to the grooves.. Slotted and drilled discs actually heat up faster ... If you machine out 10% of the metal by slotting or drilling the disc will then obviously heats up 10% faster.. To put it one way.. If you remove metal by drilling or slotting unless you increase the overall diameter of the rotors you are at best only matching the effectiveness of standard rotors at the expense of your brake pads

Some manufactures say they do grip slightly better. The slots will offer more bite on the pads, the metal between the slots expands and cools slightly differently, pronouncing the slots or holes a touch. That slight differnce then refreshes the surface of the pads.. Be wary though some people have experienced cracking with the slotted rotors.. THen you just replace them and throw the oldies in the bin..

ilsautomotive · 20-09-2005, 03:25 PM

I think the cracking issue was only with the early model DBA cross-drilled.

harry · 20-09-2005, 04:23 PM

bindi, how much did it cost to get all of that gear?
would you recommend them? i have standared xr disc on there which are apparently better. ( i dont know)
i would like to get something with i bit more pull on it.

bindi · 20-09-2005, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry

bindi, how much did it cost to get all of that gear?
would you recommend them? i have standared xr disc on there which are apparently better. ( i dont know)
i would like to get something with i bit more pull on it.

LOL I grabbed the receipts... only to find the guy should have been a doctor cos I can barely make out a friggin word!

:

Something about a pair of front DBA rotors, and fit only brake pads (I supplied those - bought them for $55) - $314. SO $369 all up.

The ball joint was done later on at a cost of around $200 for replacing the whole arm + upper and lower ball joints.

I have found them to be fine, have not had a problem since. I will be checking on them when the car is up on the hoist on Thursday (other stuff being done) and seeing their progress... they've been on the car since the beginning of July & I'm curious (well the right word is NOSEY).