SMOA

HI I'm new to the board as you can tell by my post count. I hope some one can help me with my brake question. I have a 1992 Prelude and the brakes shudder. It did it before and I got the front rotors resurfaced problem fixed, but it just started again and it is way to soon for them to need to be resurfaced. I don't drive it that hard. so here are my questions.

First. What is the min thickness for a OEM rotor. Mine are currently .880" and .865". They vary .0005" or so all the way around. So I don't even know if they can be resurfaced again.

Second. I'm a machinist no an auto mechanic, should they be that different? .017" seems like a big difference.

Third. The passenger side ran out about .001" and driver side about .003" would this small amount cause a significant amount of shudder? The way I took the runout was a little bit questionable, I don't have a good way to hold my indicator here at the house, but there was defiantly some runout on the driver side.

Any answers would really be appreciated.

petern101

I honestly don't resurface, at $20 for some duralast rotors is better for a piece of mind.

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SMOA

Thanks, I think your right. I was going to buy some slotted rotors, hoping they would dissipate the heat better and not warp. Maybe I'll just get a cheap set and see if they run out. I'm still curious if a .015" difference between the two sides is okay?

minilogoguy18

Not even sure, the braking might be a little uneven but you probably have abs to help with that. I've never even bothered to resurface, since it doesn't last long at all which you found out, try engine braking more than relying on your brakes to slow you down so that your brake components last longer.

dakyone

Sounds like you've never felt the pain of a clutch swap. Tons of hard work replacing that baby. Brakes are for slowing the car, not the engine + clutch. Unless you drive a big rig or like to replace clutches, Id avoid engine breaking. I did this tons on my last car and it got me a shot out clutch by 120k miles... Not bad i guess, but it could have gone way farther. double clutching will prevent this wear on the clutch and syncros, but it doesnt help you slow down so much.


Get the slotted and drilled rotors, youll be glad you did. Never have to resurface them, they work better, stay cooler. The dust and stuff that wears off as you use the brakes is removed easier from the holes and slots. The brakes will last longer too. My friend has had his slotted rotors on for four years now. Just changes pads. Oh and cermic performance pads work great too for stopping power.

Compare the price and labor of brakes to the clutch and youll see its worth wearing them out instead. Its what theyre designed for.

Most importantly, this is safety were talking about, dont go cheap!

petern101

1. Clutch jobs are a one day affair on preludes. While tedious, it's just a remove and replace job. If you went 120k, then you did way better than I did. What does this have to do with the clutch anyways? If you downshift properly then there is almost no wear on your transmission parts. After that it's just the friction of the engine slowing your car down. It does no harm to the car itself.

2. Double clutching isn't necessary with newer transmission, never saw the need for it either.

3. slotted / drilled rotors do nothing on street cars. you never have to resurface them because most shops won't. there are no performance gains on the street (and even track you would be hard pressed to find it). they do look cool though.

4. Changing pads and not resurfacing / buying new rotors isn't good practice. One story doesn't refute actual fact.

5. Again, engine braking has nothing to do with clutch wear so I won't say that again. Fyi 18 wheelers do it all the time and they drive/brake way more than the average driver.

6. If we're talking about safety, then you should do a complete brake flush, buy new pads, new rotors everytime. Oh wait that's what I do because I'm not cheap.

__________________

"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders"
Bless Her Heart ORG