davesan1

iTrader: (4)

I've had the car from new and ever since I had it the front brake rotors have needed skimming every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. Of course, this also means the rotors need replacing after each 2nd or 3rd skimming.

Happens on both front wheels, and, as likely expected, never the back ones

I have always used stock rotors and stock brake pads

The car is a very early '93 model

I don't do track driving. However, I do drive fairly hard, but I have several buddies with the same car and same driving habits that have no rotor warping problems. Of course, even when the car was in warranty, I got no sense from the dealer - they just changed 'em out (for free). However, now it’s my nickel, to say nothing of the inconvenience.

The only difference seems to be that my buddies’ cars are a '94 year or beyond. So I'm wondering, does anybody know of a change to the rotor, (thickness, for example), that Mazda may have made early in the gen3's life? Anyone else have this problem? Anyone solved it? Do aftermarket rotors do a better job in this respect? Are the rotors the same part for all gen3 model years?

Many questions, but the bottom line is that I want to fix it without making any major mod to the car. I'm coming up to a re-skim, (or more likely this time it will be a rotor replacement due to skim-down-caused “rotor-too-thin” syndrome. Any advice would be much appreciated.

rfreeman27

iTrader: (5)

Are you breaking in the rotors and pads?

The stock rotors warp pretty easily.

maxcooper

Some reports on here have suggested that the thick-n-thin (warped) rotor problems are due to uneven build-up of pad material on the rotors. Perhaps it would be worth roughing the friction surfaces up with some sand paper to remove the pad material the next time it happens.

One behavioral modification that may help reduce the occurance of the problem is to be careful to NOT sit with your foot on the brake pedal after a hard stop. If you do a hard stop and then need to sit at a light, keep your foot off the pedal and perhaps inch the car forward to allow the rotor to cool as evenly as possible. I have no idea if this is an issue for you or not, but it is worth considering the next time you do a hard stop at a light.

-Max

Cheers!

u warped the rotors on a rx7? they are massive... i warped my 2002 honda accord rotors twice now in 40,000 km of driving, i even used brembo rotors from tirerack.

maxcooper

Yeah, warped FD rotors is a common ailment for these cars.

-Max

davesan1

iTrader: (4)

Thanks all for the input.

rfreeman27 - Did try to break in the last new rotors/pads but info from dealer was pretty sketchy at the time and there was no"must do" attitude conveyed. So I probably did not take a serious, disiplined approach to breaking 'em in Ref: "Stock rotors warp pretty easily" what do you recommend as a replacement, (will likely have to replace rotors this time due to previous skim down to date)?

Max -Thanks for the advise - I'll try the sandpaper - nothing to lose at this stage. Any recommendations for pads/rotors for normal, (albeit slightly aggressive!) road use, ideally without breaking the bank?

Thanks