steering wheel shakes when hard braking

[rickyduckworth]

I warped my rotors coming home from the shop after having them put on.

I really should upgrade to some better pieces.

that's because they weren't bedded in and that first wave of heat killed them.....good shops bed in new pads and/or rotors....

[rickyduckworth]

and for the record, 9 times out of 10, warped rotors are completely the driver's fault.....when you abruptly stop from highway speeds all the time (basically, you're a shitty driver who brakes too late and drives too fast) you're going to get warped rotors.

people, mostly men, HATE to admit that it's something they did and will attribute it to a ton of things.....the thickness of the rotor will determine how much heat it can put up with before deforming.......the thicker it is, the more heat it can take......rotors warp because of heat and only heat.....glazed pads shouldn't create excess heat, but should cause more brake fade, which is a layer of gas between the pad and rotor that makes it float instead of bite, which feels like you can't stop....

if your rotors are hot enough that a puddle of water aids in them warping, then again, it's the driving habits and not the puddle's fault......

overtightened lug nuts (most shops overtighten) can cause stress points that heat up quicker like what was mentioned above, but again, the heat wouldn't be there if the person didn't jam the brakes all the time.....

around shops, you'll hear that WOMEN do this more than men, but from my experience, MEN do it more than women and then they blame it on them lol....

and alignment doesn't cause shaking at high speed, low speed, when braking, etc.

if a pull is affected by braking, then it's usually a caliper sticking or a clogged brake line

warped axles/severely worn cv joints show up as shaking DURING ACCELERATION at any speed, or just the loud click/pop when acclerating and turning

very low speed wobble is usually a seperated tire, after 35mph, a shake is usually an out of balance tire or still that same seperated tire OR could be a flat spot from where you had to lock them up and you slid a bit

[Mjfan12]

well these are old rotors, I haven;t changed them since I got the car so who knows how many miles are on them, might as well do the fronts only since Im broke.

Upgrades isnt in the picture, I want cheap $30 Raybestos from Pepboys blanks

[spray_bombed]

yeah man....its deff your rotors....mine does it to the point where I gotta grip the wheel with both hands.....its crazy....but yeah dont go over a 100mph because its takes FOREVER to stop and it feels like your gonna loose control from it ripping the wheel all over the place....mine are even slotted rotors...(old as hell) but thankfully I have a buddy that just licks em and sticks em (meaning the inspection stickers). ....time for some new rotors man...and you should upgrade....cough cough

[Stealthman80]

mine does the same thing and I have brand new rotor(2months), pads(6months), and caliper (6months) :\

wait a minute are you fuckin serious, I'm having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM my pads and calipers where replaced about 8 months ago and my rotors just 2 months ago and Im getting crazy steering wheel shake, and I got the rear replaced last weak. It's pissing me the fuck off bad

[rickyduckworth]

wait a minute are you fuckin serious, I'm having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM my pads and calipers where replaced about 8 months ago and my rotors just 2 months ago and Im getting crazy steering wheel shake, and I got the rear replaced last weak. It's pissing me the fuck off bad

then just stop a bit more gently......put a glass of water on the dash and if you spill it, you're stopping like a MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

my dad would bitch slap me if i stopped too fast......sometimes you can't help it and in traffic, you're fucked because some ass is going to lock them up late causing everyone else to have to stop short, but a few times won't warp a rotor, repeated heavy braking will warp a rotor.....it's rare that the rears are noticeable though, the shaking in the steering wheel is 99.9% front and nothing else......

[Stealthman80]

that is 100% incorrect, first off I do not brake hard at all, the problem is not hard braking, it started right when the rotors where changed. second, if your rear brakes are messed up they will cause more vibration then the front. my whole car was shuddering like crazy before I got my rear changed and now its gone except the steering wheel wobbling, same with my old car the rears were stuck and the car shuddered like crazy

[rickyduckworth]

that is 100% incorrect, first off I do not brake hard at all, the problem is not hard braking, it started right when the rotors where changed. second, if your rear brakes are messed up they will cause more vibration then the front. my whole car was shuddering like crazy before I got my rear changed and now its gone except the steering wheel wobbling, same with my old car the rears were stuck and the car shuddered like crazy

why'd you change them then? if they were fine before, then why change them? if you're such a conscientious driver, you'd surely not have allowed them to be eaten up by a worn pad, right?

i'd bet my left nut that YOU stop quickly, like most people, and that repeated stopping causes them to warp.......if i'm totally wrong, then you should go out and loosen your lugs because they may be torqued to 200 lb/ft instead of the recommended 90 lb/ft....there are also other problems...to warp a new rotor takes a LOT of heat, which is why STOPPING ABRUBPTLY is almost ALWAYS the culprit, but i've heard it before, i worked on the public's cars for almost a decade and ran my dad's multi-store company, it's never the fault of the person who drives it.....i'll just nod my head and say to myself "bullshit" like i did for all those years lol

and since your front brakes do MOST of the stopping, rear rotors get less abuse AND produce fewer vibrations (NONE of which will transfer through the steering wheel, mind you)....if your whole car is shaking, then you have some VERY serious, dangerous, potentially illegal problems......

and you closed with this statement: my whole car was shuddering like crazy before I got my rear changed and now its gone except the steering wheel wobbling, same with my old car the rears were stuck and the car shuddered like crazy

so you mean, another car YOU owned did this before? hmmm, i guess that's a coincidence.....


like i said, change your driving habits and fix your "problem"......do nothing, and your next car will "shudder like crazy", i promise you....

[deevergote]

Did you break in the pads and rotors properly? When I did the pads and rotors on my GTP, I was very gentle for about 500 miles.

Honestly, though... if the shaking occurs when you brake, it's something to do with the brakes. The brakes consist of a clamp (caliper), friction material (pads) and the rotor itself. That's really about it. If they aren't working properly, you have 3 possible causes... your driving, the installation, or the quality of the parts.
Driving is most likely.

[Dom]

and for the record, 9 times out of 10, warped rotors are completely the driver's fault.....when you abruptly stop from highway speeds all the time (basically, you're a shitty driver who brakes too late and drives too fast) you're going to get warped rotors.

people, mostly men, HATE to admit that it's something they did and will attribute it to a ton of things.....the thickness of the rotor will determine how much heat it can put up with before deforming.......the thicker it is, the more heat it can take......rotors warp because of heat and only heat.....glazed pads shouldn't create excess heat, but should cause more brake fade, which is a layer of gas between the pad and rotor that makes it float instead of bite, which feels like you can't stop....

if your rotors are hot enough that a puddle of water aids in them warping, then again, it's the driving habits and not the puddle's fault......

overtightened lug nuts (most shops overtighten) can cause stress points that heat up quicker like what was mentioned above, but again, the heat wouldn't be there if the person didn't jam the brakes all the time.....

around shops, you'll hear that WOMEN do this more than men, but from my experience, MEN do it more than women and then they blame it on them lol....

and alignment doesn't cause shaking at high speed, low speed, when braking, etc.

if a pull is affected by braking, then it's usually a caliper sticking or a clogged brake line

warped axles/severely worn cv joints show up as shaking DURING ACCELERATION at any speed, or just the loud click/pop when acclerating and turning

very low speed wobble is usually a seperated tire, after 35mph, a shake is usually an out of balance tire or still that same seperated tire OR could be a flat spot from where you had to lock them up and you slid a bit

its not the driver all of the time, i'd say 50/50, so stop acting like you know it all!!!!
if your calipers fail or you installed your pads without lubricating everything you will end up with warped rotors!

failed caliper!

[Stealthman80]

you sure do seem to know more then I do, my front rotors needed to be changed because the calipers seized and wrecked them. My wheels are torqued to 80 pounds. My rears were only 3 years old and they where making the car shudder like crazy at ALL speeds, just like my old car after the brakes were replaced at a garage 2 years later the car had bad vibration turns out rears had ceased. The vibration I'm experiencing can't be warped rotors because I broke them in VERY lightly, the steering wheel wobbling is mostly at low speed . BUT its only intermitent it only does it 50% of the time. So you owe me your left nut because you are wrong

[deevergote]

Steering wheel wobble is while braking at low speed? Or while moving at low speed? Braking means warped rotors... regardless of WHY they are warped, that is really all that can cause brake judder.

If the wobble/vibration occurs while moving, it could be wheel balance, a damaged axle, damaged suspension bushings, or a blown shock.


Check your shocks. A blown shock can cause a wheel to hop while braking. It's a significantly different feeling than a warped rotor, but it would still produce a vibration.

[Mjfan12]

Doing a crap pad job may also be it since my dads friend is a ghetto (not doing anything properly) kind of guy, and he changed the pads in my garage.

regardless, i'll get it checked in a little while.

ANOTHER ISSUE:::

Steering wobbles/shakes at speeds above 60 MPH

so would this be due to bad ball joints?

[Stealthman80]

that would be a balance issue

[kmartxxx]

Doing a crap pad job may also be it since my dads friend is a ghetto (not doing anything properly) kind of guy, and he changed the pads in my garage.

regardless, i'll get it checked in a little while.

ANOTHER ISSUE:::

Steering wobbles/shakes at speeds above 60 MPH

so would this be due to bad ball joints?

the wobble at 60 is more likely the wheels need balanced and rotated it should take away that wobble. and if you just had your pads done you might wanna check you caliper bolt and see if they are tight but more likely like everyone is saying warped rotors