💡
14
c/auto-mechanics•uma_williamsuma_williams•27d ago

Why does nobody talk about the switch from brake lathes to just replacing rotors?

I started turning rotors in the 90s at a shop on Miller Road in Flint. Now it seems like nobody even owns a lathe anymore, they just slap new rotors on and send the old ones to scrap. I get that time is money, but I still think a properly cut rotor stops better and lasts longer than most of the cheap castings you get these days. Am I the only one who misses the old way, or have things really improved that much?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
mark_carr7
mark_carr727d ago
Remember those cheap new rotors that warp after one hard stop? I've seen it happen too many times to count. A good lathe operator could resurface a rotor and get way more life out of it than any of these discount store replacements.
2
avery_jackson
And you're absolutely right, Mark. I've had customers bring in those store brand rotors warped after just a few miles of towing or mountain driving. A good machinist can take 30 bucks worth of labor to turn a rotor that will outlast two of those cheap replacements easy.
2
nancyj11
nancyj1127d ago
Mark's dead right. I've seen those cheap rotors wobble after one trip.
0