Are my rotors warped?

[08SeCamry]

I have a 2008 Se Camry with the V6. The car has just under 60,000 miles on it. I noticed just yesterday when I am on the highway and I have to push on the brakes heavily that the steering wheel starts to shake. If I slam on the brakes then, it gets even worse. It doesn't shake when driving in the city, just on the highway. My question is, is it the rotors? the pads? or a combination of them both. Everything on the car is still stock. Does anyone recommend any rotors or pads to put on the car? I have been looking at the R-1 Concept rotors and there Hawk pads. Any help would be great. Thanks 08SeCamry

[gdanaher]

Sounds warped to me. Take it in before 60k miles to get them turned true. Common problem with these cars.

[YotaRunner4]

Yep sounds warped, but if you haven't replaced the pads yet you are probably due.

[Bakemono]

Sounds like warped rotors to me too. Pads wont make the steering wheel wobble.

[justthinking]

I just did a complete front brake job toda w/ 07 camry v6 se, replaced 2 front rotors and both set of brakes..
The car has about 67k miles on it and the rotor was resurfaced at about 45k due to same vibration problem..
I opted to go w/ the new pads per TSB which cost 2.5x of the old pads and supposely these new pads will help w/ the warping issue..

[TrailDust]

Just throwing this out there from a buddy of mine who's owned a tire and brakes store for twenty years now. In order to help prevent warping of rotors he recommends that when you start out with cold brakes to ride them just a little before hitting more open, high-speed roads. By heating them up ahead of time you can often prevent warping that occurs when making a sudden, high-energy stop that dumps heat into the rotors and inconsistencies in the metal causes them to improperly conduct heat and thus warp. I've used this technique since he first told me twenty years ago and I've never warped a set of rotors since. Food for thought.

[gdanaher]

I've dealt with autos for a very long time now and I can't recall another widespread issue with rotors warping as I have seen here. For those who have replaced them with aftermarket brands, have you had a reoccurrence of the problem? Or, is the problem with the Toyota supplied rotors or with the overall design of rotor/caliper to vehicle weight load?

[Bakemono]

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Just throwing this out there from a buddy of mine who's owned a tire and brakes store for twenty years now. In order to help prevent warping of rotors he recommends that when you start out with cold brakes to ride them just a little before hitting more open, high-speed roads. By heating them up ahead of time you can often prevent warping that occurs when making a sudden, high-energy stop that dumps heat into the rotors and inconsistencies in the metal causes them to improperly conduct heat and thus warp. I've used this technique since he first told me twenty years ago and I've never warped a set of rotors since. Food for thought.

Interesting, but what if you are driving at highway speeds and then suddenly have to slow down to get on the off-ramp. Wouldnt the brake rotors get cold from all the airflow and end up warping anyways?

[camary08]

i recommend bendix entirely. great affordable oem replacement that lasts long and i ahve found quite resistant to warping. rotors are about 30 each i think and you can get the ct pads which are ceramic to provide better braking for about 40 a pair. absolutely great quality.

chuck nasty

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by Bakemono

Interesting, but what if you are driving at highway speeds and then suddenly have to slow down to get on the off-ramp. Wouldnt the brake rotors get cold from all the airflow and end up warping anyways?

I suppose the colder the weather and the higher energy the braking the more potential for warping. I live in Southern California so the weather is always temperate, but I can see if you're moving along at freeway speeds in a northern winter and have to hit the brakes hard you still may be screwed and warp the rotors.