Wheel and brake pedal shake
 

I've been searching the forum for days looking for any leads on this issue.

I picked up a 2010 Sport with Akebonos up a month or so back. It shakes really bad when I brake above 40 mph. Ok, no big deal I'll do the brakes and rotors.

So I replaced the front rotors with the slotted drilled rotors from Z1 here:
https://www.z1motorsports.com/z1-pro...no-p-4517.html

And I also did the pads all the way around with stoptech pads also from Z1. I flushed the brake fluid and replaced with DOT3 as specified by Nissan.

It was all good! For about a week and a half. Then the shake back back slowly. About a week into it starting to shake it's about as bad as it was the day I brought it home. Now I find out Z1 does not warranty the damn rotors. :confused:

I also just replaced the tires with michelin pilot super sport. It's still shaking bad.

I just ordered a rebuild kit from Z1 and I'm going to try to rebuild the calipers and turn the rotors. I really really didn't want to turn my rotors but apparently I have to as Z1 has NO WARRANTY. I'm probably not going to be buying anything from them again.

Anyways, I'm just curious if anyone has had this issue and what else I should check.

Edit: I should add I did immediately take the car out and bed in the brakes after installing them. Did 6 pulls up to 60 and down to 10 mph. I tried bedding them in again after the shake started coming back and had no luck getting it to go away.

I just DD the car about 20 miles a day to work and back. No track time.

We just had it on a lift at the tire shop and the wheels spin freely so I don't think it's a stuck piston.

What pads? If they were these:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...FdgKgQodcecAOg

then they are known to leave deposits on rotors. Bed them again and see if it changes the shaking. The shaking may not be gone, but if it changes the shaking, then it's deposits being left on the rotors. I'm not sure how the venting/slotting on the rotor changes this behavior. My *guess* is that since these pads leave deposits when they are run too cold, and the vented/slotted rotor runs cooler than a solid rotor, then it's putting you in the "too cold" temp range more often, so you're more likely to leave deposits on your rotors.

These pads get great reviews, but you need to be pushing them pretty hard for a street car in order for them to not leave deposits on your rotors.

Did you have to make any sudden emergency braking maneuvers during that week and a half? Do you ride the brakes a lot? Did you bed the pads properly? New rotors needing to be turned in just a week and a half sounds like bad bedding or extremely poor braking habits. Not that you seem oblivious enough to do either of those but just some thoughts to consider.

Pad deposits increase with heat, which is why you have to brake hard to bed the brakes - the heat is what causes that initial layer of pad material to be deposited on the rotor. So your comments that deposits are occurring because the rotors are "too cold" makes no sense :icon14:

The common misnomer of "warped rotors" typically happens when you heat up the brakes (like in an emergency braking situation or 'riding' the brakes) and then come to a complete stop with the pads sitting in one place on the rotors. The hot pad material continues to transfer to the rotor in that one spot, creating a high point on the rotor surface which is the reason for shuddering or shaking during braking.

I believe those are the same, I got them here:
https://www.z1motorsports.com/brakes...ds-p-5934.html

I wasn't aware they were known to leave deposits. Thanks! Does 60 to 10 mph a few times sound like enough to bed them in?

As per RadioFlyer (love that nick) and JARblue, it's probably deposits on the rotors. It's possible that the problem is a worn part (bearing, bushing, rod end) but these will usually cause vibration at other times and are more often felt in the steering wheel.

Re-assess your braking techniques. Plenty of info/tips on this site and others. If the site's search doesn't work well for you, try any of the big web search engines and add "site:the370z.com" to your search string.

AFAIK no manufacturers (even Nissan) warrant rotors. They are a consumable and are subject to misuse and abuse.

Also, I don't believe that you can 'turn' slotted rotors.

I agree with what the others have said....this sounds like pad deposit build-up. Another driving technique to consider is to keep your foot off the brake after you have come to a complete stop. This will reduce the heat soak and deposit build-up, especially after hard driving.

I not going to get into this because everyone here will have their opinion, but if you Google Baer brakes and go to there tech section and read thru there rotor seasoning and brake bedding you'll have a better understanding of the procedure.
Personally after replacing pads and rotors on the Z recently I drove the car for week normally to season the rotors and burn out all the crap before I bedded in. I have had no issues.

Yeah, I definitely never stay on the brake. I did this in my 350z (enthusiast so regular brakes) and the calipers/rotors lasted past 100k miles.

I don't think it's tie rod ends or bushings, as the brakes were nice and smooth after first installing the new rotors and bedding them.

I'm not in the market for brakes just yet but just read through that section.... some great, detailed info right there :tiphat:

Is there any advantage to babying things for a while or is it one of those just-how-I've-always-done-it things? I've always bedded immediately after a pad/rotor change. But that's just how I've always done it. ;)

For safety's sake....you should bed. This process is what mates the surface of the pad to the surface of the rotor. Until everything is fully seated and surfaces match, you will not have full braking ability. Plus it cleans old deposits off your rotors for the new pads.

I'd guess he's going by the recommendations in the Baer Brakes Tech section... read through it, it does a good job (IMO) of explaining the importance of each step...

Those directions seem to be aimed at high-performance components (and a specific type). But I could be wrong. It still seems to me that for OEM-grade and not so hi-po components, immediate break-in is the way to go. BuckeyeZ agrees but I still have an open mind about it.

Good point and I think you might be right. Although it also might not be the worst thing following that advice... Informative none-the-less.


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