If you are budget-wise, you may be wondering do you need to replace rotors when replacing brake pads. Or should both rotors and pads be replaced at the same time? For the safest driving possible, drivers should be aware of potential brake problems.
If you hear or feel any of the following, it’s time for brake replacement:
- Your brakes are making a high-pitched, whining sound
- Your brakes vibrate when you try to make a hard stop
- You need to press down on the brake pedal more than you used to in order to get the brakes to kick in
- Your brakes make a metallic scraping sound when you try to stop
- Your car naturally pulls to one side or another when you apply the brakes
All of the issues above indicate a brake problem. In some cases, the brake pads may be worn and are causing damage to the brake rotors. In other cases, the brake rotors need to be replaced, but the brake pads themselves may not be worn enough to need replacement
It is true that when you replace just the rotors and keep the old brake pads, you save money and time. Even if you can get by with just replacing the rotors, you may want to replace the brake pads at the same time--even if they do not strictly need it.
Here’s why; the old brake pads and the old rotors were worn down together. The pads hit the rotors in the same spots hundreds of times a day. When you replace the rotors, you have fresh, flat brake rotors and grooved brake pads that will only make contact with the brake rotors in places where the pads have high points. The grooved areas of the pads cannot reach the rotors.
As a result, your car does not have full stopping power. If you needed to come to a hard stop in an emergency, you may not be able to stop in time. Additionally, if you change only the brake rotors, and your brakes keep making noise, it may be due to the uneven wear between the pads and the brakes. If you decide to keep the old pads on, you will have that reduced braking power until your brake pads wear in the new rotors so the full pad makes contact with the full rotor.
The choice is up to you. Wondering do you need to replace rotors when replacing brakes? Contact our ASE Certified technicians today at Elk River Tire & Auto for more information about brake replacement and to schedule an appointment. Our auto shop in Elk River, MN proudly serves residents in the areas of Zimmerman, and Otsego, Minnesota.
If you are budget-wise, you may be wondering do you need to replace rotors when replacing brake pads. Or should both rotors and pads be replaced at the same time? For the safest driving possible, drivers should be aware of potential brake problems.
If you hear or feel any of the following, it’s time for brake replacement:
- Your brakes are making a high-pitched, whining sound
- Your brakes vibrate when you try to make a hard stop
- You need to press down on the brake pedal more than you used to in order to get the brakes to kick in
- Your brakes make a metallic scraping sound when you try to stop
- Your car naturally pulls to one side or another when you apply the brakes
All of the issues above indicate a brake problem. In some cases, the brake pads may be worn and are causing damage to the brake rotors. In other cases, the brake rotors need to be replaced, but the brake pads themselves may not be worn enough to need replacement
It is true that when you replace just the rotors and keep the old brake pads, you save money and time. Even if you can get by with just replacing the rotors, you may want to replace the brake pads at the same time--even if they do not strictly need it.
Here’s why; the old brake pads and the old rotors were worn down together. The pads hit the rotors in the same spots hundreds of times a day. When you replace the rotors, you have fresh, flat brake rotors and grooved brake pads that will only make contact with the brake rotors in places where the pads have high points. The grooved areas of the pads cannot reach the rotors.
As a result, your car does not have full stopping power. If you needed to come to a hard stop in an emergency, you may not be able to stop in time. Additionally, if you change only the brake rotors, and your brakes keep making noise, it may be due to the uneven wear between the pads and the brakes. If you decide to keep the old pads on, you will have that reduced braking power until your brake pads wear in the new rotors so the full pad makes contact with the full rotor.
The choice is up to you. Wondering do you need to replace rotors when replacing brakes? Contact our ASE Certified technicians today at Elk River Tire & Auto for more information about brake replacement and to schedule an appointment. Our auto shop in Elk River, MN proudly serves residents in the areas of Zimmerman, and Otsego, Minnesota.
