Has anyone replaced the brake rotors yet?

C

Casey Martin

Active Member
I just broke 70k miles. I have had a minor brake pulsation that is slowly getting worse. At 70k miles that is not surprising. The pads are all still decent with about half their life left. I am debating about turning my stock rotors and reusing the pads. I would normally replace the rotors but a quick search didn't turn up any aftermarket options. The OEM rotors aren't terribly expensive but I found it unusual that their are no aftermarket rotors available. I am not surprised the aftermarket industry doesn't support the Clarity since it is a low production car. I am more surprised Honda didn't use a rotor from one of their other vehicles.

I would normally replace the pads when I replace the rotors but I am curious how long a set of pads would last on the Clarity. I drive in sport mode almost exclusively with the regenerative braking set as high as possible. I am wondering how many miles I could get out of a set of stock pads?

Anyway, has anyone found aftermarket brake rotors for the Clarity?
 
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I am an aggressive driver. It doesn't take much to warp rotors if they are over heated. The pads are still in good condition as I mentioned but the rotors are warped.

Keep in mind that regenerative braking helps to slow the car but it doesn't do much when it comes to aggressive hard stops.
 
You might be surprised by the regenerative braking forces that the motor can produce.

Fortunately, neither of us has any need or desire to drive aggressively.
 
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ClarityBill said:
My left front rotor has rusted badly on the inside surface, and really should be replaced...
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That may indicate the caliper not floating as it should. I’d make sure the pins it slides on are clean and lightly lubed.

If the rotor isn’t warped, just getting the surface rust off might be all you need after that. Any shop should be able to resurface it at low cost.
 
One brake issue for hybrid/regen drivers comes from lack of hard use + “normal” corrosion/grime= sticking mechanisms. Depending on the actual design, it can be the caliper pistons or the pad pins. This buildup eventually keeps the pads from moving freely and they either wear out prematurely and/or create unnecessary heat/friction on the rotors causing warpage.

(When safe to do so) Driving at higher speeds, putting trans in N, and using the brakes hard is a common recommendation. This is best as a preventative measure and not so much a fix.
 
MrFixit said:
Rockauto lists a variety of aftermarket rotors shown here:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...tric/gas,3441908,brake+&+wheel+hub,rotor,1896

I have not heard from anyone who has used any of these. Keep us posted.
Any time someone reports on something new, it benefits everyone.
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Any particular recommendation on which ones to get? I live in RI so I will only get coated rotors. I am leaning towards the Raybestos or Power Stop but that is only because I know their brand name.
 
Fast Eddie B said:
That may indicate the caliper not floating as it should. I’d make sure the pins it slides on are clean and lightly lubed.

If the rotor isn’t warped, just getting the surface rust off might be all you need after that. Any shop should be able to resurface it at low cost.
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Make sure you use brake caliper grease, which is a high temp grease to lube the pin. Of course, clean the pin first!
 
Casey Martin said:
Any particular recommendation on which ones to get?
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I have no basis for a recommendation.

I have been perplexed by repeated complaints of excessive rusting of the rotors. There have been enough reports that I am certain that it happens. All I can say is that it has not happened to me (2018, 27K miles). I live in Maryland, and it is quite humid here. My car is garage kept, but so are most of the others which suffer from this problem.

I think there is some controversy as to whether coated rotors really prevent rust. I have read that the coating quickly wears off where the pads hit. The coating may help in areas outside and inside of the pad where it does not get worn away.
 
The part of the rotor the pads touch will rust every time it rains and the car sits. A few minutes of driving will wear away that rust. The coating is to help prevent rust on the rest of the rotor the pads don't contact. Even with the coating the rotors will eventually rust if you live in an area that the roads are salted.
 
I ordered the Power Stop rotors and brake pads. I am going to replace the front first.
Here is a link to the rotors: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11908905&cc=3441908&pt=1896&jsn=309
Here is a link to the sport pads I went with: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11917429&cc=3441908&pt=1684&jsn=343

Once I get the brakes apart I will decide to either keep the original pads or replace them now. I usually go with OEM brake pads but I decided to give the Power Stop sport ceramic pads a try this time. Usually aftermarket brake pads tend to be noisier and dustier than OEM pads. Hopefully the Power Stop sport pads are a decent upgrade in performance and not extremely dusty or noisy.

I will post an update once the new rotors are installed.
 
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Sadly, the rusty rotor issue has affected two of our Clarity's and none of our Bolt's or Volt.
The rotors GM used simply do not rust anywhere.
I will have to pull the rear rotors and see what I can do with them as the contact patch is shrinking even with hard braking.
 
I installed the new rotors last night. The original pads still have about 50% left so I reused them. I gave the original pads a light sanding and cleaned out dust from the slot in the middle. I then applied some fresh grease to the pads and reinstalled them. I'll hold onto the new pads I ordered until I need them. The new front rotors eliminated the vibration as expected. The old rotors had plenty of meat left. They probably could have been turned and reused but since rotors are fairly inexpensive I feel it is better to replace them. Usually when you turn down rotors they warp again quickly since there is less material.

One thing I wanted to mention is that I could feel the original rotors were warped even when not applying the brakes but with the regenerative braking on. The vibration wasn't as bad as when I applied the brakes myself at highway speeds but there was a slight vibration when the regenerative braking would engage at highway speeds. I found that interesting. I didn't think regenerative braking applied the actual brakes at all but it appears it does slightly.
 

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On regen, hybrid cars take up the slack and apply very low pressure to place all pads in contact with the rotors in preparation for a friction braking event.
 
I have a 2018 with about 65k km up in Ottawa, where the brutal winters encourage the city to slather the streets with salt. Last January I had the Clarity in for it's brake service, and the dealer recommended replacing all the discs because of rust. Fortunately, Honda Canada stepped in and covered not only the discs but all the pads and labour as well. I'm just concerned that if they're the same discs, they'll rust again in a year or two. I've read about GM's (patented?) process for treating their discs so they don't rust. If they make one that's suitable for the Clarity I would certainly be interested.
 
leehoewonek said:
I have a 2018 with about 65k km up in Ottawa, where the brutal winters encourage the city to slather the streets with salt. Last January I had the Clarity in for it's brake service, and the dealer recommended replacing all the discs because of rust. Fortunately, Honda Canada stepped in and covered not only the discs but all the pads and labour as well. I'm just concerned that if they're the same discs, they'll rust again in a year or two. I've read about GM's (patented?) process for treating their discs so they don't rust. If they make one that's suitable for the Clarity I would certainly be interested.
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Me, too! I like our Clarity PHEV, but hearing the "swish-swish-swish" from the rusty rotors as I drive around and the grinding sound when I apply the brakes is a real bummer. Rotor rust was never a problem with our 7 previous Honda cars. I wonder on every drive if Honda chose pure iron rotors for the Clarity because skimping on anti-rust alloy metals is somehow eco-friendly.
 
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