The naked eye alone is usually not able to tell if a
brake rotor is warped or not. There are a multitude of reasons why you may believe your
brake rotors are warped. It's important to narrow down your symptoms so you don't end up replacing the wrong components and wasting money.
Brake Pedal Vibration Probably the most common sign of a warped
brake rotor is the vibration through the brake pedals when pressure is applied on them. Sometimes you can feel it even when there is only a light amount of pedal pressure on the
brakes. Other times, it can only be felt when slowing down drastically from higher speeds.
Steering Wheel Vibration The
brake rotors and
brake calipers are attached to the same spindle that the wheels are attached to, so in certain cases vibrations from warped
brake rotors will transmit through the
brake calipers and then to the wheels and steering wheel.
Brake Noise There are certain cases where you will hear noises emitted from your
brake rotors during braking. This is due to the
brake rotors contacting your
brake pads at uneven intervals due to the
rotor no longer having a flat surface. These noises can range from a lower pitched groaning hum to a rhythmic thumping.
Malfunctioning Brake Calipers With the
brake calipers squeezing the rotors together, a malfunctioning
brake caliper may exert too much force, putting too much stress on a overheated
brake rotor causing it to go off-balance, leading to warped
brake rotors.
Damaged Wheel Bearing If your wheels are not bent, but there seems to be a wobble, it is most likely due to a worn out wheel bearing that has excessive play. This can also lead to warped
rotors and inconsistent
brake pad wear, along with more serious issues. If a damaged wheel bearing is the culprit, it should be replaced or it will continue to be a source of warped
rotors and uneven
brake pad wear.