OEM brake longevity?

Gotrpms

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You can indeed swap the pads but at that point the rotors will be on their way out as well so you may as well swap the rotors at the same time and save the additional labor cost down the road.
So is rotor life purely based on thickness just like a normal vented disk or does the cross drilling change the end of life determination?
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spyder57

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So is rotor life purely based on thickness just like a normal vented disk or does the cross drilling change the end of life determination?
The former, and the oem front rotors in my experience are close to eol in terms of thickness by the time the front pads are eol.
 

dwag0588

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For 2020+ owners: what is your plan for rotor replacement? I'm thinking since they are blanks, there isn't any reason to swap with the pads unless there is an obvious wear problem.
 

CeaseR

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I wouldn’t turn the rear rotors being that they are single plane, they will be more prone to warping because you are taking material off, if your not getting a vibration in the pedal they should be fine, the fronts are a different story I would change them out when you replace the front pads
 

spyder57

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I wouldn’t turn the rear rotors being that they are single plane, they will be more prone to warping because you are taking material off, if your not getting a vibration in the pedal they should be fine, the fronts are a different story I would change them out when you replace the front pads
Fundamentally disagree. Most rotors are single plane and they get turned. As long as they meet minimum thickness you won't have an issue turning them.
 


CeaseR

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Fundamentally disagree. Most rotors are single plane and they get turned. As long as they meet minimum thickness you won't have an issue turning them.
You are correct that as long as they meet a minimum thickness you “can” turn them doesn’t negate the fact that they will be more prone to warping clearly they generate more heat then let’s say your average everyday car. personally if your not getting a vibration in the brake pedal when braking or show any visible scoring I wouldn’t turn them,they will be fine but hey it’s not my vehicle.. i worked in the automotive industry for 15 yrs as a tech first then a service manager, and the last 7 yrs we never turned rotors with the cost difference between new and turning it was a no brainer, the brake lathe ended up being a random parts shelf
 

spyder57

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You are correct that as long as they meet a minimum thickness you “can” turn them doesn’t negate the fact that they will be more prone to warping clearly they generate more heat then let’s say your average everyday car. personally if your not getting a vibration in the brake pedal when braking or show any visible scoring I wouldn’t turn them,they will be fine but hey it’s not my vehicle.. i worked in the automotive industry for 15 yrs as a tech first then a service manager, and the last 7 yrs we never turned rotors with the cost difference between new and turning it was a no brainer, the brake lathe ended up being a random parts shelf
Rotor warping is a misconception that has been since debunked. The vibrations that are typically associate with warped rotors are caused by pad deposits on the rotors. As such, as long as the rotors themselves meet minimum thickness, turning them makes sense. Depending on the labor rate the shop charges you, a 30 min job to turn both rotors is more economical and less wasteful than swapping the rotors.

https://www.mechanic.com.au/news/solved-the-mystery-of-warped-brake-rotors
 

TechSIguy

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I was recently at the Honda dealership and the tech told me my back brakes were low and that they would just change the back pads and re surface the rotors. I'm at 19k although the back ones do look low they're still going strong ( I inspected them myself ). The fronts still have plenty of life left in them. I guess it can depend on your driving style on how long you'll be able to last with them.
 

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I was recently at the Honda dealership and the tech told me my back brakes were low and that they would just change the back pads and re surface the rotors. I'm at 19k although the back ones do look low they're still going strong ( I inspected them myself ). The fronts still have plenty of life left in them. I guess it can depend on your driving style on how long you'll be able to last with them.
My rears are definitely wearing faster than the fronts. I did half a season of autocross in the car last year. The front pads still look new, the rears are probably 1/3 gone. I may get under 20k out of them. Thankfully, the rear rotors are just standard Civic rotors and can easily be resurfaced with a new pad installation.
 

chattanoogaR

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Rotor warping is a misconception that has been since debunked. The vibrations that are typically associate with warped rotors are caused by pad deposits on the rotors. As such, as long as the rotors themselves meet minimum thickness, turning them makes sense. Depending on the labor rate the shop charges you, a 30 min job to turn both rotors is more economical and less wasteful than swapping the rotors.

https://www.mechanic.com.au/news/solved-the-mystery-of-warped-brake-rotors
It's not a misconception, it is just a short way of saying "not a smooth and symmetrical surface". The general car guy community understands what causes it.

It may be a 15 minute job, but less and less shops are resurfacing rotors these days due to the skill of the tech required to complete the job, and the extremely affordable price of new rotors on regular vehicles. (I have even been to smaller dealers the past few years that will not do it anymore) To turn a rotor costs $15-$20 bucks per, to replace costs $35-$50 per. The cost savings is negligible on regular vehicles.

As others have stated above though, as long as they meet the minimum thickness and the person operating the lathe knows what the hell they are doing, it's safe to turn them.
 


spyder57

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It's not a misconception, it is just a short way of saying "not a smooth and symmetrical surface". The general car guy community understands what causes it.

It may be a 15 minute job, but less and less shops are resurfacing rotors these days due to the skill of the tech required to complete the job, and the extremely affordable price of new rotors on regular vehicles. (I have even been to smaller dealers the past few years that will not do it anymore) To turn a rotor costs $15-$20 bucks per, to replace costs $35-$50 per. The cost savings is negligible on regular vehicles.

As others have stated above though, as long as they meet the minimum thickness and the person operating the lathe knows what the hell they are doing, it's safe to turn them.
Bolded for emphasis - yes agreed, it makes economical sense to turn the rear rotors still. My mechanic charged $30 to turn both rear rotors vs. $80 for a new set.
 

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Given all considerations above, I will probably just swap rotors when I redo the brakes. Not interested in noise, or bad fit, or less than the best performance.
As is brakes on the Type R- at least OEM- produce enough brake dust to make them squeak on occasion, even when they need nothing more than to have said dust blown out.
it does sound like the rears can be rotated since they are not drilled.
 

Spirit

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I was recently at the Honda dealership and the tech told me my back brakes were low and that they would just change the back pads and re surface the rotors. I'm at 19k although the back ones do look low they're still going strong ( I inspected them myself ). The fronts still have plenty of life left in them. I guess it can depend on your driving style on how long you'll be able to last with them.
Same suggestion here but at 15k. They quoted me 350 dollars for new pads and resurfacing the rotors which im not sure is horrible or not. Hard to imagine that I have 1mm of pad left and the car has never been tracked lol.
 

tinyman392

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Same suggestion here but at 15k. They quoted me 350 dollars for new pads and resurfacing the rotors which im not sure is horrible or not. Hard to imagine that I have 1mm of pad left and the car has never been tracked lol.
You didn't ask them for the actual measurement when they told you you needed brakes?
 

Cornercarver

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Sounds questionable. I have over 20,000 miles on the original brakes and pads. And per Superstition Springs Honda I still have enough pad left for another 2,000 miles or so depending on how I drive. I am very conservative, accelerating and redlining every block and then slamming on the brakes. Totally kidding, I baby the brakes, try to anticipate traffic and lights so that I almost never use more than a very light touch. Okay, maybe once in a blue moon approaching a left turn at speed I might have to dig a touch to scrub excess velocity and rotate the car, because fun. But generally not. The brakes on the CTR are strong enough that unless something unexpected happens, you should rarely have to come even close to putting stress on them. Or if you are tracking your Type R.
They will not last the way the brakes on my '17 SI did- those had almost 70-80 % left at 52,000 miles. Incredible. But you should get a good 20,000 miles between brake work on the CTR if you are not tracking it. Bad enough replacing the CONTI's every 10,000 miles. Don't need to be buying pads and rotors that often on top of that. If that is the case, I will just have to...still keep my Type R.
Of course if you track this car, spring for some racing pads you can swap out.. Will be cheaper in the end.
Not sure if the new two piece brakes on newer model years are holding up any better. Anyone have enough time yet on these to tell?
Remember - brake squeal on a Type R can often just be from brake dust buildup - not thin pads or other issues. good mechanics - like the ones I use - will tell you this. Bad or dishonest mechanics will sell you brake work you don't need yet.
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