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I am having problems with warping rotors on my '97 850R. This car will soon be featured as Swedespeed's Project 854R and we're looking for a good solution rather than just replacing the rotors.

Does anyone know of a relatively affordable upgrade that will rid me of this problem and still allow me to run 15" winter wheels?

 

[S.R.]

George,

I think that warped rotors is a pretty common thing on some Volvo models. I have heard that the key problem in this occuring is the rust that is between the rotor and hub. Whenever a new rotor is put on, this rust needs to be cleaned out, and the rotor+wheel lugs need to be torqued to the exact Volvo specs, or it will warp. I have also heard that the braking habits of owners also plays a part in warped rotors. Quick hard pressure braking tends to warp rotors where-as long light pressure braking keeps them more level. There are a few other owners out there that have had success with this procecure including me and my '95 960. I hope this helps a little!

-Drew

 

[[email protected]]

Makes sense I guess. They were fine when I bought the car with 27K miles on it. My problem I guess is that my other car is a manual VW VR6 car. At highway speeds, I can let off of the gas and the torque of the engine slows me. This is my first automatic car in some time, no manual available that I could find, and I find myself on them a little harder, especially in heavy traffic here in DC.

 

[failsafe]

I've heard from a mechanic that warping can occur after heavy braking if the car is not allowed to roll slightly after a complete stop. He said the heat between the pad and rotor can create a warp so he suggested inching forward enabling the pads to contact in different areas. This might also make the case that the brakes aren't large enough for the car by not providing adequate venting.

 

[[email protected]]

Maybe slotted rotors might help then in this case.

All I have seen in the little looking I have done so far are two things. First, very expensive full-on brake kits that won't allow me to run anything smaller than a 17" wheel. I have an R and that works in the summer, but I need to run winter wheels here in Washington DC.

Next I've seen replacement rotors. I just wasn't sure if that'd help and I don't want to warp good rotors.

I was wondering if there's any Volvo partsbin upgrade like the brake setup on the S80 or something that anyone might know of.

 

[Terence]

I have the Tarox slotted replacement rotors on my '95 854T. They seem to hold up pretty well. According to PES, all Tarox rotors go through a factory 3-stage heating process that prevents warpage. A customer of PES who was having warping problems with his stock Audi S4 rotors when driving on track gave Tarox a set of stock S4 rotors to receive the 3-stage heating process. And he never warped his rotors again.