Steering wheel shakes when braking

skim · 07-31-2012, 03:55 PM

Everything was fine with braking, smooth braking, until I did a DE.
Needlessly I was on the brakes hard, and on the last session, the brakes felt faded so I cut it short.

Fast forward, now every time I brake, the steering wheel shakes. There are no cracks on the rotors and pads look fine. Do you know what can be wrong? This made me pull out of the upcoming DE..

Thanks!

David70 · 07-31-2012, 04:17 PM

My guess goes to rotors are warped.

The HACK · 07-31-2012, 04:28 PM

Pad deposit.

inTgr8r · 07-31-2012, 04:28 PM

...or pad deposit

Shipkiller · 07-31-2012, 04:37 PM

... or or pad deposit...

Kgolf31 · 07-31-2012, 05:30 PM

Learn how to brake.

Get in your car, go to a place where you can do 60-0 stops. Do it 5-6 times hard on the brakes.

Your rotors will magically become "un-warped"

inTgr8r · 07-31-2012, 05:40 PM

^This; but I would clean most of the deposit off first.
.....BrakeKleen and green Scotchbrite pads

BruceJ · 07-31-2012, 07:29 PM

If not the deposits/rotors then its is a classic symptom of worn out FCAB's. Easy to tell when the front end is off the ground. Grab wheel, pull in and out, shouldnt get any movement. Same thing the mech does before a wheel alignment.
Good luck

seank · 07-31-2012, 11:32 PM

pad deposit!

skim · 08-01-2012, 01:28 PM

hmm thanks for the inputs.. i'll do it this weekend.
but i don't think there's much pad deposit tho.
by pad deposit, don't you guys mean pad residue plugging the rotor holes? i don't have much of that.. but i'll take a look again.

Kgolf31 · 08-01-2012, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skim

hmm thanks for the inputs.. i'll do it this weekend.
but i don't think there's much pad deposit tho.
by pad deposit, don't you guys mean pad residue plugging the rotor holes? i don't have much of that.. but i'll take a look again.

No, pad deposit on the actual rotors.

It's hard to notice, but I had it when I bought my car.

Installed my HP+ Pads and during the bedding process and it disappeared.

prodigal_m · 08-01-2012, 01:57 PM

I think I should start sending out old sets of my Hawk Blue's to people with pad deposits. Simply install, brake hard, watch the sparks fly and enjoy your freshly resurfaced rotors.

Finnegan · 08-01-2012, 02:05 PM

It's not like there will be chunks or anything like that. Normally pads leave a very slight "coating" of material on the rotor. If there are sections that have more, and then less "coating" it will cause the symptoms you're describing.

Kgolf's approach is probably the the right one, since it only showed up after a track day. More on this here.

What probably happened is that the stock pads got really hot, may have exceeded their max op temp, and left all kinds of uneven deposits on the rotors. Re-bedding will probably clear this up (assuming your pads aren't really toasted).

Prodigal, yup!

07-31-2012, 03:55 PM	#1
skim Captain 142 Rep 660 Posts Drives: 07 Z4MC Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Steering wheel shakes when braking Everything was fine with braking, smooth braking, until I did a DE. Needlessly I was on the brakes hard, and on the last session, the brakes felt faded so I cut it short. Fast forward, now every time I brake, the steering wheel shakes. There are no cracks on the rotors and pads look fine. Do you know what can be wrong? This made me pull out of the upcoming DE.. Thanks! __________________ Future mod consideration: exhaust, pulley otherwise, very happy with how the m3 was born
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07-31-2012, 04:17 PM	#2
David70 Colonel 1567 Rep 2,665 Posts Drives: 06 Z4M Coupe - 13 Cadillac ATS Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Cincinnati, OH iTrader: (1)	My guess goes to rotors are warped.
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07-31-2012, 04:28 PM	#3
The HACK Midlife Crises Racing Silent but Deadly Class 1820 Rep 5,337 Posts Drives: 2006 MZ4C, 2021 Tesla Model 3 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Welcome to Jamaica have a nice day iTrader: (1)	Pad deposit. __________________ Sitting on a beat-up office chair in front of a 5 year old computer in a basement floor, sipping on stale coffee watching a bunch of meaningless numbers scrolling aimlessly on a dimly lit 19” monitor.
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07-31-2012, 04:28 PM	#4
inTgr8r Lieutenant General 2426 Rep 11,667 Posts Drives: M2 Comp Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (10)	...or pad deposit __________________ '21 M2C Hockenheim Silver '18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold) '13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold) '07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
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07-31-2012, 04:37 PM	#5
Shipkiller Colonel 187 Rep 2,138 Posts Drives: Me Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Beach iTrader: (3) Garage List 2008 BMW Z4M Coupe [8.50] 2003 BMW Z4 Roadster [8.33]	... or or pad deposit...
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07-31-2012, 05:30 PM	#6
Kgolf31 Brigadier General 459 Rep 4,531 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4MC, 2012 128i Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Ohio iTrader: (4)	Learn how to brake. Get in your car, go to a place where you can do 60-0 stops. Do it 5-6 times hard on the brakes. Your rotors will magically become "un-warped"
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07-31-2012, 05:40 PM	#7
inTgr8r Lieutenant General 2426 Rep 11,667 Posts Drives: M2 Comp Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (10)	^This; but I would clean most of the deposit off first. .....BrakeKleen and green Scotchbrite pads __________________ '21 M2C Hockenheim Silver '18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold) '13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold) '07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
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07-31-2012, 07:29 PM	#8
BruceJ 6 of Diamonds (ret) 82 Rep 566 Posts Drives: 2011 E93 335is Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Georgia iTrader: (2)	If not the deposits/rotors then its is a classic symptom of worn out FCAB's. Easy to tell when the front end is off the ground. Grab wheel, pull in and out, shouldnt get any movement. Same thing the mech does before a wheel alignment. Good luck __________________ 2007 Z4Si(gone) Couple E30 Verts (DD) 2003 330i 2011 E93 335is - current fav
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07-31-2012, 11:32 PM	#9
seank enthusiast 48 Rep 1,695 Posts Drives: e30 m3,e90 wagon,sprinter,z4m Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: sacramento, ca iTrader: (4)	pad deposit!
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08-01-2012, 01:28 PM	#10
skim Captain 142 Rep 660 Posts Drives: 07 Z4MC Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	hmm thanks for the inputs.. i'll do it this weekend. but i don't think there's much pad deposit tho. by pad deposit, don't you guys mean pad residue plugging the rotor holes? i don't have much of that.. but i'll take a look again. __________________ Future mod consideration: exhaust, pulley otherwise, very happy with how the m3 was born
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-01-2012, 01:57 PM	#12
prodigal_m Member 14 Rep 178 Posts Drives: 2018 Estoril Blue/Black F31 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: SE Wisconsin iTrader: (1)	I think I should start sending out old sets of my Hawk Blue's to people with pad deposits. Simply install, brake hard, watch the sparks fly and enjoy your freshly resurfaced rotors.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-01-2012, 02:05 PM	#13
Finnegan Dog Listener 701 Rep 7,850 Posts Drives: Z4M/. Z3M, E36/46 M3 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Teaching the dog to slalom iTrader: (22)	It's not like there will be chunks or anything like that. Normally pads leave a very slight "coating" of material on the rotor. If there are sections that have more, and then less "coating" it will cause the symptoms you're describing. Kgolf's approach is probably the the right one, since it only showed up after a track day. More on this here. What probably happened is that the stock pads got really hot, may have exceeded their max op temp, and left all kinds of uneven deposits on the rotors. Re-bedding will probably clear this up (assuming your pads aren't really toasted). Prodigal, yup!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

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