You may have noticed grooves in the brake rotors which, of course, makes you think your car rotor’s condition is terrible. Many people who see grooves in brake rotors for the first time may have no idea why it must have shown up there in the first place. If this is your problem presently, you don’t need to worry because this article will answer the big question; “What is the Cause of Grooves in Brake Rotors?”
What are Brake Rotors
Let’s say you hit the road on any speed limit and decide to hold the brake at your destination; this is where the brake rotor comes to play as it works together with the brake pads to stop your car safely.
Just like the left side of the brain is essential in solving logical questions, the brake rotors represent the left brain of the brake because damage to the rotors will affect your brake, which can also affect your driving experience and the safe stopping of your car.
Since many people do not know what to do when they discover that tiny grooves appear on the brake rotors, it has grown over time, making the problem enormous. This article will explain why these grooves appear on your car’s brake rotors.
This article will also touch on other issues that emerge after grooves are found in the brake rotors.
What Causes Grooves In Brake Rotors
Honestly, this is like many other problems a car could develop. Problems like when your engine is heated up, when your car suddenly turns off without you turning it off, or when your RPM keeps going up and down, with other technical hardware issues that need fixing in a car. Every part of your car is significant, but some people only pay much attention to more severe issues and leave it unattended, just like the grooves in brake rotors. Leaving This unrepaired can severely damage your vehicle in the long run.
Though you may have noticed some little amount of grooves in the rotors and feel there is nothing to worry about, these little grooves begin to worsen with time. Without any repair, it can make your vehicle underperform.
Now, let’s dive into the causes of grooves in brake rotors.
Causes of Grooves in Brake Rotors
Worn Out Break Pads
A worn-out brake is one of the problems that cause grooves to appear in brake rotors. As earlier stated, the brake rotors play a vital role by aiding the brake pad to stop a vehicle when you hit the brake. When a brake page is pushed, it presses the rotors, which react by stopping the vehicle. When a brake pad is faulty, it makes the grooves appear in the rotor, which can make your car underperform.
Excess of Heat
Another primary reason grooves appear in the brake rotors is due to excessive heat. How is this heat formed? Well, after you have pushed the brake pad and it clamps on the rotor to stop your car, it produces heat. To understand this better, heat is produced whenever the brake pad is pushed.
Are you a driver that pushes the brake too often? Note that when you push your brake too often, excess heat is created, making grooves appear on the rotor surface.
Hitting the Brake Harshly
Because they are new to driving or have little driving experience, most people tend to be too harsh on their brakes. Hitting the brake pedal too harshly is capable of negatively affecting not only the brake rotors but also other brake-connected components.
Hitting your car brake too hard is also a significant cause of grooves in your rotors.
Does A Grooved Brake Rotor Affect Stopping Distance?
Nothing looks cooler when your car works perfectly, and each component functions as it should. Imagine being on steering, sighting a car ahead of you, then, you hit the brake, but the stopping distance fails you one way or the other. Remember when we stated earlier that the brake rotor aids in stopping the car, correct?
When the brake rotor is affected, stopping a car at once becomes problematic. You must apply your brake from a long distance to the point you want your car to stop. The efficiency is worn out when the rotor is affected.
Other Negative Effects of Grooved Brake Rotors?
As stated above, your braking performance would be significantly affected and won’t be effective as it used to be. Aside from the fact that your car stopping time increases, there are other effects like:
⇔ Instead of a standard car jolting and resuming to normal after hitting the brake, the grooves in the rotor will propel the car into a vibrating motion for some minutes before returning to its standard.
⇔ In general, the performance of all brake components becomes less active. Increasing the pressure on the brake pedal for the car to stop would be best.
Can I Drive With Grooved Rotors?
Yes, you can drive with a grooved rotor. If the grooves in the brake rotor involve tearing the brake pad, then it is not significant enough for you not to drive your car.
But when you notice the grooves are deep, or when you apply the brake, you keep hearing vibrating noise, then it is best to take the car to a vehicle technician for repair.
What Happens If You Put New Brake Pads On Grooved Rotors?
It will sound like a joke if you tell a phone engineer to repair your perfectly working charging port when your phone screen is shattered. When your brake rotor is faulty or grooved, you should take it to a car technician for repair.
Buying a new brake pad would be a waste of money as it will make no difference in its performance because it is not correctly aiding the rotor in stopping activities.
Are Grooved Brake Rotors Too Noisy?
Of course. Grooved brake rotors are noisy.
Conclusion – What Causes Grooves in Brake Rotors?
What Causes Grooves in Brake Rotors?
- — Worn Out Break Pads
- — Excess Heat
- — Hitting the Brake Harshly
Adverse Effects of Grooved Brake Rotors
Below are the effects of grooves in the brake rotors:
- — Your brake won’t be able to function properly
- — The grooves in the rotor will propel the car into a vibrating motion for some minutes before returning to normal.
- — When the brake rotor is affected, stopping a car at once becomes problematic. You have to apply your brake from a long distance to the very point you want your car to stop
We hope this article was informative!!