Ok, I've never owned a car with disc brakes on the rear, just drums usually. So whenever I've felt warped rotors, I would replace the front pads/rotors. Now with my malibu (08 classic 3.5L) I can feel an obviously warped rotor. How do I know whether to change both front and rear, just front, or just rear? This might be an simple question, but as I've said I'm not familiar with having disc brakes on the rear, so thanks for your help.
edit: Another confusion for me, when looking for rotors for this, every part store lists two different diameter rotors for the front, 11-21/32" or 10 7/8".... which is correct/better/preferred? Napa, advance, and rockauto all show both size options, while autozone.com says that 11.6 is the only size for my car. I'd prefer not have to take my wheel off to measure the rotor just to buy them, so if you have any insight please share.
16" tires on it. I guess when I go to the store they might have more info as to which one is correct. I've never run into anything like this though where they give me two completely different parts for my vehicle. I'd rather buy them ahead of time than have to take the wheel off to measure if possible.
Think about it. 16" Rims. 11.6" Rotor would have about 2" Clearance between the Rotor and Rim. Not much room for a caliper.
My money is on the 10 7/8" due to the Rim size.
Perhaps, I guess I'll just have to take a wheel off and measure to be sure. I've never encountered this sort of thing, I think it's because it's a 'classic' body style and not very common.
I checked Advance Auto Parts. They have 2 rotors listed. One is for 4 wheel Disc. The other is for rear Drum. This is the front rotor.
4 wheel disc: Wagner BD126138
Rear Drum: Wagner BD126135
You could just call the parts department at your dealer and give them your VIN #, they should be able to tell you what size, then just buy the correct disc.
Also, the same conventional rules apply here, the front does most of the braking, so you're rears should be fine. Most likely, the warped rotor is in the front.
If you have spoked wheels you should be able to see the rotor and measure it that way. Those two sizes are different enough that you should be able to tell.
I'm still trying to figure out why you buy new rotors just because they are "warped". Seems just turning the rotors would fix the problem.
Haha it's all good. I usually just replace the rotors because they are pretty inexpensive these days, and the job gets done much quicker. I've had them turned before when possible, you can save a few bucks at times.
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