2000 Disco II approx 130,000 miles

I have installed a performance brake upgrade with drilled and vented rotors front and rear and have also replaced the front calipers.

Under braking I get a pulsation like the rotors are warped, but they are new and heavy duty, so I don't think thats it. I'll probably pull the rotors and take them in and have them surfaced just to be sure.

The real issue is that when this pulsation starts, under heavy braking, it is sometime accompanied by a fairly severe steering wobble.

The tie rod ends do not appear to be loose.

The steering stabilizer is stock and has never been replaced.

I also have noticed that it appears to be a bit more difficult to turn the steering wheel clockwise (Right Turn) than counter clockwise (Left Turn).

Could a failing steering stabilizer cause these conditions?

 

Did you bed the pads properly? It takes a proper bedding before the pads lay correctly on the rotors so it is possible to cause those symptoms if you didnt set them correctly. You're especially not supposed to do heavy braking until they're properly bed.

 

Get rid of those drilled and slotted rotors, they do nothing for the performance of braking and are just for looks/aesthetics.

 

How do you "properly bed" the pads?

I was always told after installing the pads to drive the vehicle up to highway speeds and stomp on the brakes. Get the *** end up high in the air! Is this not proper procedure?

 

That is probably the worst way to do it. Procedures recommended by manufacturers vary but for the Akebono pads everyone here seems to like they say 400-500 miles of moderate driving with no heavy braking.

Some companies have more complex procedures that involve slowing from a set speed with different amounts of brake pressure. Without coming to a stop resume speed and do again. Then allow brakes to cool. These directions are purposefully generic because as I said before it varies by manufacturer.

 

The steering stabilizer actually hides issues like this, it will never be the source of the problem, but will let you know at the last minute there is an issue.

If you want, take a set of calipers and measure the rotors to ensure they aren't warped.

Also, lift the front axle off the ground so both tires are floating, try to shake them by hand, if you get any movement what so ever you have an issue, everything should be solid but if the tires are on the ground the entire steering set up will be under load and you wont be able to tell if something is loose.

 

Pads were bedded in properly.

Front end has been checked with wheels off the ground. Nothing seems loose at all.

I realize that the steering stabilizer will not be the cause of the problem (other than perhaps the difficulty turning in one direction if it is binding in some way) and will only serve to dampen these symptoms, but a worn out stabilizer could not be doing it's job to effectively dampen any of these symptoms.

Will most likely end up pulling the rotors and taking them to get surfaced to see if that has any impact.

If that doesn't resolve it, I will likely replace tie rod ends.

 

It would not be unusual to get a new rotor that needs to be cut. Many, many moons ago I work for a large chain doing brakes, nothing else like 4-5 brake jobs a day. We as protocol would cut every drum and rotor new or old; you would not believe how many rotors and drums a untrue right out of the box.

Was the pulling problem there before you did the brakes?

 

[insert facetiousness]

But, seriously. It's best to check the condition of your rotors prior to installing new pads. Stay away from the lower end rotors. They're usually all made from cheaper metals and are prone to pre-mature warping which will give you steering wheel feedback under heavy braking conditions.

 

I installed a new drag link and turned all four rotors yesterday. That completely eliminated any steering wheel feedback under heavy braking.

Up next is a set of new OME shocks and maybe a 2" lift...

Some photos from the job...

Putting her up on the rack


Turning the rotors


Nice and true...


Driver's Front


Passenger's Front - With a nice look at the new Drag Link


Driver's Rear


Passenger's Rear


All done!


Took me about 2 1/2 hours working by myself to complete the entire job.

Monday I'll throw it up on the alignment rack and dial everything in to make sure the alignment is in good shape...

I'm very pleased with the results. I have no feedback in the steering under heavy braking.

I ended up taking about .004" off each rotor face to get rid of the warpage.