I am the original owner of my 95 Turbo wagon, which now has 125,000 miles on it. You can't turn the rotors according to all sources. In the past 18 months I suffered from premature warpage and had to replace the rotors 3 times. While I don't take it to a volvo dealer the work is done by Volvo Professional of Atlanta. They have had to replace these rotors under warranty ( Warranty period 12 months or 12,000 miles)

I am so fed up I'm considering IPD's Performance slot rotors.

First off could it be that these mechanics are doing something wrong?

Secondly has anyone had any experience with the IPD Performance Slot rotors?

Thanks

Paul

i have seen research done on different types of rotors (slotted & cross drilled) and it seems stopping distance and reliability is not increased much with the super rotors. IMO, they are not worth the extra money. the best bet is to go with OEM or other reputable manufacturer in the industry. i bought cheap rotors once and blued them out in one day.

first make sure your volvo mechanic is installing quality parts. second check to see if the lugs are torqued in the proper sequence. no one does this but it makes a huge difference.

if you are still warping the rotors, you're just an animal on the brakes and the heat that you are generating can't be dissipated quickly enough.

Thanks for the info.

Are they using Volvo rotors? They are one of the few rotors that won't warp after installation. Most aftermarket will require a "tune-up" cut afetr they've been run a while.
The trick is to heat and cool a new rotor (and pads) gradually. Don't stand on the brakes right away, especially with new pads. They can transfer pad material to the rotor and cause high friction areas and hot spots. Bed them in with some gradual stops first. Gradually get the rotors hotter and hotter and let them cool down slowly. The best way to insure that they cool down evenly is to keep driving to cool them off. You can actually heat them up to the point of fade as long as you cool them down evenly. Try not to stop and hold the brakes on if you have hot rotors until they have become "seasoned". Volvo is a heavy car and the brakes get quite a workout.

aside from what others have said (lug nuts, break-in), if these don't work, u may need to check the hubs and see if they're warped...

Sounds like either the are not being broke in properly, check Volvospeed.com, and/or the lugs could be torqued incorrectly. No matter how many times they replace the rotor, if they go nuts with the air gun, it will eventually warp the rotors. Slotted probably isn't the solution, unless you want to get them for other reasons. If they are Volvo specialists they should have the proper specs.


-Ananda

Just for curiosity sake .What is the correct break in procedure for Volvo Brakes. If I am doing something wrong I surely want to correct it.

BTW I had previously visited VolvoSpeed

Thanks

I could have sworn that they had a break in page on volvospeed.com. Sorry!

Pretty much you want to prefereably be on a rural highway, deserted road, little traffic.

I did about 10x 50 mph down to 15 mph stops. Be smooth, gradual pressure. Maybe go 40-60 seconds in between. I've seen and heard of 30 to 0, but really what you are doing is heating up the rotor to, and letting it cool, the rotors should be tempered already, but this somehow helps. Try to get home without any sudden stops. Now this isn't it, they probably aren't completeley broken in until up to 500 miles, so I've heard. So try to avoid sudden stops here too!!

-Ananda

Thanks for the info.

The info provided is very detailed and helpful . I will try it the next time I get a set of rotors, which will be soon. Although avoiding sudden stops around Atlanta is pretty hard.

Thanks again

Hi,

I totally agree with Ananda's postings as i have been down this route myself.

I replaced all round two years ago all my discs/rotors but the backs soon failed after. Fro infor i have aftermarket slots on the front and i don't really see any improvement except i am having problems on one side.

I had a sticking caliper on the rear first, so i had both swapped out by the dealer. I asked this dealer to check for warpage fine. So i start driving and when braking with the new calipers the WHOLE car shook i thought my back window was going to fall out.

So i used another dealer closer to my contract of employment as i was commutting 180miles day. I asked them when checking my fronts for a caliper change again and yes they picked up the warpage. So i went with new Stock and had no probs since.

So therefore do the following IMHO.

If they have warped get new ones as suggested.

Check the lugs nuts are tightened correctly. I normally undo mine straight away and then do them up myself without a torque wrench without any problems, this goes for when i have new tyres aswell.

Check the Calipers are not binding on any of the wheels.
Try another dealer or a decent local independant mechanics.

Just my thoughts from my experiences.

mark in the uk.
uk voc rhd 94 2l 20v 168k.