Brake Rotors
 

Hey guys...what do you all think - how long should our rotors (front) last before replacement? I know lots of variables, but generally, what's the consensus?

A better question is:
How long is a piece of string?

Brake pads have been discussed ad nauseam...but not rotors. Why not? Piece of string? Seriously?

Most on here lately seem to daily drive, lots of peeps doing that in the city...what are you all getting for mileage out of rotors?

I'm with Jay, almost impossible to answer.

But if we want to talk in the most general terms, I'd suggest that most street drivers should expect the rotors to last two sets of pads.

They need to be replaced when they have worn down to the min thickness. No way to know when that will be
Its like asking how long is a piece of string, sorry

And when you need to replace them a great deal on high quality rotors in on ebay. Look for Meyle rotors at around $75-$80 a PAIR!

If they are OK and don't have cracks or something else why don't you measure the thickness? Then you know if they should be replaced.

Regards, Markus

A quick way to check is to see if there is a rotor lip at the top. A 1mm lip on the side you can see probably means 1mm on the back side, that is 2mm of wear which is the wear limit for the 986 rotors.

The first time I checked mine way back they were waaaay past that, I think almost 4mm of wear. They still looked good and I had even done my first track day with them (and I was pretty aggravated at the shop that I paid to do the pre-track inspection for not catching that)

This is the real method to check. Usually done with micrometer. Calipers will measure the lip by mistake. Or if you have any visible cracks, they are done.

My original front pads and rotors lasted for over 60,000 miles on my '03 S. That was mostly highway driving and my first HPDE at the end of the pads. The rotors had no cracks, but they did have a slight lip which I eyeballed at around 1 mm. So rather than measure them, I just replaced them. I think how long pads and rotors last is very dependent on how and where you drive.