Disc brakes removal

[Loud]

I have a 2001 protege ES from which the discs brakes needs to be changed. The problem is that I am unable to removed the disks... Looks like the're press fit or welded because of high temp. I am not a Mazda owner and I barely know Mazda mechanics.

Are those discs suppose to be press-fitted, is there something I need to know or just hitting the disks with a mace would be the correct way???

Thx

[zerocover]

They should come right off try the mace

[solid_snake]

they should come off after taking off the calipers


BTW: This is my 400th post (yippy)

[TampaSport20]

knock one side and then the other with a rubber mallet....they will come off...it's just rust

[proman]

rubber mallet didn't work for my rotors. I used a 3 lb. hammer and that worked MUCH better to get it loose.

[Kansei]

I need to get around to this as well. A few weeks ago I went to put my brembo rotors on and just couldn't get the darn rear rotors to come off. I hit it with a rubber mallet and a 16oz hammer until I was too tired (a few hours on and off) and just gave up and put the wheels back on. The fronts came off easily, one after a single hit with the rubber mallet and the other took no hitting.

[Foolish]

Only hit with a metal hammer if you're not re-using the rotors! You can actually hit them from the wheel side of the rotor on the top hat part to help break them loose, you're not going to hurt that part if you whack it with a metal hammer. A rubber mallet isn't going to do the job.

[chiefmg]

Sometimes rotors will have a threaded hole which will allow you to use a jacking screw to remove them. Just make sure you use the correct (metric) bolt. Otherwise the easiest way is what everyone else said, hit it with a hammer. Tapping on opposite sides usually works pretty well (like rocking your car stuck in the mud).

[Kansei]

Sometimes rotors will have a threaded hole which will allow you to use a jacking screw to remove them. Just make sure you use the correct (metric) bolt. Otherwise the easiest way is what everyone else said, hit it with a hammer. Tapping on opposite sides usually works pretty well (like rocking your car stuck in the mud).

What is a "jacking screw"? Is that a specific size?

[chiefmg]

A jacking screw (or bolt) is just a normal fastener that you use to force something off. It requires a threaded hole that goes all the way through the part in question. Once you screw the fastener in through the hole and it bottoms on whatever is on the other side, continuing to screw it in will force the piece it is threaded into away from what is underneath.

[Loud]

Ok i saw a lot of thread talking about that so called jacking screw. If you live in a cold place such as Quebec You can all forget that stupid screw... It wont help the disk comes out, you will actually probably break the screw (even if its a grade 8 or higher).

I had to use a huge puller to get those disks out and it actually poped out 1 foot away from the hub so dont forget to remove the part that is retaining the caliper. The gap is too tigth between the disk and the center hub, once rust has started there, there no way to easily remove it.

Have fun...

[DiS]

A jacking screw (or bolt) is just a normal fastener that you use to force something off. It requires a threaded hole that goes all the way through the part in question. Once you screw the fastener in through the hole and it bottoms on whatever is on the other side, continuing to screw it in will force the piece it is threaded into away from what is underneath.

well said. And that actually works great for Wheel studs instalation (vise versa process)

[TampaSport20]

Ok i saw a lot of thread talking about that so called jacking screw. If you live in a cold place such as Quebec You can all forget that stupid screw... It wont help the disk comes out, you will actually probably break the screw (even if its a grade 8 or higher).

I had to use a huge puller to get those disks out and it actually poped out 1 foot away from the hub so dont forget to remove the part that is retaining the caliper. The gap is too tigth between the disk and the center hub, once rust has started there, there no way to easily remove it.

Have fun...

Gear pullers kick ass dont they ! (naughty)

[DiS]

Gear pullers kick ass dont they ! (naughty)

yea and that too, hehe

[Kansei]

Gear pullers kick ass dont they ! (naughty)

More tools I need to buy? UGH! :P I'll just keep at it with the hammer, I think I'm going to do my timing belt tomorrow so whenever I get frustrated I'll give the rotors a good whack. :D

[DiS]

More tools I need to buy? UGH! :P I'll just keep at it with the hammer, I think I'm going to do my timing belt tomorrow so whenever I get frustrated I'll give the rotors a good whack. :D

dont beat too hard on the rotors. Might crack them.

As far as timing belt, just take your time with it. It was pain in the F***ing ass when I was putting mine back on, after J-spec intake camshaft instalation. I hate adjusting timing belt on top.

[Kansei]

dont beat too hard on the rotors. Might crack them.

As far as timing belt, just take your time with it. It was pain in the F***ing ass when I was putting mine back on, after J-spec intake camshaft instalation. I hate adjusting timing belt on top.

I have the Jspec intake cam too so I know the woes of the job. It was easy once I had one of my roommates hold the two cam gears in proper position with wrenches.. so I guess I'll wait for them to get back up here to do the timing belt. I think tomorrow I'm just going to work on getting engine mount #3 unbolted since I didn't have to do that for the intake cam install.

Oh and I don't care if the rotors crack, they are coming off to be replaced.

[DiS]

I have the Jspec intake cam too so I know the woes of the job. It was easy once I had one of my roommates hold the two cam gears in proper position with wrenches.. so I guess I'll wait for them to get back up here to do the timing belt. I think tomorrow I'm just going to work on getting engine mount #3 unbolted since I didn't have to do that for the intake cam install.

Oh and I don't care if the rotors crack, they are coming off to be replaced.

hehe kewlness man! What rotors are you replacing the stocks with?

[Kansei]

hehe kewlness man! What rotors are you replacing the stocks with?

Brembo drilled, I would have just gone for brembo standard ones but I got a good deal on the drilled ones.

[gksspot]

Careful with the drilled ones. They often corrode with road salt and can look pretty crappy later on down the line. They sure do look sweet though when they are new (nana)

[DiS]

Careful with the drilled ones. They often corrode with road salt and can look pretty crappy later on down the line. They sure do look sweet though when they are new (nana)

you are referring to all the crap companies out there who make drilled rotors. Brembo, power-slot, stop-tech and Wilwood are the only companies that I know of, that DO make quality drilled/slotted rotors.

Do watch out for other crap.

[Kansei]

Careful with the drilled ones. They often corrode with road salt and can look pretty crappy later on down the line. They sure do look sweet though when they are new (nana)


road salt... mmmm

[gksspot]

you are referring to all the crap companies out there who make drilled rotors. Brembo, power-slot, stop-tech and Wilwood are the only companies that I know of, that DO make quality drilled/slotted rotors.

Do watch out for other crap.

I just remember hearing over at miata.net that a lot of people advised that if you were going to do big brake upgrade kits and get new rotors to not do drilled or slotted rotors as they will corrode and somtimes crack after a while at the slot or hole locations... and these were warnings from people that had Brembos and Powerslots and so on.
There were some copper looking colored rotors (some coating that supposedly helps) that people said typically helped.

Most people on the forum (the auto X people) said to get solid rotors and I remember one of the more popular arguements was--

You never see cross drilled or slotted rotors on race cars, only on high end consumer cars for marketing purposes (people will believe that the slots and holes will cool the brakes down faster and increase stopping distance signifiicantly while not sacrifing long term logevity)

Dont think Im wizzing on the parade, Im just offereing hearsay that might in the end be true and helpful.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=157068&highlight=cross+drilled
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=32174&highlight=cross+drilled
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=27121&highlight=cross+drilled+rust

Do take pics, Im going to droll over them ;-)

[DiS]

i hear ya man. But thats not what my experience was/is with cross-drilled/slotted rotors. Both of my friends on Nissan Maxima's had cross-drilled brembo's for past almost 4 years and rotors are fine. Kooldino has power-slot slotted front rotors and he has them for a while, they are in perfect condition.

[justanotheradikt]

so are slotted rotors worth it? are they really any better over stock?

[tunersteve]

Don't forget about KVR, they make a damn good rotor/brake pad too. I love my cross-drilled rotors and I did notice an increase in braking performance. Eventually, I plan on SS lines and changing out the rear, but right now I got gifts to buy for X-Mas.

[gksspot]

Again... not to dis anyone but Im not the type that will buy anything promising performance gains unless it can be a measured improvement. To me tha "Butt-dyno" is just an empty placebo effect, I need more then just a good feeling that what I just bought really did improve my car.

Id rather see a before and after dyno run with an aftermarket intake or see before and after braking tests with measured testing distances before I threw down the cash.

If you are looking to make the car look nice, then hell we all know they look sweet, go ahead with it, but if you want functionality then you might want to read a bit more and come to an unbiased decision based on fact.

Thats what I love about forums, you get entusiasts to do extraordinary things. When I had my Miata I was looking into custom made heatshields to keep the hotter air away from my intake, so myself and a fellow nut got together and made heatshields and then tested the engine temps with a laptop, some cool software, about 8 feet of wiring that went from the laptop to through the firewall and to two different locations on either side of the heatshield. Our sensor would read the temps real time and we could chart it while making notes at how they differed at different speeds and in the end could prove that on average the intake side was some 80 degrees cooler (cant remember the exact number) then the header side... from there my buddy did some calculations (wish I studied engineering in college and not business). From there he concluded that the heatsheild was good for a 4 or 5 hp gain.
Could we feel the improvement? Yeah, we thought so. Was it hugely noticebale? No. Could we have known for a fact that it helped by our impressions/butt-dyno alone? Of course not.


Im just saying, if you want it to improve your car and not waste money in the process, do your homework... ignore the marketing hype. Maybe we should have a thread on the forum of questionable claims within the auto industry? Might be fun to try and prove and disprove them?

BTW here is that heatshield I mentioned

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/gksspot/Cars/shield.jpg

http://miata.cardomain.com/ride/160905/8

EDIT: FYI, that intake (MonsterFlow) was Dyno'd several times on different Miatas for an avg increase of 8 to 10 hp. It took me along time of reading before I bit the bullet and got it.

[DiS]

Again... not to dis anyone but Im not the type that will buy anything promising performance gains unless it can be a measured improvement. To me tha "Butt-dyno" is just an empty placebo effect, I need more then just a good feeling that what I just bought really did improve my car.

Id rather see a before and after dyno run with an aftermarket intake or see before and after braking tests with measured testing distances before I threw down the cash.

If you are looking to make the car look nice, then hell we all know they look sweet, go ahead with it, but if you want functionality then you might want to read a bit more and come to an unbiased decision based on fact.

Thats what I love about forums, you get entusiasts to do extraordinary things. When I had my Miata I was looking into custom made heatshields to keep the hotter air away from my intake, so myself and a fellow nut got together and made heatshields and then tested the engine temps with a laptop, some cool software, about 8 feet of wiring that went from the laptop to through the firewall and to two different locations on either side of the heatshield. Our sensor would read the temps real time and we could chart it while making notes at how they differed at different speeds and in the end could prove that on average the intake side was some 80 degrees cooler (cant remember the exact number) then the header side... from there my buddy did some calculations (wish I studied engineering in college and not business). From there he concluded that the heatsheild was good for a 4 or 5 hp gain.
Could we feel the improvement? Yeah, we thought so. Was it hugely noticebale? No. Could we have known for a fact that it helped by our impressions/butt-dyno alone? Of course not.


Im just saying, if you want it to improve your car and not waste money in the process, do your homework... ignore the marketing hype. Maybe we should have a thread on the forum of questionable claims within the auto industry? Might be fun to try and prove and disprove them?

BTW here is that heatshield I mentioned

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/gksspot/Cars/shield.jpg

http://miata.cardomain.com/ride/160905/8

EDIT: FYI, that intake (MonsterFlow) was Dyno'd several times on different Miatas for an avg increase of 8 to 10 hp. It took me along time of reading before I bit the bullet and got it.

seems like you know alot. Ok fellow.

I was driving with Kooldino from Carlisle car show this past summer and practically tailgating another mazda gurl in front of us doing about 40-45mph. All of a sudden everyone is slamming their brakes to the point of almost locking them up. You know, when you just jam your foot against your brakes. Kooldino's brakes didnt even lock up at all. Power-slot slotted rotors and brembo (regulars) in the back with hawk pads make shit load of difference. If I would be in my car, my front would smudge right against another protege that was in the front. Practical and technical are a bit different from each other.

yes I agree butt-dyno is inacurate.....when you add spark plugs and think car is faster all of a sudden. We're talking about braking power here....

[gksspot]

seems like you know alot. Ok fellow.

I was driving with Kooldino from Carlisle car show this past summer and practically tailgating another mazda gurl in front of us doing about 40-45mph. All of a sudden everyone is slamming their brakes to the point of almost locking them up. You know, when you just jam your foot against your brakes. Kooldino's brakes didnt even lock up at all. Power-slot slotted rotors and brembo (regulars) in the back with hawk pads make shit load of difference. If I would be in my car, my front would smudge right against another protege that was in the front. Practical and technical are a bit different from each other.

yes I agree butt-dyno is inacurate.....when you add spark plugs and think car is faster all of a sudden. We're talking about braking power here....

Hawk pads are great brake pads, that was probably the difference. I still havent seen any test results from manufacturers showing that they slow you down sooner. Trust me, if they could do those tests and they were statistically significant they would be in their advertising/promotions all day long.

Just like the occasional K&N filter that actually does improve hp over stock... when they really do add power you see the Dyno charts at their website or on the side of the box to SHOW you it works... of course they dont show you that it was their best Dyno pull of the 30 they did and that it was on a car that had a dirty airfilter previous to the install of the K&N and other little things to stack the deck in their favor... but they show you the dyno.

Don't you think that some legislator would have proposed to the auto industry that all vehicles come standard with drilled/slotted rotors as a safety measure since they work better then their non-slotted brothers if that was true?
It happened with seat belts (in the 60s I believe), it happened with airbags in the mid 90s... once there was solid evidence that somthing could be done to help automobile safety, someone created the push that led to the law that all car companies must put XXX in their cars to improve safety for the public good. Rotors would be no exception.

[TampaSport20]

Don't you think that some legislator would have proposed to the auto industry that all vehicles come standard with drilled/slotted rotors as a safety measure since they work better then their non-slotted brothers if that was true?
It happened with seat belts (in the 60s I believe), it happened with airbags in the mid 90s... once there was solid evidence that somthing could be done to help automobile safety, someone created the push that led to the law that all car companies must put XXX in their cars to improve safety for the public good. Rotors would be no exception.

This is total horsesh**......It's a proven fact that BIGGER rotors will stop a car faster.....Does that mean that legislation will go into effect to put the biggest rotors you can fit in a wheel well onto a car because it's safer ??? Hell no !...It costs too much money...

Same goes for a cross drilled/slotted rotor...even if it might work better it still costs more to make....You think Porsche puts them on their cars even though they don't really DO anything more ??? Facts are facts...Will a drilled/slotted rotor stop a car faster, just because it's drilled/slotted ??? NO. However, will it dissipate heat faster and maintain the same level of performance longer than a regular rotor ?? YES.

Class dismissed.

[DiS]

This is total horsesh**......It's a proven fact that BIGGER rotors will stop a car faster.....Does that mean that legislation will go into effect to put the biggest rotors you can fit in a wheel well onto a car because it's safer ??? Hell no !...It costs too much money...

Same goes for a cross drilled/slotted rotor...even if it might work better it still costs more to make....You think Porsche puts them on their cars even though they don't really DO anything more ??? Facts are facts...Will a drilled/slotted rotor stop a car faster, just because it's drilled/slotted ??? NO. However, will it dissipate heat faster and maintain the same level of performance longer than a regular rotor ?? YES.

Class dismissed.
well said. I couldn't say it better!!!

[TampaSport20]

(people will believe that the slots and holes will cool the brakes down faster and increase stopping distance signifiicantly while not sacrifing long term logevity)



physics, man...more surface area=heat dissipation.......

we need a smilie with a parrot....this is someone "parroting" what they read or heard from someone else.

As for "sacrifing long term logevity"(isn't that saying the same thing 2x ? ,and then misspelled two words to boot), I assume you are referring to the drilling or slotting leading to earlier failure of the part...This may be true in some cases,but your statement is VERY broad and too general....Things to look for when purchasing drilled/slotted rotors...chamfered edges on the drilling(prevents cracking), and you probably want consider pad cost, as slotted rotors tend to shave away at pads, shortening their life span. It is also a good idea to look at cryo-treated rotors, as they last MUCH longer. The rotor surface CAN be plated and this tends to reduce oxidation(rust) however after a bit of hard braking this surface can be worn right off. It IS just plating, you know.

[gksspot]

This is total horsesh**......It's a proven fact that BIGGER rotors will stop a car faster.....Does that mean that legislation will go into effect to put the biggest rotors you can fit in a wheel well onto a car because it's safer ??? Hell no !...It costs too much money...

Same goes for a cross drilled/slotted rotor...even if it might work better it still costs more to make....You think Porsche puts them on their cars even though they don't really DO anything more ??? Facts are facts...Will a drilled/slotted rotor stop a car faster, just because it's drilled/slotted ??? NO. However, will it dissipate heat faster and maintain the same level of performance longer than a regular rotor ?? YES.

Class dismissed.


I said nothing about rotor size, only about slotted/drilled rotors v. non-slotted/drilled rotors of the same size. I will admit the legislation example wasnt the best example out there but I dont really care to prove that point... Im just trying to bring a different thought into the equation.

Noobies out there see what they are being marketed and rarely research and investigate the effectiveness of a product, intead its the company with a slick marketing campaign that gets the ignoramuses hard earned money instead of a smaller company (with no money for a campaign) with a better idea that actually works... our economic system believes that in time the better product will emerge and the truth will get out an they will prosper... I just like to try and speed up that time period by maybe helping someone out there to question what they have been fed. Nothing more, nothing less (drinks)


http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=157068&highlight=cross+drilled

Very good read, posted by many people with solid credibility.

[gksspot]

"we need a smilie with a parrot....this is someone "parroting" what they read or heard from someone else."

You cant honestly say everything you speak comes from experience...


... and about spelling... Im not going to go there, this isnt a graded assignment and Im sure you can understand what Im saying, you did see the mistake and decipher its intended meaning afterall (thumb)

[TampaSport20]

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=157068&highlight=cross+drilled

Very good read, posted by many people with solid credibility.

hmmm...read the whole thing...almost NOTHING about slotted rotors and the guys that posted in that thread with facts to back their opinion said the same thing I did

[gksspot]

hmmm...read the whole thing...almost NOTHING about slotted rotors and the guys that posted in that thread with facts to back their opinion said the same thing I did

You take it personal, Im not attacking you, Im not saying what you said was neccessarily wrong.

I AM JUST SAYING: if you want your money to go to a product that backs up its promises, do some research and find out for yourself if their claims hold water... I think from that thread and a thousand others on other auto bulletin boards about rotors, that there are compromises with certain types and brands. You must look into certain pros and cons and decide which will best suit your needs.

What Im trying to clear up is that if someone buys a slotted/drilled rotor that it is superior in everyway to a solid rotor, and that is the thought on this and most forums that is incorrect, and in many cases couldnt be farther from the truth.