seaTTym

Need to swap out my rotors this week. I tried over the weekend, and could not undo the bolts that hold the caliper in place.

Has anyone done this w/o removing the calipers? I was thinking that I could undo the little screw that holds the entire rotor in place, then undo the bolts that hold the rotor to the hat. Then take the hat off, then finesse the rotor out, then repeat backwards. Does that sound feasible?

JustJeff

Won't work, you can't get the rotor past the brackets. More wheaties?

seaTTym

I guess I can try removing the caliper from the caliper bracket. The spec is to tighten these bolts to 40-45ft-lbs. I think I can do that....

I was trying to remove the bracket from the suspension.

JustJeff

Oh, OK. it's easy then when you remove the bracket. :-)

coasTTal

The caliper carriers are held on by 17mm bolts. If they were installed with an air gun, or with blue locktite, then you will need to raise the car and use an extra long breaker bar on your ratchet or air gun set to highest setting.

You do not want to round over the heads of those bolts.

Let me remind you that you need to use antiseize on the bolts holding the bridge in place.

Why are you replacing your rotors? Stoptech says minimum rotor thickness is 26mm. Mine are currently slightly greater than 27mm.

seaTTym

I had them do it due largely in part w/ the SS lines.

I need to replace them because there are some cracks on the X-Drilled rotors. While this has been OK for regular street driving, I don't want to use them when I get out on the track next week.

The bolts holding the carriers to the car are 18mm on my car. and I was careful not to round the edges. I just could not undo them - probably because of the locktite.

I didn't try undoing the bolts that hold the calipers to the carriers, which I will try tonight.

coasTTal

and they are cracking. They've never had anything harder than street driving.

I would suggest slotted.

I would rather loose 5#'s of personal weight than try to save weight via cross drilled.

seaTTym

Got slotted rotors to replace the X-Drilled.

seaTTym

I took the bolts holding the caliper onto the caliper carriers out. Actually one came out and the other was still in by a few threads. i tapped the caliper back, took the pads out and finessed the rotor out.

Tip #1 - While doing the driver's side, I tried a shortcut by not undoing any of the caliper bolts. I took out the screw holding the rotor to the spindle, took out the pads, pushed back the pistons and finessed the rotor out. bingo worked like a charm. for some reason getting the rotor back in took a little more finesse, but I managed to get it back in.

Just got back from bedding in the pads to the new rotor and i now don't have anything to worry about. VIR here I come....

Tip #2 - A tip for removing the hat off of the rotor. you need to take out 10 4mm allen head bolts. They are on tight and have had locktite applied. instead of using an allen head wrench, take a vice grip plier and loosen the bolts. Alot easier than trying to do it with the allen head wrench. then finish taking out the bolts with an allen head wrench. Keep the bolts in and tap the same bolts to separate the hat from the rotor. Take the bolts out and separate the hat from the rotor. put the bolts back in, and tap on the bolts again to remove the pins for said bolts from the hat. A new set of bolts and pins are supplied with the new rotors.

Should have taken pics, but was in a hurry.