Lemforder E34 Brake Disc Rotors

[bimmerman]

Changed my front disc brake rotors to Lemforders for only RM120 a piece as my rotors were wearing dangerously thin. The original BMW part costs 3 times more than the Lemforders at RM350 a piece!!! But the guy at the counter told me point blank that it's at my own risk. 2 out of 10 people who buy these Lemforders complain of shimmy under braking. He told me there's no guarantee and no ruturns are entertained.So i had them installed and true enough i'm getting them shimmies under braking. I'm wondering if i went and skimmed these discs would it help remove the shimmies? :dunno:

 

[Iqlima]

I had change my wheel bearing before and then I got shimmy.

Don't believe the bearing cause problem I went to do again wheel balance and voila it back to smooth.

Try do on wheel balance back if not done yet but if rotor flat I don't see why it give you shimmy , but I suppose the thickness compare to BMW brand is the same.

 

[bimmerman]

Nope, i'm not getting any shimmy when driving. But i'm getting braking shimmy. It shimmers only when braking. Got to be the discs right?

 

[ALBundy]

Bimmerman, just go ahead and skim it, it should be okie after that.

I replaced mine with ATE and no problems whatsoever, of course you pay a little more

 

[Iqlima]

Originally posted by Iqlima@Aug 28 2005, 08:29 PM
I had change my wheel bearing before and then I got shimmy.

Don't believe the bearing cause problem I went to do again wheel balance and voila it back to smooth.

Try do on wheel balance back if not done yet but if rotor flat I don't see why it give you shimmy , but I suppose the thickness compare to BMW brand is the same.

I miss your "shimmies under braking" , skim like Albundy said but why it not flat ?

 

[bimmerman]

Thats the weird thing. I mean Lemforders are supposed to be a top OEM brand for BMW. I use their pitman arms, thrust arms, bushings and all but what's wrong with their brake disc rotors? And the dealer even knows about it ans advises me to buy at my own risk. Weird!

 

[ALBundy]

Its more like their quality control. When shimmies happened, it means the surface is not flat. Now you have to spend another RM70 to skim it and probably another 20 to 40 bucks labour to remove and install the brake discs :blink:

 

[bimmerman]

Thanks Bundy! At least i know it's salvagable!! Phew! Still i would have spent a lot less than the RM700 per pair for originals. Thanks again Bundy!

And to those of you replacing your brake disc rotors, if you're buying Lemforder remember to have them skimmed before installation to save yourself some money!

 

[OSFlanker]

RM700 for originals? I would rather spend that money on ATE power disc, with spare change too.

In fact, I have!

 

[Iqlima]

ATE ? Another brand ? Where to get ?

 

[E34EuroTouring]

Did you used NEW pads with the Rotors ?. What pads were they ?. Did you bed the pads properly ?. Check your rotor disk to see if there is any pad marking on it. If you get this brake pad marking, it was bedded wrong!. Then you will need skimming of the disk to remove the uneven layer worn.

I had ATE rotors before. No shimmy what so ever. Only when it wears thin like 1/3 of metal left.

My tourings uses Pex (oem branded) and my sedan uses ATE rotors. Touring uses Textar pads while sedan uses Jurrid pads. No brake shimmy for both!.

If you used poor quality pads, that might cause the shimmy. I suggest you check this first before you do the skimming of the disc.

 

[bimmerman]

Originally posted by E34EuroTouring@Aug 29 2005, 01:13 PM
Did you used NEW pads with the Rotors ?. What pads were they ?. Did you bed the pads properly ?. Check your rotor disk to see if there is any pad marking on it. If you get this brake pad marking, it was bedded wrong!. Then you will need skimming of the disk to remove the uneven layer worn.

I had ATE rotors before. No shimmy what so ever. Only when it wears thin like 1/3 of metal left.

My tourings uses Pex (oem branded) and my sedan uses ATE rotors. Touring uses Textar pads while sedan uses Jurrid pads. No brake shimmy for both!.

If you used poor quality pads, that might cause the shimmy. I suggest you check this first before you do the skimming of the disc.

I'm using back my previous brake pads. I think it's either Jurid or Pagid, one of those but can't remember which one. Still got 90% left because changed just recently. I think i bedded them well, no markings on the disc and they bite quite hard. I slowed the car down from 130kph the other day and to my surprise my tires shrieked momentarily. Hope i did not flat spot my tires. Curiously ABS did not kick in. But the stopping power is definately there. I have now put around 1500Km on the new discs after making a trip to Singapore last week and the braking shimmy is still there when braking above 85KM/h.

How much are ATE discs by the way?

 

[teejay]

I can't remember exactly, but there is a way to bed in the pads with the disc at a certain mileage

if it is not run-in proper you may get this "shimmy" feelings

another try would be to skim a layer off and brush of the pads with some rough sand paper, then follow proper bedding instructions

after that, do get your wheels balance by on-wheel balancing method

hope this helps abit

 

[bimmerman]

Thanks TJ!

Now any other Sifu around here got some instructions on bedding in your pads?

 

[teejay]

will try and dig up my files and post for others benefits too

cheers

 

[E34EuroTouring]

Bedding procesure is simple. DO three stops from 60 Kph down to about 10 kph on a long straight road. DONT stop!. Then let it cool for about 15 mins of cruising but do NOT step on the brakes in a complete stop by leaving your foot on the brakes.

You do not want to leave a pad imprint on the disc. That is cause a brake shimmy!.

I do 100 kph to 30 kph stops!. But they say 60l is enough.