Rotors

[King0581]

Well Im about to need rotors on my truck. Hit the brakes today and had a little shimmy in it. I've seen the frozen rotors advertised but never really looked into them. I would have them turned but my experiences with that is they dont last long until they warp again. Any info on the frozen rotors would be great. Thanks

 

[bushpilot]

have you considered life time rotors from the likes of autozone etc ?
its easy enough to swap 'em out...the rotor warp that most of us
experience is usually differential pad wear...so more often that not
the vibration you feel is cured from pad replacement and caliper
rebuilding.

the only real way to know if the rotor is the root of the problem is
to check the run out on the rotor itself.

I would pull the wheel and carefully inspect the pads and rotors...
if the pads are worn evenly then id look closely at the rotor for
signs of over heating (blue) and fractures in the rotor.

if there were no fractures then id investegate the posiblity of turning
the rotors after the run out was measured.

if the pads are worn in an uneven manner i would investegate the
calipers and caliper slide pins.

 

[King0581]

Thanks for the info Bush.

 

[dboyw]

One thing I will say. I have yet to find lifetime rotors anywhere. Pads, yes, have them on the truck now. Most I could find for rotors was from autozone, 3yr for Baer Decela.

And even though it is not cheap, I would spend the $60 each for new rotors than to turn the old ones. Less material, less heat it can take, more fade it gives.

 

[Crumm]

I've seen the frozen rotors advertised but never really looked into them. Any info on the frozen rotors would be great. Thanks

I have read a quite a bit about them and am going to try them as soon as I need a set of rotors. If you plan on keeping your truck for a while I think they are a wise investment.

 

[JLDickmon]

brakes can shimmy for any one of a number of reasons, up to and including stuff not even brake related...
I think we had this discussion at length last spring?

Dude, I'm in the business of repairing exactly what you're getting, and Bush's advice was spot on.

Before you do anything, they need to be mic'd and spec'd.

And while you're at it, you need to take a runout reading on the mating surface of the hub, too.

Question I'll have you ask youself is, "Is this $150. worth of shimmy?"

 

[Scooter]

From my point of view. On our excursion, I spent $1000 on the front end trying to get rid of the shimmy when applying the brakes, including new rotors, pads, the whole thing. I went to multiple shops, the dealership and private shops, and they all said the exact same thing as above, did a complete brake job, and no one fixed the problem.
I got tired of it, and bought the Frozen Rotors and had no more problems. That was about 30k miles ago, and the old girl is still rocking without a problem

 

[bushpilot]

One thing I will say. I have yet to find lifetime rotors anywhere. Pads, yes, have them on the truck now. Most I could find for rotors was from autozone, 3yr for Baer Decela.

And even though it is not cheap, I would spend the $60 each for new rotors than to turn the old ones. Less material, less heat it can take, more fade it gives.

i stand corrected, autozone doesnt offer lifetime rotors
autozone offers front rotors (2wd or 4wd) for 61 dollars ea. (w/ 2yr warr).
advanced auto offers front rotors (2 or 4wd) or 55 dollars ea. (w/ a LIMITED 2yr warr)
O'Reilly offers simular priced rotors including sloted rotors by EBC & Brembo.

autozone & advanced offer lifetime pads (buy 'em once replace 'em often - FREE).

found some interesting and important specs on O'Reilly...check that your model year uses the same specs.

Rear Minimum Lining Thickness: .118
Rear Machine To Limit: 1.122
Rear Rotor Discard At: 1.102
Rear Caliper Mounting Bolt Torque Ft/Lbs: 128
Rear Caliper Mounting Bolt Torque Ft/Lbs: 37

Front Minimum Lining Thickness: .118
Front Machine To Limit: 1.440
Front Rotor Discard At: 1.410
Front Caliper Mounting Bolt Torque Ft/Lbs: 166
Front Caliper Mounting Bolt Torque Ft/Lbs: 42

 

[King0581]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to check tht stuff out before I buy rotors.