Brake Rotors are CRACKED.....

[TCDiesel]

Here"s a link https://www.turbodieselregister.com...07/167343-heavy-towers-auto-please-reply.html

Post 21 & 28, I now have 60,000 on Rotors, If I Took a Present Picture you could not tell the difference. and it looks like another 60,000 left. My style of driving it has paid off to have Drilled & slotted, although slotted will be My next Rotor for testing purpose, I hope they will even exceed these.

 

[Regcabguy]

Well, I spent the day on the phone w/ numerous rotor co's. As it "turns" out there are a million brake & rotor co's in the world & quality replacement performance rotors can be had for considerably less than the OEM.



The cracks R def there, some surface, some deep. Def cause for safety concern @ some point. No cracks closer to the venting where some air can circulate & help cool the rotor. So I am going w/ the theory of slotted & drilled rotors & they R going on as soon as they get here from UPS. They cost less than half of a stock non slotted & non drilled OEM rotor AND unbelievably come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY against warping and cracking!!! S/b a good test... . Oo. Only time will tell. Will mark this thread & repost as necessary.



Mike

Good luck on the drilled and slotted rotors. You'll have 9% less surface for the pads to grab onto. I tried them along with some Hawk pads on my '99. Drove right through intersections even after breaking them in according to manufacturer's directions. I threw it all away and returned to Napa premium stock style rotors and Mopar pads. My '07's brakes are killer as they are. Mopar's going back on when these are toast.

 

[Morsed]

What diameter are the holes? How many holes are covered by the pads at any one time?



Dave

 

[JDerbedrossian]

Never ever cheap out on brake components. Just go to this link:Wholesale Mopar

85 bucks each. Always use factory rotors and pads.



Jake

 

[Regcabguy]

Wholesale parts.

Never ever cheap out on brake components. Just go to this link:Wholesale Mopar

85 bucks each. Always use factory rotors and pads.



Jake

Thanks Jake for the site.

 

[BHolm]

Certainly has a lot to do with driving style. Whats funny is that I drive these trucks pretty hard. I live in some seriously steep terrain, I used to pull some big loads through it as well. I guess I know to ease up a little if I smell burning pads, and I am super dilligent about trailer brake condition and controller adjustment.



Running fast in the mountains in a big truck like this has been done, it can be done. I think some more thought being put into how and when you do your braking might help. Of course driver training in this country is a joke so if all you ever did was pass the test, maybe having badly cracked rotors isn't such a surprise. I really intend no offense by this but it just seems funny that I have 400,000+ miles in third gens and have never had a problem with the stock brakes. I have overloaded them, and pushed them hard through the mountains daily.



My vote is for stock pads and rotors

 

[JKloppe]

Never ever cheap out on brake components. Just go to this link:Wholesale Mopar

85 bucks each. Always use factory rotors and pads.



Jake

You might change you mind about the pads if you ever get the chance to drive a truck with EBC Yellow Stuff pads in front and Green Stuff in the rear. It makes the truck feel like it weighs half as much, nice touchy brake pedal.

 

[JDerbedrossian]

You might change you mind about the pads if you ever get the chance to drive a truck with EBC Yellow Stuff pads in front and Green Stuff in the rear. It makes the truck feel like it weighs half as much, nice touchy brake pedal.

This may be apples to oranges but on my race car semi aggressive pads were killing my rotors, yes it stopped way better but not worth changing rotors quicker then pads. This may or may not be the case with the EBC stuff for our trucks, unfortunately I will not try to test my theory I stick to factory brake parts. . Again the factory engineers the brakes for a large spectrum of circumstances and I am not sure the aftermarket has the same resources as the big 3 do.



Jake

 

[JKloppe]

The factory engineered your suspension also, doesnt look like you left that alone. :-laf

On your race car you were using all the braking power you had or could use. I dont slam on the brakes but I am sure the are still wearing faster. The bottom line is for as cheap as rotors are and how big a difference better pads make, it makes sense for me.

I dont put as much faith in Dodge as you do. Seems like they make a good truck as cheap as possible.



Its just like power it is nice to have extra when you need it.

 

[JKloppe]

Good luck on the drilled and slotted rotors. You'll have 9% less surface for the pads to grab onto. I tried them along with some Hawk pads on my '99. Drove right through intersections even after breaking them in according to manufacturer's directions. I threw it all away and returned to Napa premium stock style rotors and Mopar pads. My '07's brakes are killer as they are. Mopar's going back on when these are toast.

I was thinking the same thing about wave rotors, not much surface area, but they stop 800 hp pro trucks and trophy trucks.



#ad




This is EBCs two styles of rotors for our trucks.

#ad


#ad

 

[JasonCzerak]

What about EGR?

 

[BHolm]

Pads are a compromise. As mentioned if they grab better they often wear rotors more quickly. There are also temp concerns for those of us with cold winter mornings. Often more agressive pads need a warm up to generate full braking power, that can be a safety issue. Like most things in life, you are giving something to gain elsewhere. I've tried a lot of brake pads and never found a perfect set. For street driven pick-up trucks, the factory pads work really well for me.



Comparing racing components to street components is apples and oranges. I have raced cars as well and expect to replace pads every track day and rotors every other if cryo treated. These set ups provide awesome stopping power but are very sacrificial in nature. Sure they stop an 800 hp trophy truck but for how long? One race? Is that what you want on a street truck?

 

[mikepvg]

Never ever cheap out on brake components. Just go to this link:Wholesale Mopar

85 bucks each. Always use factory rotors and pads.



Jake

Thanks 4 the link Jake! My local dealer wanted $180 plus tax 4 fr pads only. This link has them for $94. 44 & probably no tax due to internet sale. That is a great price savings!



After my fiasco w/ BrakePlanet.com I'm certainly inclined to go w/ OEM parts & just replace as needed. Especially as the busy summer season approaches & I run out of time to jack w/ this. Brake components, including rotors are definately a disposable consumable part for some.



As DPketchum, indicated, "slight cracking in 2500/3500 rotors is pretty common" . My local parts man, who turns all the rotors in our area, sees ALOT of these and also says that this is pretty common. I have no reason to ever doubt this individual since my entire community uses him & his expertise. He's like a parts encyclopedia/genius! If I would of went to him in the first place, I would not have even purchased a different rotor:{



EBC is an extremely large & respected company & produces both drilled/slotted & slotted rotors for our trucks for a reason. I still believe racing technology is applicable to street applications in a lot of circumstances & I believe drilled & slotted technology is 1 of them. It's just a matter of finding the right combination of quality components from a quality company. These trucks see so many different uses that one combination of brake parts might not be the best for everyone. Some poster said that these trucks are not race trucks. Then why do people RACE them! Why do people drive around w/ 700+ hp w/ 1000+ ft-lbs of torque? They even have a regular race series at the local track only for diesel trucks! Yes, some people need upgraded performance technology for the "not designed for racing" trucks.



I just obviously went w/ the wrong company. Fortunately, in today's world, metallurgy has come so far that even the cheapest crap out there can provided satisfactory properties (for awhile) & will not self destruct like in the old days. So the crap rotors from BrakePlanet.com stay on (unless I can contact them & get my money back!) so that I might get some insight as to what the drilled & slotted properties can & can not do.



Excellent responses from everyone!



This is 1 of my favorite tech forums!



Mike

 

[RVTRKN]

Dodge OEM brakes have come a long way since the first 2nd Gen series. My 94 2500 HD (yes there was a difference between the HD and reg 2500) wore its brakes out in 20K and I complained to the factory rep. , and he ordered new calipers because their repair manual showed different calipers. They could not tell me why the manual had a different pic for the 2500 calipers than what was on my truck, so he just ordered new calipers for free and when they came in they were the same. As a side note the calipers and pads were larger for the 1 tons. I originally wanted to buy my next 2500 prior to the 3rd Gen, until I saw a chassi with out the body at an awesome show Dodge had at the LA fair grounds just prior to the new release of the 3rd Gens. The brakes and every component was heavier duty.



Moral of this story is, thank Dodge for stepping up to the plate for the better brakes and slow down (even in city traffic) with the weight your running, and you will have many happy miles before you replace them again. I can't compare my 04. 5 to the 94 per my driving habits because my 94 was auto and my 04. 5 is the NV5600 manual, but I'm at 52K and tow heavier now and no recommendations for replacement yet, W/O exhaust brake. I would go back to OEM if I were you, when you have a good enough return on your money on the new rotors, before the ones you have fail. If you got 70K miles in the conditions you have posted, I would be thankful for the miles you actually got on the OEM brakes.



Steve...

 

[mikepvg]

Dodge OEM brakes have come a long way since the first 2nd Gen series. My 94 2500 HD (yes there was a difference between the HD and reg 2500) wore its brakes out in 20K and I complained to the factory rep. , and he ordered new calipers because their repair manual showed different calipers. They could not tell me why the manual had a different pic for the 2500 calipers than what was on my truck, so he just ordered new calipers for free and when they came in they were the same. As a side note the calipers and pads were larger for the 1 tons. I originally wanted to buy my next 2500 prior to the 3rd Gen, until I saw a chassi with out the body at an awesome show Dodge had at the LA fair grounds just prior to the new release of the 3rd Gens. The brakes and every component was heavier duty.



Moral of this story is, thank Dodge for stepping up to the plate for the better brakes and slow down (even in city traffic) with the weight your running, and you will have many happy miles before you replace them again. I can't compare my 04. 5 to the 94 per my driving habits because my 94 was auto and my 04. 5 is the NV5600 manual, but I'm at 52K and tow heavier now and no recommendations for replacement yet, W/O exhaust brake. I would go back to OEM if I were you, when you have a good enough return on your money on the new rotors, before the ones you have fail. If you got 70K miles in the conditions you have posted, I would be thankful for the miles you actually got on the OEM brakes.



Steve...

Agreed.



I too had a 94 & had many problems w/ my brakes on that M. Y. & got even less miles than what you did. I feel the new system on my 04. 5 is definately a much better design & in all reality have had little trouble. The load & driving habits are identical from my 94 to my 04. 5. Therefore, it provides a great comparison. I definately won't push these new rotors very far because of safety concerns and when the new fr pads wear out, in about 30K miles or less, I will be using these BrakePlanet.com rotors as beautiful PAPERWEIGHTsOo. I certainly don't expect a POS fly by internet night company like BrakePlanet.com to help out. As a matter of fact, based upon the garbage they are producing, I don't expect them to still be in business by then! I will have a very interesting report to deliver by the time the fr pads wear out (if not sooner) on warping and or cracking with these drilled & slotted rotors which should stir the drill/slotted debate just that much further.



Mike

 

[BBRam]

I don't know if they stepped up, 47k on my 03 and I lost the rear pads and rotors. The fronts are still 50%+, go figure.