Would anyone have any suggestions on the best way to go? I want to do the work myself. I don't want to cut the rotors since they were already cut one time before. I want to get some good quality aftermarket rotors so they won't warp again. I never tow with the vehicle and baby the brakes and they still warped.

Any suggestions?

 

Have you measured the runout on the rotor to see if they are truly warped or are you experiencing material transfer? What type of pads and rotors are on there now? Were the pads replaced without doing any work to the rotors (turning or replacing)? I agree on not turning the rotors again - too thin and you just do not have the necessary mass to handle the heat generated.

I just put Napa Ultra Premium rotors on the front and Premiums on the rear with Hawk LTS pads all of the way around. After bedding them in and letting it sit overnight - the first drive was a significant difference. No noise and less dust than I expected. I've towed a short distance so far but the initial 'bite' is definitely improved.

 

DITTOs. Except I have Powerslot CRYO front rotors and drilled and slotted rotors on the rear with Hawk LTS pads all around.

I can't say enough about Hawk pad performance and dust accumulation. If you have never experienced their stopping power, you are in for a treat. The dust is minimal. I have Hawk pads on my ZO6 with Brembo rotors and Jetta TDI with OEM rotors. In fact with less then 1,000 miles on the Jetta, I changed to Hawk pads.


DSMMH

 

Any recommendations on where to get the power slot rotors and hawk pads?

 

This time I got my Hawks from a vendor on eBay - free shipping and their prices were cheaper than Tire Rack. Not sure on where to get the Powerslots - I've never used them.

Hawk LTS Front & Rear Brake Pads Ford Excursion:eBay Motors (item 180416649116 end time Oct-13-09 14:08:58 PDT)

 

Thanks, I ordered the pads now I'm looking for rotors.

 

I ordered my Powerslots from a guy that was on this board somewhere...It was over a year ago, and I don't remember his name, but he had a business that had something to do with diesels...

Maybe one of the regulars can help out?

He cut me a pretty good deal on the shipping to Alaska, and I've been VERY happy with them (and the Hawk pads). I do tow a lot, and don't baby my brakes, and they're not showing any signs of the previous thermal transfer issues. And this is on a truck that went through 3 previous sets of pads and 2 sets of rotors in the first 70k miles.

Make sure you do a good job bedding the pads/rotors though. I think that has a significant impact as well.

 

Summit Racing has powerslot rotors and Hawk pads. I have some coming for my X tomorrow. The whole fromt end is in disassembly right now, got the unit bearings out to service them and the auto hubs also. Had some intermittent 4x engagement problems last winter that hopefully will be solved.

 

You will like the power slot rotors! I bought the cryo treated power slot rotors and the Hawk pads and they work awesome! I tow 11k with my Ex and stand on them at times pretty good and never had a problem at all! I have 25K miles on them at this time. About 10K of those miles is while towing my 11K hauler.

 

Sorry to be naive, but what does this mean? I too am gearing up for rear breaks on my '02.

 

Guess your rear brakes and about to break?

 

It's a process of progressively heating the pads and rotors after install, to break them in properly. Not real smart on the physics of it, but basically what you do is a series of slow downs and near-stops, letting the brakes cool between each series.

It helps protect against the thermal transfer that causes most of the problems that people incorrectly call (warping). It's not actually warping, but uneven transfer of pad material to your discs caused by stopping and keeping your foot on the brake pedal while the rotors are really hot. Some of the pad material transfers to the rotor in that spot, making high spots, that eventually give you the surging (warped) feeling that most people attribute to "warped" rotors.

If I remember correctly, either Hawk or Powerslot include an instruction sheet on how to bed your brakes after install. Or, do a Google search (probably even other threads on this forum). Not rocket science, just a good practice.

 

'Doh! The grammar police got me....and on a one that bugs me, too. Can't believe I did that. Not know what bedding is hopefully is forgivable. This is NOT!

Thank you for the info. Will definitely look into it further.

 

Husky44 has it correct. Here is the procedure I use from the Hawk site:

Q: What is the proper procedure for braking in new brake pads?
A: Brake pad break-in procedure.

1. After reaching medium speed engage brake pedal to slow car without coming to a complete stop. Release pedal quickly and do not drag brakes. Repeat four or five times.
2. At higher speeds engage brake pedal to slow car without coming to a complete stop. Release pedal quickly and do not drag brakes. Repeat five times.
3. At or near race speed engage brake pedal to slow car without coming to a complete stop. Release pedal quickly and do not drag brakes. Repeat three times. Allow a few seconds between brake engagements while car is in motion.
4. Do not hold brake pedal. Park car for approximately 20 minutes or until brake rotors are completely cool to the touch.
5. If during the above steps the brake pedal becomes soft or brake fade is noticed, park the car immediately for approximately 20 minutes. Do not hold brake pedal.

Important reminders:

* Do not attempt to use badly worn or damaged rotors with new brake pads.
* Do not drag brakes while car is moving during break-in procedure.
* Do not engage pedal while car is stopped at any time following the break-in procedure.
* Upon completing the procedure, allow the brake system to completely cool before racing.
* Applying the pedal a few times before the start of the race will allow the brake pads to heat up before attempting to reach race speeds.
* Clean a used rotor surface with fine sand paper or steel wool, rinse with water, dry and install before bedding new pads.
* Some forms of racing don't allow time for the proper break-in procedure to be performed. However, it is still very important to attempt to perform at least the core of the procedure: slow heat build up and complete cool down.

 

The one I use is a little different than tdappleman's.

Seems like it was 10 iterations of a medium slow down (not hard braking) from 45 mph to 5 mph, with 2 minutes between each iteration (moving at normal speed). Then 5-7 iterations of hard braking from 45 mph to 5 mph (not enough for locking or ABS to kick in, but standing on them pretty firmly), with 3-4 minutes between each. If possible, you don't want to stop at any time during this process.

Lucky for me I always finish brake jobs at 1 am, and have a long road just down the street that goes to the end of a valley (12 miles) with no traffic.