In my opinion, drilled rotors loose there integrity and can crack easier with the kind of weight we are trying to stop. Slotted rotors in theory make sense, stay cooler and all that stuff.
I guess if Ford stopped making rotors for the EX, i would go to slotted.
But for now I have been Lucky/Happy with OEM

 

I really hope you don't go back to the same shop. If they don't know slotted rotors are directional then they shouldn't be touching them. Besides, rotors should always be marked to go back on the side they came off of.

 

No normally I'd do basic stuff myself. I can do a half azz job as well as anyone!

Went from SW Mich down to Birmingham AL today, pulling 30 Holiday Rambler. Was 82 when we arrived. Destin Fl tomorrow.

Have always thought my V-10 pulled good, been out west w/ travel trailer, and MO & KY w/ 35' go fast. But the definition of torque (or lack there of) I learned today in pretty steep grades in TN & AL. Still a great rig!

 

I am nearing 166k miles on my X and only on my second set of pads. I changed my original pads several years ago before a long family trip at 88k miles. Still had some life(very little) but just wanted to be safe. I have another set of Ford rotors to put on the X when I change the pads next time. I'm in EMS and have always used OEM pads and rotors after switching back from after market many years ago. The next county over uses Xs for rescue vehicles, they have 7 of them and only use OEM stuff. I know there is a difference in everyday driving and towing/hauling, but there is also a big difference in the vehicle being used as an emergency vehicle. These vehicles are tortured by many different drivers and they've held up very well, especially the brakes. All of the wheel lugs are put on by torque wrenches every time in my county(Ford F350/450 ambulances/rescues) and theirs(Xs for rescues and F350 ambulances). I'l stick to the OEM stuff, not saying it's better-just proven in my line of work.

 

Do the 550's or the like have a bigger diameter rotors? I would be interested in doing the research for bigger rotors, calipers, and mounting brackets for these tanks. If I can find a bigger rotor that fits I can make up the brackets to move the calipers.

Bigger is the answer to all the problems.

 

I know that the 450s are bigger then the 350s. The 450s stop much better than the 350 ever could dream of. I don't think that the rotors/brakes could be changed without changing out a lot of things. Could be wrong, but everything under the 450s are much bigger(bearings, calipers, mounts, etc.)

 

I don't know that torquing the lug nuts to 165 pounds is going to stop rotors from warping, I think it's the kind of driving your doing, and if I'm using the brakes a lot whether it's in nj or the hills of pennnsylvania or the mountains of costa rica, and no matter what I'm driving, at red lights or stopped in traffic I always shift into neutral and take my foot off the brake pedal so the heat can dissipate even a little, I've NEVER had warped rotors in my life.

 

Do rotors "go bad", other than warping? I'm trying to decide whether to replace mine, or not. I've got Raybestos ones on the front (40K) and OEM's on the rear (119K). Neither are smooth like the ones on my '10 Fusion (with 15K), but they aren't warped, as far as I can tell. I know the rears have gotten pretty hot in the past.

Worth replacing before I put my new Hawk pads on?

Mark

 

Well, I have always heard that if you shift into neutral, the tranny is not pushing the fluid around like it does when in drive, so it could cause tranny issues. Dunno, but have heard that.
But, I shouldn't have to switch to neutral to keep from warping rotors. Geez, this is a FORD! Superduty tough...right?
I am guilty of some level of hard braking as when you come off a ramp and it is going downhill and you have to stop from 60 to 0 in a short ramp, or when traffic is stop and go over hills, it seems always when going downhill, someone is going to do a panic stop causing a long line of panic braking.

None of my other vehicles have this warping issue. Including my 1/2 ton GMC p/u that used to do all the towing before the excursion, so if you check around, you will find many many posts on this rotor warping issue is an experience a lot of us have.

I think the experiences shared here are great to read and think about and then help us make decisions based upon others experiences.

At this point, I am gonna give the O'Reilly Wagner Lifetime rotors a go with either EBC or Hawk Pads and see where I end up in the next year or so. It makes sense to have more material to help with heat disappation. Also, I really did hate the pedal feel of slotted and/or drilled/slotted rotors. The smooth rotors feel natural with no vibration. I could actually feel the slots when I first tried them, and the drilled/slotted even more.

 

I went with rotors from Advanced and Wagner severe duty pads. I guess I will wait and see. I did find that the rotors I took off were way overheated they were a blue/black color. The pads were nearly gone about 1/3 the thickness of new. I have just had the truck for about 2 months and I am glad I pulled the front wheels off! There was no way they were torqued properly I broke them loose with a 1/2 drive ratchet. Im a good size guy but the torque was not there! I checked the rear and they were torqued up. If torque has anything to due with warping the rotors my rotors sure suffered from it.

 

I went with napa premium rotors for the fronts, i dont use it very often so it site more than I want it to, Last week I pulled the front rotor off and I found on the back side the rotors were flaking off the surface area, Big pits in the surface area and rusted bad. And it hasnt sat for that long, so I dont think I will be going napa premuims again, btw there two yrs old.

 

Here's an excerpt from an aftermarket auto parts house on lug nut torque -

Uneven and/or out of specification torque on the wheel lug nuts will cause the brake rotor to warp. Up to 0.005-inch rotor runout can occur due to improper lug nut tightening. The first thing to check for is the consistency of torque of the lug nuts on each wheel. Torque readings not within 20% of each other cause brake roughness. Improper lug nut tightening can have the
following effect:
1. Rotor runout
2. Rotor thickness variation
3. Brake torque variation
4. Brake roughness

http://www.carquest.com/common/downl...akeCQB9921.pdf

Also, it's a misnomer to say that brake rotors "warp". There is a transfer of pad material onto the rotor. If the runout of your rotors is off due to improper torque, you're accelerating adding material to certain spots of the uneven rotor surface and this is what ultimately causes the pulsation that is incorrectly labeled 'warped rotors".

A secondary cause of brake problems is rusted or frozen slide pins. Our calipers have to slide back and forth on these pins in order to operate correctly. If the caliper can't slide, you're going to experience uneven braking. Depending on how many miles you drive each year and if you're unfortunate to live in the salt/rust belt like me, your slide pins will need to be lubed every one to two years.

Here's Guzzle's writeup on lubing slide pins -

Welcome to guzzle's Front Caliper Slide Pin Upgrade Web

 

Rotors DO warp... In this video you can see the warp even though its minimal. Don't mind the guy trying to loose a finger. The dark spot going round and round is the low spot of the warped rotor...

YouTube - Resurfacing RX300 Rear Rotor