I tow a good bit (2000lb) so I replaced the front brakes and rotors as the rotors looked like delaminating chrome. This was at 60000 miles, I noticed I had to push harder than normal coming off the interstate at higher rate of speed and I could smell my brakes, so I didn't think much about it then I came off a ramp with my load in tow and it didn't want to stop as easy as it should. I always noticed (from when the truck was new)heavier than I think it should brake dust so time to do the front brakes at 100000 miles. The brake pads were a bear to get off, the outside 3/4 thick had to be pried and the inside 1/4 thick I bent a screwdriver and needed a hammer to get it off. Outside rotor smooth inside grooved slightly and a little rusty. I noticed after replacing the anti rattle clips the pads were extremely hard to insert into the clips soI think this may have been a problem all along. I installed my new pads without the anti rattle clips. Has anyone encountered this? Opinions?

 

if the pads were more on one side than the other, then the CALIPER is not sliding freely back and forth. You need to clean and lube the slides and pins so the caliper floats back and forth as the brake is applied. You are applying to ONE SIDE of the disc, that's why the performance is down, and the outer pad is not wearing.

 

The inside and outside pads are not identical and the anti rattle clip shouldn't have posed a problem. I did mine last summer and one pad has an ear on it whereas the other does not. A YOUTUBE video will verify the proper location of each pad.

 

Both pads were in their correct location and the sliders were lubed and moving correctly.

 

If the slides were working correctly you would have equal pressure on both sides , pads to disc, and both would have same wear. When one side is 3 times as much wear as the other, you have dragging.

 

 

the discs on my 2001 started to DELAMINATE and look like yours, but that was about 180,000 miles.. I ended up throwing them away, buying new ( chineese) , new pads, cleaning and lube, and never had a problem again.. Don't know why they did it, but they just fell apart, chunks falling out.

 

Front had 40000, rear factory had 100000 pads and rotors

 

Yea, maybe poor quality control (steel) on their part... maybe something stuck and things got real hot ... like I said, mine that after about 10 years and 180K miles...... how are the new discs and pads performing ?

 

Perfect, I wonder if its all because of ceramic pads. Years ago I used to use semi metallic and they would seat onto slightly grooved rotors and good for one more set of pads before resurfacing.