Hey everybody,

I will be replacing my brake rotors for the first time on my 93 ford bronco. now as for what i have to purchase I will be buying new rotors, seals and bearings. My question is regarding the bearings. I see on Autozone's website there are inner and outer bearings. how often and due these both have to be replaced? I'm also looking at their Amico brake rotor line and I see they have the higher end rotors (drilled and slotted) for 80 bucks a piece and the normal for about 40 bucks a piece. This truck is my daily driver but I do get offroading in. I'm running 32's so I wonder if the higher end can stand up to more abuse. I will be also getting the semi-metallic brake pads. Anything else i'm missing. Thanks.

Gabe

 

I make it a point to change my inner bearing/outer bearing/seal with every brake job. hope this helps

 

I change my bearings and seals every time i need to take a rotor off and it's a good idea to do it every brake change. As far as slotted rotors go, I might rethink it if you're going off road. The holes and slots might pick up more slop than normal rotors and deliver it straight to your caliper piston seal and evebtuall beside your piston. If you were driving it at high speed or towed with it a lot, you might consider them though.

 

I wouldn't go slotted or holed rotors on a mud truck for several reasons.

Aside from the seals, the holes will pick up mud and grit and deliver them to the pads - this will eat them up faster. The purpose for holes in brake rotors is to lighten them, and to cause better cooling at high speeds. Both of those are useless off road, since mud will pack and block the holes, you won't be going over a hundred MPH, and the holes weaken the rotors themselves. You also have larger than stock tires - so there will be greater braking force applied to the rotors.

Second level of thought here - you might want to spend some of the cash you save on anti-sieze compound and anti-chatter goop...

Use the first on the nuts and hardware, the caliper slides, and on the lug nuts. many people skip the caliper slides - I usually will use white lithium on them. If they sieze, it normally causes uneven braking and prematurely worn out pads.

Use some of the anti-chatter goop on the back of the brake pads. The pads should come with a replacement set of anti-chatter strips that belong behind them, add the goop to both sides of the strips and let it dry before putting them on.

Avoid touching the braking surface of the pads or the rotors. Any grease will sorb into the brake pads. You can get brake cleaner spray to undo accidental smears - it's essentially pure ether in a can.

And of course - double check all fasteners. I recommend a torque spec on the lugs, even though it seems like overkill.

For bearing grease I prefer white lithium.

 

is engine degreaser similiar in properties to brake cleaner? I figure a degreaser is a degreaser. I only have engine degreaser right now.

Gabe

 

Brake cleaner is all solvent. Engine degreaser is solvent and detergents. Get the correct product then you won't have any unexpected results.