I was told that it is not recommended to turn rotors on a '99 model ford f150. Is this true? And if so, what does 'recommended' mean? just a term so that they can sell you something you might not really need? I read in a thread posted 4 years ago that late model f150's can't be turned becuase of some "wieght" enhancement done at the factory to the rotors... i bet it is a better benifit to Ford's buisness than to the wieght of the rotors... any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian Gorman

 

I think that some counter-top-commando was feeding you a line of bs. I just turned the rear rotors on my 02 F-150 and they work just fine. (my rearend leaked oil on my rear pads, thus why I only messed with the rears)

BTW, welcome to FTE!

 

Hi and welcome to the forum

It depends on the wear on them. A lot of newer vehicles that use slip on rotors are almost disposable. They don't come new with a lot of extra thickness, so once they are worn, if you have them turned they will be too thin. Taurus', 89-up t-bird/Cougars and Windstars are big offenders. The slip on rotors also warp a lot easier because the don't have the center hub to help dissipate the heat.

 

Thanks for the prompt replies! I am glad to see that this forum is alive and well.

Well I'm afraid my rotors might be too bad off to attempt to turn anyway.. but i'm concerned that this "counter-top-commando" said they couldn't be turned before even looking at the truck. i just recently have $$ to fix this problem becuase i've been having the "shakes" for a couple of months but I've been slowing down with my gears as much as possible... I want to get everything checked out(since it is approaching the 100k mark) but I also don't want to get taken. (i've had a bad experience at a certain dealership) . Does anybody know of a good fair dollar figure for new '99 f150 rotors + labor ? (the reason why I am so leary about this is becuase the dealership talked me into replacing the rotors at 40k, DOH! and I figured they shouldn't be done in for now.. but the "shakes" are hard to ignore)

Thanks for the welcome!,
Brian Gorman

 

It's all about heat displacement. A reputable shop will measure the thickness left on your rotors for you and tell you if there is enough left to be turned. They won't turn them if it's not safe to do so. If your rotors are machined too thin, they won't displace heat properly, causing them to warp.

 

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know the measurement at which a '99 F150's rotors' thickness becomes "unturnable" ? In other words, examples of what is a safe thickness vs. an unsafe thickness?

I don't want to push it with you guys but this forum is a resource I cannot ignore. Especially becuase it might turn into real money savings... :-) Which means that this computer nerd is very greatful. I get paid to be a computer programmer/IT guy and if any of you guys need any help in that regard just shoot me a line.
email addy -- > emailme@bri-n.com

Thanks again, brian

 

Hi Brian,
The minimum rotor thickness allowed is 24.5 mm (0.965 inch).
That would be measured after resurfacing.

 

For what rotors cost, its not worth sending them out to a shop to get resurfaced anymore.

They are disposable in my opinion. If I am going to take the time to do the brakes on my truck, I sure don't want to do it again any time soon there afterward.

Just buy new ones. I have had good luck with ones from the dealer, they work the best. But you can get some other brands at places like rockauto.com, they are awesome to deal with, just don't get the made in china rotors

JH

 

some shops will allow you to bring your own parts them to install, if you don't want to deal with the dealer, go buy the OEM ford parts take them to a shop that some you know deals with. and getting new rotors is not a bad ideal, but since you don,t work on cars, then you need to find a mechanic that you feel you can trust. we here at FTE will be glad help you out with any ?"S

 

As JustinH said, rotors are inexpensive at this point in time. Cutting them down costs enough that buying new ones becomes a more economic prospect. There are three different price lines to rotors. There is the real cheap jobber, and the higher priced jobber, and then there is the Ford dealership which is higher again. If you go midline with the higher priced jobber, then you are probably still under fifty bucks each. In my opinion, the real cheap jobber ones are for doing up the brakes to sell the truck. They warp too easily to use for everyday, Ha!

Thom

 

Advance Auto wants 70 bucks per rotor. I think I'll pay $10 per rotor and get them turned.

 

I happen to aggree, all rotors have a minimum thickness and runout, which is stamped on each rotor, as long as it's with in spec, and the rotors were turned right......IMO, I see no reason to shell out $70 per rotor (which was also the absolute cheapest import rotors I could find for my F-150), when a $10 turn is more than suffcient.

When rotors are turned, they are not taking that much off.....to affect heat dissipation in engineering terms. And if they are taking a lot of metal off, they should be replaced any way.

My .02

 

I bought new rotors for my 2001, local parts place only wanted $25 per so turning wasn't worth the difference IMHO.

 

To summarize, turning the rotors used to be standard procedure. Now, if there is no runout (which would cause your shakes), or scoring (which would wear the new pads) it is not recommended because you want as much thickness as possible. Some places still do it simply because it adds to the job, out of habit, or to minimize return work.

If you want the best possible brakes, you would replace rotors at each brake job, but as cost is always a consideration, they are still considered satisfactory if not worn or machined below the minimum thickness, which I believe is always marked on them.

There does seem to be a wide price range on rotors. I have never been able to tell any difference in quality, but I'm unsure if that means we should just buy whatever's cheapest. Anybody else know about that?

 

alot of the rotors made in china are junk. Such brands are wearever and aimco. They are junk.

I buy rotors on rockauto.com and there are alot of good brands out there.

Wagner makes a great product, and they have another product line called Guardian, that seems to be of equal quality.

You can't go wrong with raybestos either.

The guardians are a great value guys. I put them on several cars and trucks and they work fine and are cheap.