I had constant problems with warped rotors when I lived in Western Washington. Stop and go traffic will heat your brakes up, combined with the near constant winter rains splashing your rotors, lead to a lot of warled rotors.

 

I have a 2004 F-250 4x4 SD with 66,000 miles on it and the rotors have been warped 4 times, the rotors were changed by Ford with new pads. Well guess what, they are warped again. 5 times now. I have to belive there is more wrong than a tourqing problem. This is really getting outa hand!! Anyone gettting any help from Ford??

 

I agree with you Redford, I worked as a mechanic for 15 years and still do my own work. I've had many many times where the rotors were so warped they actually made the petal pulsate. It does happen. The rotor can spin fast enough where the calipers and the pads can't keep up with the disc surface change and results in definite petal pulsation. I've had rotors that were .020" out and the pulsation is so bad that one can't apply enough petal pressure to stop the vehicle. ( My own F150 for example )
This was due to Napa Auto turning the rotors on a lathe with a bent shaft !
Ok enough of this, my question is ; Where does one buy a medium priced rotor that will last more than a few years without warping ?
I don't want to spend $450 on high end slotted rotors ...........

 

Get the ARTS, I took a pair thru a bad wreck at 60mph, foot to the floor braking situation, came thru unscathed even though front end was trashed. Leave the rears stock. Lube all your pins about every 6 months; use proper torque procedures during wheel mounting, avoid the ratchet.


Worth every penny.

.

 

I've seen a number of different brand of rotors mentioned. Any recommendations for the best rotors for a 1999 F-150 2WD?

Also, should I replace all 4 rotors. I'm considering replacing just the front as I've got some substantial vibrations when braking.

Thanks,
Jim

 

ARTS are Powerslot rotors that are cryo-treated. Can't remember the brand of pads they use.

Leave the rears stock but replace if needed.

 

Had the same problem on my '03 f-250. Had the rotors cut, but like redford said, they will warp that much quicker. As you continue to remove the metal by having them cut, there is less metal to absorb the heat. I up graded to slotted rotors and have not had problems. My wife's EX had the same problem but the front and rear rotors needed to be replace because they were warped. When you would try a quick slow down when doing 50, the entire rig would shake.

 

After my 2006 Ford F150 Lariet started shaking and pulsating when braking (38,000 miles) I took the truck to the Ford dealer and asked to have my brake pads checked. They came back and siad they looked fine and I had alot of wear left. Then I mentioned that is was shaking and asked them to check it again, they drove it and then said my rotors are warped and I need to replace the rotors and pads. I don't haul, tow or do anything crazy with it.

Now, here's my questions:
1. Can the rotors go bad and the brake pads be fine?
2. Should I go with a ceramic pad or stick with the OEM?

I'm just a female and don't want to be taken advantage of at the dealers. Cost is not an issue when purchasing a good product.

What suggestions do any of you have?

 

im surprised this was never mentioned. when my 01 250 rotors warped twice in 6000 miles it turned out to be the caliper slide pins weren't moving freely. I do my own work and torque the wheels down using the every 3 lug method so I was pretty confident it wasn't a even torque issue. the pins were still moving but they weren't moving like they should noticed that in the morning I had alot of drag at first until everything heated up. still had a little drag but not as bad. so my suggestion would be this.

1- check for even torque like has been mentioned
2- never turn a rotor ( they are all throw aways in my opinion any way)
3- check the calipers for free movement.
4-if this happens in the back just for future reference ( check the ebrake adjuster first.)

 

I would also suspect that many of the people with warped rotors have a driving style that exacerbates the problem. Late breaking, aggressive driving, running hard in big city traffic... anything that causes you to dynamite the brakes.

I've had many warped front rotors and I can pinpoint every instance to a panic stop. Let's just say that I had more warped rotors as a young hot rod driver then as a more mature driver. But the fact is that you cannot avoid panic stops forever. I finally resolved the issue on an Olds Aurora by using high performance aftermarket slotted rotors and compatible brake pads. The cost of parts evened out by doing the work myself. I'm pretty sure I had the only Oldsmobile luxury car in town with road racing brakes. Incidentally, every warped rotor I've had was on a GM vehicle and every GM vehicle I've owned (there were many), except the Corvettes, developed warped rotors. I've never had a warped rotor on my Jeep, Ford, or Subaru.

The brakes are fantastic on my 2000 7.3L Superduty! The braking power and pedal response just blows away the 2002 Duramax I used to have. The only complaint I have is that when I push in the brake pedal very quickly the Ford gets a little upset initially and nearly locks the brakes. After less then a second of transition it settles and brakes smoothly regardless of how hard I brake. I have to be careful to transition smoothly into the brakes on the Ford to avoid that situation. No pedal stomping, just a smooth mash to the floor when necessary.

 

OEM Ford brake components are good quality and can last a long time. You can get more braking power out of some aftermarket brake pads and rotors but there is often a tradeoff.

Get the rotors replaced, pads replaced, have them lube all the slide pins and make shure they flush the brake system. Doing a complete brake job without a system flush is a no no IMO but is often not done by most shops.