I have a lot of stop and go driving from being in the city with stop lights and freeway traffic bottlenecks. A lot of quick stops and then stay stopped with no chance to slowly roll to dissipate the brake heat.

My rotors only last about 6 weeks or 300 miles before the vibrations return after resurfacing. The last time I had the rotors resurfaced, the guy who did it said they were really good and he only needed to take off .005" from the rotor and runout was under .001"

I put them back on and lightly block sanded the pads and reinstalled. No more vibrations. It went from shaking the truck apart to smooth as silk... for about another 6 weeks. Then the shaking was back.

I'm on board with the brake material buildup as a major factor in the vibrations. My rotors don't seem to warp much at all but they still get nasty vibrations.

I'm tempted to check runout of the rotor when it is installed. even a small amount of runout will scrape off brake material each revolution and it will build up just before the high spot on the rotor. If you put a flat rotor on a unflat hub, you certainly can have a bad runout problem.

Maybe those of us that have constantly returning vibrations simply have too much runout when the disc is mounted to the truck. Rust buildup on the hub face? poor factory tolerances? Bearing wear? These could all contribute to the phenomenon and explain why some always get pulsating brakes and some don't.

Doug

 

I suffered with the returning vibration for a year and a half. Almost three years ago (12/'06), I finally got tired of having the rotors resurfaced and bought the cryo treated Powerslots and Hawk pads. Once installed, I had no more problems.

I know most of the guys posting in this thread already know that, and in fact, is part of the reason Joe created this thread, that being, to see if the problem can be solved without going the cryo route.

I just thought it was important to bring that point back up because I don't think it's bearing wear or rust playing a part. Just my humble opinion.

I truly think it's a combination of which pad is being used and the rotor material.

Stewart

 

Right on the money...

Again...I agree with you Stewart...much of my research on here (mostly Monsta's posts) had me believing this route was more than plausible...so this is why I started this particular experiment after I returned last summer from the Grand Canyon trip with a pretty bad pulsation and needed to change my brakes and was short on cash to boot...$4 per gallon for 4444 miles at 8mpg last summer put a dent in my available funds!

I'm hopeful the good news on my truck will continue...I'll watch with guarded optimism I guess.

Joe.

 

Maybe bad hoses acting like a checkvalve? They are holding pressure?

 

I didn't even know that was an issue with ceramics. I went with some cheaper drilled/slotted rotors with good NAPA cermaic pads. most of my miles are not towing, but I haven't really noticed any problems while towing. I have been pretty happy with the setup, although I do get some mild pulsing that seems to come and go for some reason. the pad buildup scenario seems reasonable to me.

 

just another thought for those of us with the drilled or slotted rotors. what would keep the pad material from gunking up in the holes and slots?

 

Dunno, but it doesn't.

Stewart

 

Check your wheel bearings. I've noticed that when mine loosen up a bit I'll get some pulsing during high speed, high effort braking.

 

Most of the time you won't notice any issues at all...

The trailer has brakes that are supposed to stop it and the Ex's brakes does its part...however this past trip when I was towing I had to make a very tight turn to get out of the Ben and Jerry's factory parking area...doing so I somehow loosened the 7 wire connector from the socket...About a mile from the parking area I noticed my Prodigy flash .NC. and then . . (which told me I was no longer plugged in)...I was going somewhat downhill but thankfully only about 30mph...this is the situation where the Ex brakes must stop ALL 17,000#'s...I tested the waters and it seemed to be reacting predictably...so I drove a little bit longer to a gas station I had seen on the way in and pulled over...

My only point is that there are situations we cannot 'predict' all the time...thankfully my mis-hap with the 7 wire plug happened where I could immediately pull over...had I not noticed my Prodigy telling me the plug fell out and I had made it to the interstate and was traveling 65mph when I needed to slam on the brakes...who knows what could have happened...plus if I didn't have 100% efficient brakes NOW it may have compounded an already bad situation...that's all...

Ceramics are a fine product...but they too have some weakness...at least for towing (in my mind at least)...

I didn't mean to make it sound like they were a bad product...

Joe.

 

I have problem with X not stopping itself. Brake is hard and even @ low speeds, i never had car or truck with this bad braking power(4 drum set-up will give same braking). Relaced OEM brakes with Cryo/ Hawk LTS pads front and turned rear/ hawk. Bled system 5+ times, no air good flow. Check booster, seems OK, pedal go down when motor start. All calipers taken appart, cleaned ect. Only way to get good stopping power is with my 33' Toy Hauler hooked up(with 6 drum brakes). ANY SUGESSTIONS???

 

I'm considering dropping some cash on a SSBC 8 piston caliper set. Only problem is they are hella expensive, around $1,300 or so.

Any hook up the fronts with SSBCs yet?

 

What is the issue exactly? The pedal is hard or the pedal goes down too far?

 

I didn't get the SSBC calipers, they told me they were not available for the 2002 Ex, but I did get the Big Bite rotors and pads. My thinking was that stainless is harder and being drilled and slotted they would stay cooler and resist warping. Before I changed the rotors over to the SSBC's, I had the pulsating, so I had them turned, and it came back within weeks. So when I put the SSBC's on, I left the old pads on (that were pretty much brand new) and Ta-Da! no pulsating since May, and the rotors still look brand new. Pricey, but really a great product

 

Monsta, It feels like NO brake booster action. Checked vacuum+valve...OK. When pushing brake then crank motor, pedal goes down. I want to relaced booster, but spending $110 and some hours ....for nothing? I don't know if computer/ABS systems might have any problems. After reading some post ,I want to build gauge to test presure at all calipers @ bleeder, But what should readings be??? With or without booster.

 

I did the AP Racing 14" up front and they are better, but still not where I want them to be. The pedal is MUCH stiffer but still playing with the way they grab, hoping to get them a little more "sticky".