Installed drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads
 

On the wife's 08 Expedition. I have complained about the poor brakes since we bought it a year ago. The rear rotors were visibly gouged and all 4 wheels made massive brake dust. Lately, they started squealing. Worst part was the 2 pumps required to get a solid pedal. So, I embarked on a mission. I price checked the local Advance Auto for replacements and their stuff was over $300. I then decided to order from BrakeMotive on Ebay. Total price was $409 shipped. On our last Expy (03), I installed the same setup but traded it soon after replacement. So, anyway, I don't necessarily endorse the drilled and slotted rotors but for the price, I thought I would try them on the 08. Install was as expected. I borrowed the 7mm and 9mm hex wrenches from work and changed everything Friday night. Front rotors required the bolts through the rotors removal. A couple "pops" and they were off. The rears took a few whacks from a stout hammer. The left rear had double the wear on the outside pad versus inside. One of the clips on the right front pad had broken free from the backing plate on the shoe. Also, all slider pins were dry and had some rust. I cleaned and sanded them all and reinstalled with NeverSeez. Put it all back together and bedded the pads. The thing stops on a dime now with little effort on the pedal. The curious thing is the pedal does not require 2 pumps. Not sure about the brake dust yet. The ad on the site indicated they used Kinetic pads but everything that arrived was PowerStop. Rotors and the Evolution pads. We'll see how they do long term. Right now, I am thrilled. I would almost go through the windshield on my 12 F150 after driving the Expy. The F150 has the best brakes I have ever felt. Now, the Expy is just about perfect for me. Plus, the wife is now happy.:-X06

Got some pics? I've been thinking about these for my 04 :).

"I borrowed the 7mm and 9mm hex wrenches from work"... that might be my favorite part! Thanks for the write-up... sounds like a great improvement at an incredibly good price.

Just a word of advice on off name brand drilled rotors be very careful with those drilled rotors. You traded your last one out quickly I see so you will want to watch these. I can't tell you how many I've seen crack, deform and fail from regular daily use. Two failures were on friend's tow rigs I saw fail first hand, one from the same company.

Some work well and others not so well. I'd be interested in seeing if they have the same number of vents and what specific metal they are using to be so much cheaper than even autozone.

I have drilled rotors on my little Benz and they seem to warp way faster than ones I've had on other cars that weren't drilled.

OE or aftermarket?

Drilled rotors are more prone to issues related to rapid heat loss. Seems the regular towing SUV recommendation is slotted rotors (possibly dimpled, but never drilled). I think I'll be getting Stoptech's Cryo slotted rotors with hawk pads, but the package is also about 650$ :).

I've tried both.

Might want to get the car checked out. My mom drives a G55 which is equipped with slotted OE rotors and has never had a warping issue with and she is far from nice or gentle with it. From the time it turns over it's run hard and there is no cool down period either. Did MB ever warranty them? If I recall they usually only last about 12 to 15K miles, I think on the AMG tuned cars you replace rotors when pads are changed for max performance.

That is probably right, about 15-20k and just about whenever I change pads.

Kinda sucks, but what can you do?

You are not warping them. You are getting uneven pad material transfer. More often due to braking habits.

Just a follow up- these brakes rock. Excellent stopping and nearly nonexistent brake dust. I know. I just wiped all 4 rims with my finger and barely anything came off of them. That's just an added bonus. I cannot ever recall a brake job making such a big difference before and after on anything I have owned.

berry1234, that is very interesting as I have always thought the rotor got warped from heat/usage, but I researched your thought about pad material buildup and it appears you are correct. Appreciate the good information.

The reason you have little brake pad material on your wheels is because the pad is harder thus wearing the rotor quicker than the previous pads were wearing them.