Front Brakes

demech23 · July 11, 2013

During the last month I have put, roughly, a thousand miles on my 2010 Silverado 1500 while towing a trailer (without trailer brakes) and carrying load. After a some hard emergency stops from slightly above highway speeds, I now have a slight vibration in the brake pedal only when stopping from speeds around 50mph and above. I have a feeling that I didn't warp the rear drum set up. So since I usually replace things before they really need to be (I hate slight vibrations) I was looking at replacing the front pads and rotors. I know the vibration is not wheel weight related because during my last oil change before the trips I rotated and rebalanced all the wheels. I have not thown any weights and I mark the tire near the rim with a paint pen because the new weights are a pain to hammer on so I know they haven't moved. My cost for dealer OEM pads and rotors (non-economy AC Delco's) is $248.60, or should I go with a brand like EBC and get yellow pads and sport rotors for $294.25. I have 42k on the truck, what do you guys think I would have better luck with?

Gurrzt · July 11, 2013

I personally like the "Baer Eradaspeed" rotors coupled to "Hawk HPS" pads.

Also consider replacing the rubber brake hoses with "Russell" stainless steel wrapped hoses.

BruceDeuce · July 11, 2013

I have the EBC green stuff and it stops on a dime.

dkjbama · July 11, 2013

Your rotors are warped. Nothing at all wrong with the pads unless their worn out (doubtful). If you don't tow an unbraked trailer like this all the time and this is the first time this has happened, I'd just have the rotors turned and move on with life.

rudyb · July 11, 2013

I'm having the same issue, except this will be the second time I've replaced the front brakes. I'm tired of wasting money on crap brakes from oriellys. Is there a heavy duty option for a 16" wheel and 6lug bolt pattern? I was considering going with something like wilwood or brembo, but I haven't seen anything made for a wheel smaller than an 18". Gurrzt and Bruce, have you pulled a trailer and put some abuse to those brakes? I'd like to know if they can handle more than the vehicle alone. Thanks, Rudy.

BruceDeuce · July 11, 2013

I pull from 1000lbs to 2500lbs all the time and the Green stuff pads are night n day from stock. I also add the Platinum Pro Stop rotors from Pep Boys. Im doing the rear brakes this weekend.

KMGZ400 · July 11, 2013

rotors definatley warped.. replace before the pads get messed up

Gurrzt · July 12, 2013

rotors definatley warped.. replace before the pads get messed up

If his rotors are that warped that he can feel the shimmy, he should (in my opinion) replace the pads at the time of the rotor installation. The rotor warpage probably wore down the pads unevenly.

By replacing the brake pads with the rotors, he can "mate" them together properly per the manufacturers instructions.

JMHO

demech23 · July 12, 2013

If his rotors are that warped that he can feel the shimmy, he should (in my opinion) replace the pads at the time of the rotor installation. The rotor warpage probably wore down the pads unevenly.

By replacing the brake pads with the rotors, he can "mate" them together properly per the manufacturers instructions.

JMHO

Agreed, I could turn the rotors at work, but why make warped rotors even thinner? I see it quite often where the tech's turn rotors that they usually comes back with a pulsation not too long after ( probably already under min. spec). I know that the pad's still have plenty of life on them, but they will still get replaced with the new rotors. I have been looking into the Baer Eradaspeed rotors with Hawk pads. I like the improved stopping power but it is costly. However, that's nothing compared to a collision repair from hitting a deer or what not that could of prossibly been avoided. The only problem is that there are few reviews on the rotor kit and I don't want to run into any issues.

Gurrzt · July 12, 2013

Agreed, I could turn the rotors at work, but why make warped rotors even thinner? I see it quite often where the tech's turn rotors that they usually comes back with a pulsation not too long after ( probably already under min. spec). I know that the pad's still have plenty of life on them, but they will still get replaced with the new rotors. I have been looking into the Baer Eradaspeed rotors with Hawk pads. I like the improved stopping power but it is costly. However, that's nothing compared to a collision repair from hitting a deer or what not that could of prossibly been avoided. The only problem is that there are few reviews on the rotor kit and I don't want to run into any issues.

Your life is worth more than the price of the rotors and brake pads, when it comes to these components "you get what you pay for".

I have had this setup on Sara (2001 Z28) for over 10 years, and have not experienced any problems with warpage or excessive brake pad wear.

Mossyoakglock · July 12, 2013

I have Powerslot slotted rotors and Hawk LTS pads. I've had them on the truck for about 1,000 miles and I'm about to take them off. They squeal something awful in the mornings, they squeal at low speed stops and they occasionally squeal while driving. I won't buy Hawk pads again. I've had them checked by two different shops and they said everything looks great and the pads are wearing evenly. I've also bed them in twice. They also dust like crazy.

I'm keeping the rotors but will be replacing the pads with Akebono's soon.

I did some research recently on some of the most popular pads for our trucks and found out that the friction rating for all of them are the same. The Hawk LTS pads have a rating of FF. The Akebonos, Wagners and all AC Delco pads are FF as well (called each company directly to confirm). Not sure on EBC but I would assume the same. Even though they are considered "performance pads", they have the same rating as all the other pads for our trucks. Not much difference in performance for double the price vs a good ceramic. Go with a quality ceramic pad and good rotors. They will have much less noise and much less dust and still stop just the same.

Once I get the Akebonos swapped in I might get some stainless steel lines but we'll see.

demech23 · July 12, 2013

Baer just responded to an email I sent them. They say that their Eradaspeed rotor upgrade kit fit OEM rims that are 20" plus and that my 18" won't work with their set up.

kstruckcountry · July 12, 2013

I have the EBC green stuff and it stops on a dime.

I'm very happy with my EBC Greenstuff pads. I've had them on for around 1000 miles now. I haven't tried slotted rotors, I don't like anything that traps dust. I do think it would be a good idea to just go ahead and replace yours, even if you turn them I bet the vibration will be back.

TheTrueMoron · July 14, 2013

What about PowerStop? I put them on my last truck and they were great while it lasted. I didn't do anything more than daily driving with them though and the truck was totaled about a week after I got them on.

c4cruiser · July 15, 2013

What's the gross trailer weight you are towing? Single axle trailer? The gross towing weight along with any cargo (your buddies, the kids, dog, wife and/or girlfriend, etc.) you have inside the truck will impact braking performance. So will braking going down hills over longer distances. Excessive heat buildup can easily lower braking performance. A few panic stops should not be a big issue with regards to disc pad and/or brake shoe life assuming your trailer weight is fairly small (like a thousand pounds or less).

When I had my '99 Silverado with 4 wheel discs, I towed an open car trailer with a gross weight of 5600 lbs. The trailer had brakes on both axles. When I traded that truck in on my current '08 Silverado, the '99 had 77K on it and still had a good 40% left on the original pads. Never had any issues at all with the factory brakes.

My '08 (also with 4 wheel discs) has 41K and I now have an enclosed trailer with a loaded weight of about 6800 lbs. The OEM brakes look like brand new. The rotors are smooth, no ridge at the outside edge and no signs of any cracks.

If the rotors are warped, there is no way to machine them. You can go with AC Delco rotors as a replacement or look at Raybestos "Professional Grade" rotors available from Rockauto. There is nothing really wrong with the current line of GM brake pads for their pickups. Of course, the dealer wants a ton for them, but they are available from other sources like Amazon or Rockauto.