If anyone recalls the Centric 2wd 2 piece rotor conversion, it was a pretty popular conversation piece over the years. It really has been a game changer for these 2wd trucks with the annoying factory 1 piece brake rotors and hub assemblies.

Since I've had the kit since 2013, I figured I'd make a long term update as I recently had a hub fail. Hope this helps anyone looking.

 

That spindle nut requires what? 295 ft lbs of torque? Who has a torque wrench for that? And to get it off....how long does the breaker bar need to be?

It's a matter of what you think your life is worth. $18 spindle nut failure could result in a fatal collision.

Centric tech support told me that realistically, the bearing fail on just about every brand of 1 piece brake rotor. It doesn't matter who you buy the part from. Ford Motorcraft, an aftermarket, whatever. And to be realistic about expecting eventual failures with their 2 piece kit. The bearings fail. That's when you will need to replace them. The bearings will fail before your rotors need replacement. Don't expect the Centric hub bearings to not fail. You have a heavy truck, and sometimes it's lifted with bigger wheels and tires.

Value to this kit is perception. You perceive the value of only replacing the hub at a low cost. And realistically, even the higher price 1 piece rotor and hub combinations fail. The more expensive PowerStop brand failed on my truck.

As a side note, Centric tech support also mentioned that the drilled and slotted rotors do not stop better. In theory, drilled and slotted offer better braking with better heat dissipation. In real life, they really don't decrease stopping distance, and some are actually more prone to warping and cracking. Tech support guy was pretty frank about that. He also said that the pads actually do make a difference. Don't buy cheap brake pads. I like the way he said, "I'm suppose to endorse our products, and to get the customer to buy our more expensive products. But to be honest, save your money on the fancy rotors. You can buy a pricier brand, if you like name brand stuff, but buy the plain OE style rotors without the slots and holes."

Overall, good video. I appreciate your commentary. Thanks for sharing your experience with them.

I've got a PowerStop kit at the moment. My 2nd set. I honestly can't say if they stop any better compared to OE. I installed the 1st set with my lift kit. I think they lasted about 6 years, and about 60,000 miles, with the truck lifted 6" and rolling on 35" tires. So I figured that they weren't bad brakes, and bought them again.

I bought a set of Centric hubs, and haven't installed them yet. Those will be my next set of brakes. Even though I read online reviews where people complained about the failures. It occurred to me that I already had bearings fail on the PowerStop brand, and if they fail again, I want to try something else. So the Centric hubs with separate rotors seemed like a good idea. Cost wise.....it's not really cheaper. After you buy the hubs, you still have to buy rotors. And if you buy lesser priced, shop grade brakes, a 1 piece brake with hub & rotor could be cheaper.

I guy I know who has a shop told me that it sucks to have to replace something so expensive due to the bearing failure. The rotor was perfect. But, if the bearings didn't fail in say the first 6 months, it wasn't a manufacturing defect. The customer wants to be able to use those brakes until the rotors are warped. But with the F-150s that he has seen, the bearings always failed first. And there's no telling how long they will last. It could have to do with your driving style. Obviously, hard u-turns aren't good. Towing and hauling add more wear. But even a lightly driven truck could experience bearing failure. That's just a quirk of the 04 - 08 F-150.