I am going to be replacing my front rotors and pads myself. The dealership wanted $700 for the job. Any tips or tricks that anyone wants to share? Thanks in advance.

 

You would be better off going to a reputable shop that specializes in brakes and getting a quote. It's a relatively simple job, and many tire stores specialize in brakes. Ask around from your friends and see if they have any recommendations in your area. Here is a link that you can read for the do it yourselfer

http://www.fordf150.net/howto/brakerepair.php

 

schucks charges 30$ a rotor to turn them.

do them yourself its super easy

 

you'll need torq's bits and sockets, size, i don't remember,
super big channel lock pliers, to compress the pistons

grease, new seals, and pads.

if you want you don't have to turn the rotor, just sand them down a bit, but i'd suggest turning them.

 

Channel lock pliers to compress the caliper?? LOL. Ever hear of a C-Clamp?? A local auto parts store near me gets $10 per rotor to cut them. $30 per rotor seems very high, but maybe thats the going rate where you are located? Sanding the rotor a little with a piece of sandpaper is maybe good for roughing them up a little to take away the glaziness that can cause squeaks, but if they arent squeaking, Id leave them alone. If you are getting any pulsation from the rotors, just replace them, dont even bother getting them cut. Cutting them thins them and then they tend to run a little hotter, when they run hotter they warp easier, then when they are warped, they pulsate again. Mike

 

well i work in a ford shop, nobody uses c-clamps, takes to long

leave the pistons side old pad on and compress it.

also and as far as them being warped, if the run out is still in spec, they can be cut. you can't say all warped rotors need to be replaced. thats why people use measuring tools

 

The best way, I think, is to put on 2 new rotors and new pads and dont even bother messin with cutting them. Ive had times where you get them cut and put everything back together to find out they thump now cause the part stores machine didnt cut them true. Now everything has to come apart again, not that its a big deal to get apart, but who feels like doing it twice? Of course, this is just my experiences. I reccomend only using OEM parts too, right from the dealer. Mike

 

to swap rotors/pads is easy if you have some experience working with cars/trucks. also i agree with SLP with using OEM parts. aftermarket pads sometimes dont fit right and can develop noises while braking

 

http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm

 

take the opportunity to upgrade your brakes.. your brakes can NEVER be too good.. if you know what I mean..
I just upgraded to EBC rotors and kevlar pads.. they are great!! but do what you need to do... If you arent comfortable doing it yourself then have a good shop do it...

 

Hey y'all... couple of weeks ago I replaced my rotors with Brembo OEM rotors... so far so good... I run the NAPA pads and really just got everything broken in this past week....

No more shudder from the original rotors.

Oddly enough... this is the second time for pads and this time I had trouble getting them off... I finally just took the braket off and saved a lot of time...

One other stange thing... I've done tons of brake jobs... replacing or turning rotors... either way... but the spindle nut was only hand tight... maybe tight is not even the word for it... pulled the pin off and it wasn't even tight... I thought that was a little odd...

Oh well... the Brembo rotors were 180 bucks to the door... not bad if they are good...

 

rotors yet? Stopping better/ shorter than stock? NAPA ceramic pads? Less brake dust? Any squealing? Use shims? Thanks in advance for a response.

 

You can find the rotors at the tirerack website.

The pads I use are (front) CMX 7576 and are the Ceramix pad from NAPA with a lifetime warranty... This is my second set (read free)... plenty of dust right now but I haven't washed it since I installed them...

As for performance... I think they are better but that is subjective and not supported by any numbers. The shudder I had before was so anoying that they have to work better than they did before!!!

It does stop prety quick... just remember... if you do any prolonged braking like I did at the SVT track event... do a couple of laps or continue to drive to let the rotors cool down...

If ya don't... you'll end up like me.

 

I don't understand why all the dust? Supposedly, they aren't as dusty as regular or performance pads? You're on your second set? How many miles? Is frequent 'TRACKING" the reason? Thanks again!

 

It's not caused to frequent tracking... I do have 36K for miles on the truck.

I did the SVT event a year ago this past October... the shudder just kept progressing to the point where I had to replace the rotors... they were cracked.

I just washed it last night. The dust was a little too much but we'll see from here on out. I had not real dust trouble from the first set and I am expecting the same this time.