Glad that your brakes are finally smooth. I'll take a look at that link.

 

Thanks. Now it's time for new wheels!

 

"brake" will give you better results than "break"

Glad to hear that things are good.

Did you lightly sand the old rotors to remove the old transfer layer? That could have been some of the issue that you felt initially. I forget to do this sometimes (I go through pads about every 15K miles...)

Also, keep in mind that some pad manufacturers recommend slightly different bedding techniques.

ALWAYS tighten your lug nuts by hand!

 

Lol. I know the difference from brake and break. I don't know what happened there... brain fart I guess? Nope. I didn't sand the rotors.

After doing a search like you said, I read about the old pad material still being on the rotors. It said that this can result as a judder or vibration in the steering wheel because the new pads have to have time to burn the old layer of pad material off, and transmit the new layer of film from the new pads to the rotors, to get the smooth feeling back in the brakes.

So I thought, "That's got to be the problem." So from now on, I'm sanding the rotors.

Thanks. You've been a big help!

 

"I didn't turn the rotors because there was no grooves in them and they looked very smooth. I'll give an update at about 200 miles to let you know how these brakes perform."

I think you could have saved yourself a lot of guesswork and posting if you would have checked the rotors by using a dial indicator to measure the run out of each rotor. It's always good to take a LIGHT cleanup cut on the rotors to insure they are perfectly true. The cut returns the rotor surface to the proper finish, and allows the pads to break in faster. If the rotors are too thin, replace them, because they warp easily if thin, due to the fact that thin rotors can heat up faster and easier.
E.D.

 

Thanks E.D., I'll remember that next time. I need to get one of those tools to check run out. I didn't know about the surface prep of the rotor that needed to be done before I put the pads on. But I have learned alot in this thread. Thanks ya'll.

 

IMHO turning rotors is a waste of money and time. I have tried turning both warped rotors and non warped rotors many times and always end up with warped rotors in 1-3 thousand miles. If you look carefully at new rotors you will see non rotational grinding marks. That is why new rotors work the best. Also in New England I see a lot of rust in the cooling area of the rotor. Again another good reason I always change pads and rotors, lub slides and bleed brakes for brake service longevity. I also try to use OEM pads and rotors as I have found the to have the best serviceability and performance for the dollar spent.

 

am I the only person that after my lugs are tightened by hand as much as possible I give them a quick shot with the impact gun?? If this is bad, how come garages do it all the time?

 

Because it's easier or more convienient for them to just use an impact gun. Over-tightened lugnuts can and will cause your rotors to warp.

 

ahh, I see.....well that's interesting... *runs out and loosens lugs*

 

Lug nuts on these trucks *I think* are supposed to be tightened to about 100 to 150 ft-lbs. Don't quote me on that. But be damn sure they are on as tight as you can get them with a lug wrench. If your a gorilla like me, take it easy or you'll round your stud bolts off. It's best to use a torque wrench.

 

Turning often depends on the rotor manufacturer.

I had a set of AP rotor and they specifically stated that turning was only to be used as a last resort to fix excessive runout. Otherwise, they recommended just lightly sanding them with fine-grit sandpaper to remove the old transfer layer.

My current Quickstops have the same recommended procedure, for what it's worth.