I've got a 1999 F-150 2WD 5.4L SuperCab with 162 K miles that has had its rotors either turned or replaced at or around 25-30 K miles. Rotors always warped badly. Pad wear is nominal. I don't ride the brakes and anticipate stops ahead of time.

My question is, what are the best non-warping or most warp resistant rotors made that are reasonable in price? If slotted rotors cause additional pad wear as I have read elsewhere in other posts, what advantage are they?

What about cryo rotors? Are they really any more resistant to warpage?

Heavy duty, warp-resistant rotor recommendations are needed and welcomed!!!

Thanks

 

Anyone out there using Cryo treated rotors? If so, how long have they lasted prior to warping?

Thanks!

 

Hey First,

I just ordered some of these slotted and dimpled rotors from www.brakeperformance.com

They have a lifetime warranty on warping and come with free pads..... I was tired of having warped rotors so I went with these ..... 221 both front (i got 10 ceramic upgrade) so it was 232..... free shipping.

I'll be sure to post up some reviews of it initially but from what I have read they seem good to me and not a bad price either!!

 

I replaced my rotors about 53,000 miles ago with Raybestos. They are not heavy duty or anything, but they are thicker and much heavier that the OEM rotors. They are doing great.

 

Thanks for the link! I need to upgrade my rotors. Dumb things warped on me out back...

 

Powerslot Cryo are the way to go!!! I've had them for 1 year now. Best thing I ever did was change to those. Guaranteed not to warp. Got mine from Autoanything.com

 

+1 on the Powerslot Cryo. We have them as well and I sell them quite a bit to guys that do very heavy duty applications like pulling 5th wheels down mountains and such. Them combined with a good ceramic pad usually do the trick. Call me if interested guys.

Not true. No rotor is guaranteed against warping. The warranty is for mfgr. defect. It's possible to cook any rotor, it's just 2-3 times less likely with cryo rotors.

 

The best thing you can do to keep any rotor from warping is make sure to torque your lug nuts to the man. specs. In your case it should be 100 ftlbs. I believe 99 was the last year they used the 12mm lugs. Torque them especially any time you have work done at a shop, because they certainly won't. Then after a week or so re-torque them.
Doing this, I have not had to turn or replace rotors on any of my trucks because of warpage, since about 1993.

 

And try to avoid hitting a puddle hauling a load in Houston summers... I can tell you EXACTLY when, and how I warped my rotors... Hauling a load (fill dirt), in August and hit a fairly deep puddle (busted water main apparently). Ever since then, I get a bad vibration braking from speed...

 

I went with cross-drilled rotors on my '99, it had warped rotors when I got it. No warping problems afterwards. I didn't want or need the aggressiveness of slotted rotors, although that has pretty much become the norm now...

Pretty sure they were Powerslot also. At the time there was Powerslot, Power Stop and Powershot rotors available... So I'm not 100% sure.

 

I'm curious how these brakes worked for you?

 

I've had a set of the brakeperformance.com rotors on my Expedition for several years. They're nice and smooth, with no warpage whatsoever. I used to have to replace them every couple of years, due to warpage. When my wife's Camry warped a set of factory rotors, I swapped over to brakeperformance ones. No more warping.

Many years ago, before brakeperformance offered cryo-treated rotors, I ran some custom rotors on my Cobra that I sent to 300 Below for cryo-treatment. They lasted over five years of hard driving with very little wear, and no warping. I sold them when I parted the car out. They looked almost new. To my knowledge, they're still out there somewhere, stopping someone else's Mustang.

 

This guy knows what he's talking about. Re-torquing isn't necessary unless using mag lug nuts (the kind with the flat washers), but it certainly doesn't hurt.

I learned this the hard way years ago after spending an obscene amount of money changing rotors on every vehicle I owned. Cheap ones, expensive ones, drilled/slotted, it didn't matter. They all warped.

I'm the kind of guy who will re-torque my wheels before leaving a tire shop or a state inspection. Because of this, my truck is five years old with the original rotors and they stop as smoothly as the day I bought it. Through rain, snow, heavy towing, and everything else.

 

Interesting you post this up now .... My rotors have warped as a few months ago. I am very unhappy that you need to send them back to have them inspected for warp. WTF am I supposed to do in that time, leave the truck on jack stands for a week and a half?

Also got a set for my Fiancee and she warped hers in a very short time as well. This is how I found out about the crap warranty. I even offered to pay for them upfront and be refunded if they felt that they were somehow my fault. That she needed her vehicle and I can't just take them off and send them back to you.

I would stay clear of them and probably will not recommend them anymore to anybody, shame as I have always spoke highly of them on here and anybody who was looking for rotors.

 

To build on what my friend Damon mentioned, Cryo rotors are best for heavy duty/hard braking, when combined with a good brake pad like a Hawk or Centric pad. I am partial to ceramic pads if available because they are long wearing, easy on the rotor and low dust. Also, I always recommend a 'blank' rotor.

One thing often overlooked is brake fluid. It is a maintenance item like oil and should be flushed according to the service manual. If you are hard on the brakes, a bit sooner may be needed.

Powerslot is no longer around. Centric/Stoptech acquired them since Damons post.

Be cautious of drilled and slotted brake rotors. Brake rotors are designed to transfer heat. When a rotor is drilled and slotted mass is removed from the rotor. Removing mass removes material needed to transfer the heat/energy which leads to warping, and prone to cracking. There is a lot of debate about this, but our findings is exactly what I just posted. Mind you, we are not talking about a drilled rotor you would find on a big brake kit/Mustang with Brembo package, etc. These rotors are molded with the holes and designed as such, not a modified 'blank' rotor.

Click here to find brakes for your truck!


-AJ