Crossy's son

My Dad and I went out last night and bought some Napa premium rotors, they were listed for 4000lb axle and DIESEL 2wd, They were only $53 each

our rotors are so bad now theres actually RUST on them, not even surface rust, like rust, and they're warped so bad when you hit the brakes at all it feel like the truck is bouncing up and down off the road, and literally makes this sound too DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO. until it comes to a banging hault.

But i'm curious, they dont have the hub built in with the bearing/races ???are they sposed to or does all that stay on the truck and you just slide the rotors on?

I gots a funny feeling they gave us dually rotors but idk.

Oh and before you say they're junk and gonna warp in 2 seconds, they're very thick and the guy said they've been in stock for 7 years so they don't loook bad at all

Paul S.

I have been running the NAPA Premium rotors for a couple years now with no trouble. So far they seem to be a great value. You will have to have the hub and studs pressed in or I suppose you could use a big mallet. I brought mine to a local shop and had it done for $10...

12valve@heart

Yep. Press out all the studs and then separate the hub from the rotor. Line the new rotor and hub up and start pressing studs back in. I did that when I put new NAPA rotors on my D250 a few years ago. Ended up warping them anyway but that was due to misadjusted rear brakes and trailer towing. Just had them re-turned a few weeks ago so not warped yet.

Crossy's son

Thanks guys. I thought the studs were pressed into the hub and you could just slide the rotors on.

Looks like we're diggin out ye ole vertical press!

Jim Lane

I have only seen that on lighter duty trucks and cars, the dealer should only sell you the bare or Rotor or "Top Hat" and I would have them pressed on instead of trying to beat them back it using a sledgehammer, unless you had no other choice.

This way if they wobble whoever pressed them on would be liable besides it shouldn't cost more than a few dollars.

Also drawing the stud in using the nut can over stress the stud and cause it to stretch.

dzl_damon

hmmm... I thought most truck companys have the same rotors on 2wd and 4wd. My dually fronts seem just like a normal rotor except I have to put the Dually extention on. That was sure a PITA. Lots of weasel ****, a jig screwed into the workbench to hold the dually extension, 3 broken 2" long 1/2" drive extensions (Had to go out and buy impact deep sockets to do it), and an 18" breaker bar with an 8" cheater. Man, I was wicked tired after popping all those off and I'm not a little dude. My impact didn't do much for me either.

BTW, so far so good with my Napa Rotors.... I think I paid a little more though. Oh well.

Jim Lane

The last time I was at Napa I was asking about the warranty on the good rotors and he said it was 100% against manufactures defect so I ask is if this included being warped (actual term I used was run out) and he said yes so I ask if I brought them in because of the run out implying that I got them hot and they warped they would be under warranty and he said yes he would replace them.

But he said just return them, do not have them turned because if you do then you will have modified them and then the warranty was off.

You might want to look into this, I am sure that all of the different store managers know different ways to keep their customers coming back with customer satisfaction.

Jim

TJE

I hope you have better luck than I did. I ordered mine from napa...150.00 + They were american made...the whole bit. They lasted about a year, with so many cracks I couldn't count them. Took them in and napa replaced them under warranty...with rotors made in China. Never again, I could get them from Oreily if I'd wanted chinajobs.


Good luck

BearKiller

I was always led to believe that even brand-new rotors should be "trued", or checked for "true", before running them; it is common practice at the local dealerships.


I always knock the studs out by using a punch of smaller diameter than the stud and giving it a heathy whack; one good lick usually knocks them out and I haven't messed up a stud yet.


I never have resorted to a press to seperate rotor from hub.

Lay the rotor on a FLAT block of OAK and place a short OAK two-by over the hub; one whack and she's apart.

If you can warp a rotor with a couple blocks of wood, it ain't gonna stand up to stopping a truck without warping anyway.


If the hub is CLEAN and free of rust accumulation, the new rotor will easily slide into place with very little persuasion; a light coat of anti-sieze will make things easier the next time.

Clean the studs and their splined holes; line up the splines and drive them home with a big punch.


The secret to all of this is CLEAN.


At least that has been my experience.


When dealing with 3/4- and 1-ton trucks, it has been my observation that you will seldom ever see a Ford or Chevy with a warped rotor, UNLESS a caliper has frozen and over-heated the rotor while trying to stop a big load with electric trailer-brakes, thus putting all of the work on the truck brakes.

On the other hand, for reasons that I haven't yet understood, unless it is a poor caliper design issue, it is all too common to see 1st Gen. body-style Dodge trucks with warped rotors; I also sort of blame the silly RWAL mess they have for rear brakes putting all the work onto the fronts, thus overheating the rotors.

Riflemanusmc

+1. Even "NEW" rotors should be at least checked. You'd be surprised at all the NEW rotors and drums that I have had to turn since the early 80's.

rswoyer

I just brought home a pair of "napa premium" rotors tonight for one of my trucks, and on the inside of the box was a sticker.... "made in china"....

GRRRRRRRRRR.......

schamran

They might have been stocked wrong. I bought rear rotors for my dad's 3rd gen, and one had paint and one didn't, and they were physically different, so i took them back, and they said one was packaged wrong.

Oh, and make sure you re-torque your lug nuts after you press your studs in! (speaking from near disaster experience here!)

Crossy's son

Thanks guys.

It doesn't go together the way my dad thought then..

oilcan64

so where might be the best place to buy high quality american made front rotors & pads - and rear drums and shoes? i plan on doing them soon and i will only buy american (its a rule i made)

thanks

Justin

schamran

good plan. If everybody thought like you, nobody would be laid off right now!