I know this has been discussed before but I can't find the site. I want to replace front and rear rotors and pads and want to know the best ones.

 

If your looking for long life and performance look at the cryogenic rortors that are out there. The cryo freezing has been used by the USPS for years and the parts life information looks great. I will be going sloted Cryo rotors on my next brake change.

Do not get drilled rortors as they decrease the surface area too much for these trucks resulting in less braking power unless you really get them hot all the time. Slotted rotors are the best option over plain rotors.

 

I love my Brembo Rotors and EBC Green Stuff pads...

 

Best rotors are a solid surface - no slots, no holes, no dimples.

Holes and dimples are for bling only. They provide absolutly no performance increase. The may also decrease break performance, by decreasing rotor/pad contact are. Holes will create stress risers and cracks, and will significantly reduce the life of the rotor. In severe duty use, they may even cause the rotor to break into pieces. I think that would be a bad thing.

Slotting does have a function. During heavy track racing use, the pads are rotors can get pretty hot; you hammer on them pretty hard lap after lap. Sometimes that can cause the pad to form a glaze, and then they don't work as well. The slots shave off a small amount of pad material with each pass, give them a fresh surface. Kind of like a cheese slicer. The down side is decreased pad life and more dust. Unless your racing open track, don't bother.

For most race cars that cost <$100K, you won't find drilled or dimpled rotors. You can usually find them on very high end cars like Porsche and lambo, and only on their high end models. Expect to pay well over $1,000 each, and replace them every 30-40K miles - if you're carefull.

Cryo treatments are nothing new. The process has been around for quite a while. The goal is to make the rotors harder, so they get less wear. Unless you match the pads to the new harder rotors, you might see a decrease in performance. I would also expect a decrease in pad life.

You're driving a Dodge Ram on the highway at 70mph (or more) towing a load. Not a UPS truck in the neighborhood.

Besides, a stock replacement rotor from NAPA is inexpensive and should last at least 100K miles. What more do you want?

As for pads, that depends on what you're doing with your truck. Commuting and light towing don't put much straing on the pads. Not like towing 10K# through the Rockies.

I recently did a brake job on mine, and I used Duralst Gold. Cost me $76 for both sets, including a lifetime warrenty. It certainly is an improvement over stock. Very smooth, quiet, and consistant. Moderate dust, though. If they only last 50K miles, that's OK. Replacements are free. I would use them again.

 

I have replaced all of my rotors and pads with ones from AuroZone (life time) and have had good success with them.

 

Same here...

The Amigo Zone -----oops!

Vato Zone-------oops!!

Auto Zone pads / rotors have been fine for several years for me.

 

Holes and dimples are for bling only. They provide absolutly no performance increase.

Really Bob? That is a pretty profound statement. I question your actual knowlege of the subject because in your reply never included the disposal of the gas created under heavy braking between the pad and rotor, something that the holes and slots were designed to disapate. You dismiss extreme conditions as "Only if youre on a track" well Bob, have you seen the loads some of these individuals haul down steep hills? I have, and I can attest that the requirement is if not equal very close to the stress experianced on the track. I have a friend who routinely hauls 25K in the mountains, and trust me his brakes are tested every trip. Now do most people need the premium rotors? Maybe, maybe not, but to say they have no purpose and are just bling is incorrect. They may not be necessary for your application would be a more appropriate statement.

 

By the way, Harder rotors will warp. That is why they use a little bit softer rotor and have some wear. It is better than that shaky, shaky crap... Stick with the stock rotors and pads. They work great. If you need more braking power, get an exhaust brake.

 

I have slotted and dimpled rotors from Brakeperformance.com
Huge improvement over stock

 

Tha's OK, I take no offense. You don't know me from Adam, and so have a right to question a statement that flies in the face of Common Knowledge and anecdotal evidence. But, follow the science and keep an open mind.

First off, Common Knowledge is often wrong. How many times have you heard that a CAI kit will add 20-30hp? And how many times have you seen that to actually be true?

In the olden days, asbestos pad and shoes would outgas when they got hot. The gas pressure would actually lift the pads from the rotors. The gas would release, the rotor and pad would cool, and braking would return. Made for interesting braking in a corner. So racers drilled small holes in the rotors. It worked well and solved the problem; but the holes acted as stress risers, and propogated cracks. The rotors didn't last long, and the racers didn't care because they were winning races.

Fast foreward to 2011, it's a new century so try to keep up New pads don't outgas. It's not a problem. Therefore, there's no need for the holes and the subsequent cracks and failures.

I race sports cars for a hobby. Brake technology is very important. Good brakes can shave off 1-2 seconds per lap. That doesn't sound like much, but it is. proper brake pad compound selection is the differance between first and 5th. It's sometimes easier and cheaper to improve the brakes than it is to improve the engine.

These are the front brakes on my race car. Notice, there are no holes in the surface, and only a few slots. These brakes will almost make the car stand on it's nose. Lap after lap.


They can withstand some pretty high temps, too, like 500-600*. You never set the parking brake after a race. The pads and rotors are so hot, they will weld themselves together. That's hot. That's what I mean by severe duty track use. If you're getting your truck brakes that hot, you're definatly doing something wrong. And drilling a bunch of holes through your brake parts is not going to help.

Now, I'm sure you've read through this, and said, "What a bunch of drivil". So, go to the Wilwood and Baer Brake web sites. Look it up. They'll tell you exactly the same thing. Drilled and dimpled rotors are for bling only.

 

Arguments aside... I am currently running the cheap Autozone rotors and EBC green pads. I love the setup, work awesome and they have great stopping power.

I ran the cheap Autozone pads before this and they were not good at all, I am sure the higher end ones are better because I have ran their semi metallic on a race car I had and they were great, but I would not suggest the cheap pads. You get what you pay for sometimes.

 

I put EBC greenstuff on about 3500 miles ago and I like them. I pull heavy sometimes and they stop real good.

 

I have 85K on my stock pads and rotors, and they have alot left. I was kind of thinking of buying stock replacements when I needed them. Cryo stress relieves the part so they don't warp. I tried the powerslots on my Durango, and they did not last as long as std rotors.

 

I dunno about all this. Ive had a couple panic stops where the truck stopped braking and plowed into something. Seems to me this was brake fade due to heat / outgassing.
Ive read in several places that even modern pads can outgas in a panic stop and cause fade. Maybe the threshold is higher but it still seems to happen.
Ive seen the difference first hand on motorcycles with solid (mud) and drilled rotors. They certainly help with fade.
Ive tried different pads and calipers and Im scared of the braking in this thing and just fed up with it.
Gonna try ford two piston calipers when I do the knuckle / hub conversion. Maybe throw in some slotted or drilled rotors.

 

just changed my front brakes out last set was ebc slotted and dimpled with green pads lasted 6 years and 150.000 miles pretty good service with average towing in my book I just stayed with the same