I'm pretty sure my rotors are warped. Problem is I have too many shakes and pulsations now. I have 33" BFG MT's that are rather worn and don't want to balance. I think they have a belt busted in them as well because the outside tread lugs wore 1 up 1 down. The tires cause a good shake at around 35-45 mainly. Question is what vibrations, shakes, pulsations...etc are produced by warped brake rotors? When coming to a stop when going slow almost stopped, while applying steady pressure to the brakes it feels like the truck is surging. Is this because the rotors are warped and when the going slow you can notice the brakes pressure on the rotor and when it moves where it is not true the pads pressure changes? I'm going to drop the $$$ for some new meats and I figured I'd get rotors and pads too while the wheels are off. I just wanted to know what all the shakes meant that my truck was experiencing. I only have 43,000 on the truck and they have had the 33's on there for at least 10,000 miles. Are the rotors on these trucks that wimpy. I had the same tires on my Toyota and they were on longer and never warped the rotors although I know the truck wasn't as much weight to stop.

- Rick -
98' GMC X-Cab Z-71 w/ 2" Body Lift, 33 x 12.50 BFG MT's on 15 x 8 Eagle 054 Gambler Rims, Custom exhaust & stereo.

sounds like a big 10-4on the warped rotors. it usually causes a pulsating feeling in the brake pedal and the steering wheel when the brakes are applied. I've always been of the mind frame that once they're warped you should get new ones. they warped becasue they got too hot and the metal expanded. if you were to turn them all you're doing is taking away metal making them more suseptable to overheating. go ahead and get new ones. that and new tires that would likely be much more round that your current meats should improve the ride quite a bit
---Peacock

<font color=red>96 Z-71 EXTcab, richmond 3.73, detroit rear, cold air, dual flowmasters, new drive-train </font color=red>

I think I can vouch for replacing as I recently had mine turned and I think they are warped again. I have heard that the stock rotors are not as good as they used to be and they are only heat treated to .030". My question is do I pay high dollars for brand name rotors like "Raybestos" or no name like "Aimco"? Slotted and drilled or OE? I have priced the cheap ones that come with a 2 year warranty for $20 for my car. Do you think the more expensive ones are worth it or get the cheap ones and just take them off and take them in for new ones in the 2 year timeframe or just pay $40 after 2 years and still have money in my pocket from not paying a lot for brand name?

Good question murrajm5. I don't know what to tell you. I'm going to give the high dollar ones a try just for the fact that I am pulling larger tires and I want good stopping ability. I'm going to try the Powerslot rotors I think which are like $70 each. If you do go with the cheaper rotors whats to say that they aren't going to warp, and then even though they can be replaced under their warrenty, you'll probably have to shell out money for new pads each time because the rotor wore them down faster...just something to think about.

- Rick -
98' GMC X-Cab Z-71 w/ 2" Body Lift, 33 x 12.50 BFG MT's on 15 x 8 Eagle 054 Gambler Rims, Custom exhaust & stereo.

I am already ahead because I did pay the extra for the lifetime pads that are supposedly easier on your rotors. If the pads go, I just pop them off and take them back. The real dilemma is exactly how long will the cheap rotors last? If I have to replace under warranty every, say, 6 months then they wouldn't be worth it because of the hassle. However, more than a year then maybe worth the effort.

Before you spend any money on those fancy crossdrilled and slotted rotors, ROTATE YOUR TIRES! I thought I needed rotors and pads and the like, then rotated my tires in a nice "X" pattern. Damn, was the improvement great! It feels like a brand new truck. BFG includes a bit of information with their mud terrains about that "up and down" treadwear. They say "rotate". I had that big time on my Buckshots in the front, but the rears were far better. You should be able to get an ass-load more mileage out of BFG's, after 10,000 miles it is just ludicrous to by new tires.

Once you get the tires moved around to their happy new homes, see if the brakes still pulsate. Mine stopped, hopefully yours will, too. But if you get a pulse in the pedal that correspnds with a shake in the wheel, welcome to rotor land!

I think that buying quality parts is always a better idea than saving money. If your brakes fail, and you are hurt or hurt someone else, I'm sure you would have rather spent the money. Not that rotors, or any other parts, just suddenly fall apart, but it is better to be safe. All that drilling and slot stuff is meant to reduce heat build-up, which is good for two reasons, longer life and less fade. When towing a trailer, brakes get freaking-hot and the slots and what-not help out in the dissipation of that heat. They also last longer because they are harder to warp.

Your Toyota definately didn't have the same appetite for tread lugs your "real man truck" does. I think all you need is a little bit of time to rotate and drive, if that doesn't help, you know there is a problem.

Ed

'99 Chevy Silverado K2500

Sorry Ed, guess I wasn't real clear. I've had the MT's on this truck for 10,000 miles, but they were on my Toyota before that for I'd say something like 20-25,000. I got the life out of the tires I expected. As for rotation I have them rotated every 5000 miles. The tires are just gone I'm afraid. Can't get em to balance worth a crap. Thing is I'm not real sure if the rotors are warped or not. There really isn't any pulsating in the brake pedal. The actual truck feels like it is surging when coming to a stop slowly. The steering wheel pretty much giggles anyway because the tires are so screwed. I think I should replace the rotors anyway for better stopping because a few hard stops and the rotors heat up so bad now that stopping becomes pretty sketchy...pads seem to wear more on one side than the other and it does pull to the right when braking so I think one side is maybe adjusted tighter than the other...

- Rick -
98' GMC X-Cab Z-71 w/ 2" Body Lift, 33 x 12.50 BFG MT's on 15 x 8 Eagle 054 Gambler Rims, Custom exhaust & stereo.