warped rotors

[dgassy]

i have a 1998 1500 chevy cheyenne 4x4. i live in the mountains and i can't keep front rotors on it. i tow a 19' 2005 north river,onthe trailer it's about 3500 lbs-with gear & people i'm about 5000lbs. thinking about 2006 toyota tundra 4x4 4door. pretty sure it'l tow it,but don't know bout the brakes. the salesmen all say it'l tow it and i know on flat ground i won't have a problem. justdon't know if the brakes are heavy enough for the mountains.any help will be apprecited. thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: warped rotors

In the mountains with that weight the trailer should have brakes. If your rotors are continually warping, make sure the person doing the work does not simply bang the lug nuts on with an impact wrench dial set on the "oh-my-god" torque setting. Most warped rotors are warped by the installer. Check the back of your wheels and between the new rotor and hubs for debris that can prevent uneven seating of the new rotor. As for the Toyota (or any other sales person) of course they'll tell you it will tow. Chances are they've never towed anything except a utility. trailer. My suggestion would be go to the dealer with your boat. Hook it up and see if it tows.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: warped rotors

That vintage of Chevy truck is hard on front brakes. They all either wore out in 25k or less, or they warped. Only way I know to fix it, is to put Performance Friction carbon metallic pads on, with brand new rotors. Used to be able to buy that at Autozone. Dad's 1995 Tahoe wore out new brakes in 19k, switched to Performance Friction and 30k later, sold truck, no brake issues.<br />1997 2500 Suburban got same treatment, 50k went by with no brake issues before he sold truck.

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: warped rotors

theres not a truck bulit today that dont warp rotors i have a titan its done 2 times there fix a lager diameter rotor and thicker rotor.dodge does same thing as far as toy.go to google ask search for tech bulletins for toy. truck it will tell ya all the problems with truck. ive never heard of installer warping rotors.the problem is all the 18 to 20 inch rims.there hard to slow down that huge tire&rim sling a lot of weight to stop. watch any tv show that install larger rims and the frist thing they do is install a bigger&thicker rotor and diff brake pads.

 

[jlinder]

Re: warped rotors

T think you may be missing a big factor here. I have read more postings about trailer brakes failing - leaks, calipers seizing up, etc. They're not like your truck brakes - they fail or perform poorly and you don't always know unless you call for that panic stop.<br /><br />I like the ideas given on upgrading the brakes, but I think you also need to take a hard look at the brakes on the trailer.<br /><br />Give them a good look over. Jack up the wheels, activate the brakes (surge or electic?) and see what happens.

 

[QC]

Re: warped rotors

I had a '96 Suburban with the same issue. TilliamWe is right about the upgrades. I always buy the best pads I can now and I usually don't turn rotors. Once they've been played with they're never right again. IMHO turning them just makes a bad situation worse . . .<br /><br />I'm curious what Dunaruna has to say. I think he is a brake guy or sumpin' <br /><br />BTW, I also think UIS is correct and probably knows more than any of us. They definitely give . . . they have to.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: warped rotors

Racer -- next time you have tires changed on your car or truck, watch the installer when he/she installs the lug nuts. You follow a bolt tightening sequence installing a cylinder head on an engine to prevent warpage, and they are supposed to do the the same thing with a wheel. Bets that he bangs each lug nut and doesn't bother to torque it.

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: warped rotors

yeah i know that a fact i know its not right.sometimes certain places will use a torque wrench not very often.

 

[toomanyboats]

Re: warped rotors

Guys your not alone here.I have a 2000 Ford f-150 4x4 and a 2002 Chevy Suburban 1500.can't keep rotors on the Ford,and the Sub tows longer distances and never had a problem,the problem is the fronts not the back rotors.the boat weights 4800 itself,WTF ?

 

[Lou C]

Re: warped rotors

Well I have a neighbor with a 94 2 dr full size Blazer, he has towed boats for years with it, and he had the same problem. What he learned is that the self adjusters for the rear brakes don't really self adjust, so after a while all your stopping is on the front brakes, and that leads to warped rotors. So what I would do is go through the whole brake system and make sure the rear brakes on the truck are working right. BTW, we had the same problem on an 88 toyota camry, with front disc and rear drums, when new, front brakes lasted 30K, when it got older, and the self adjusters didn't work well, we were getting only 15K out of set of front brakes, the Toy tech said the same thing happened with the older Toy Land crusiers.<br />About brake rotors, I had a chronic warping problem with my 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and most people with them also had this problem. They used a composite rotor with a stamped steel center section welded to the cast iron disc. On the advice of an independent Jeep tech, I switched to Wagner full cast rotors, and these have lasted for nearly 50K miles with no warping, the OE was warping every 11K, with no towing!<br />Also make sure your trailer brakes are adjusted well and work right.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: warped rotors

I've had just the opposite experience with the GM and other vehicles I've owned. I'm soon to be 66 so I've owned lots of them. They all go over 100,000 miles with only one set of rotor replacement and I do that rather than turn them. I do my own brake work as well My current crew cab just rolled over 50,000 and there is no hint of a brake problem. My wifes Monte Carlo has just shy of 100,000 and it had rotors replaced at 50,000 and no warped rotor problem on that vehicle either. People that tend to brake with their left foot (automatic trannys of course) often don't realize that they are resting their left foot on the brake. Even with slight pressure the pads/shoes contact the rotors and they heat up. Ever follow a car with the brake lights flickering on and off continuously. You are following a left footed braker and chances are he/she is also complaining about poor fuel mileage. There are many contributing factors with warped rotors. Poor brake system design can be part of the problem but not torqueing lug nuts evenly, not cleaning rotor mating surfaces after wheel removal, and bad driving habits play a big part. The point I'm making with cleaning mating surfaces is that any time a wheel is removed, debris can get between the hub and rotor. The minute that rotor is and wheel gets tightened, the warpage process can begin. Hot brake rotors dowsed with water after driving through a water puddle can also instantly spot-cool a rotor. Quality pads and linings helps.

 

[dgassy]

Re: warped rotors

lot of good info guys. irotate my own tire because les swhab tires uses a air gun and then ckecks to make sure there up to torque and no never sieze on lugs. i'll have to check if i can put bigger rotors on and inspect rear brakes. oh yea my trailer does'nt have brakes on it. i ise it in salt water an i'm a little about the saltwater troubles thanks this is a great site

 

[craze1cars]

Re: warped rotors

Originally posted by dgassy:<br /> oh yea my trailer does'nt have brakes on it.

That answers your question right there. Especially since you're towing in mountains.<br /><br />See this chart:<br /> http://www.roadkingtrailers.com/brakelaws.htm <br />California requires trailer brakes on any trailer that's over 1,500 lbs.<br /><br />So your rig is currently illegal to drive on public roads in your state, and most others.<br /><br />You need to install trailer brakes.

 

[jlinder]

Re: warped rotors

I agree with craze1cars. I would never tow 5000# without brakes, and that is on flat ground. <br /><br />Get brakes before you move it again. There are a lot of places you can get kits.<br /><br />Another thought - if the trailer is rated for 5000# I would think it came with brakes. If it has no brakes is it rated for 5000#?

 

[paulie0735]

Re: warped rotors

Originally posted by dgassy:<br />[QB] the salesmen all say it'l tow it

Not without brakes on the trailer it won't!!!!!!!

 

[jlinder]

Re: warped rotors

It'll tow it, it just won't stop it.<br /><br />dgassy - Can you post the make and model of the trailer?

 

[paulie0735]

Re: warped rotors

The salesman assumes you will want to stop at some point!

 

[dgassy]

Re: warped rotors

hello again my trailer is a ezloader. the boat & trailer wiegh in about 3500# throw in poles tackle & ice chest in the boat and four guys & baggage in the pickup is roughly 1500# that is where i came up with 5000#,but it's not all on the trailer.<br /><br />i looked at that thing from road king and i didn't know about the law having brakes on a trailer over 1500# i'll check with the highway patrol tommorow.<br />i can tell you theres a lot of trailers out here that are illegle if thats true. also you would think that the department of motor vehiecles would'nt allow us to register them without brakes.<br /><br />i stoppeat the auto parts store and inquired about brakes for my 98 chevy - could'nt get any specs on rotors - but 06 chevy pads are almost twice as long. <br />there is two drums available for 98 one 10 1/2 dia with 2 1/4 in wide shoe. the other 11 5/16 dia with 2 3/4 shoe.<br />more than likely i have the small narrow drums.<br /><br />thanks again

 

[jlinder]

Re: warped rotors

Do you have the model number of the trailer?<br /><br />Also, does the 3500# come from an actual weighing, or is that an estimate? A lot of times people use the weight as given by the boat manufacturer only to find out that is dry weight and way low as compared to what you get when you add fuel, anchor, water, etc.

 

[paulie0735]

Re: warped rotors

dgassy, your still missing the point here, there is nothing wrong with the brakes on your truck. What you need is some brakes on that trailer.