GM Brakes

[Shane T]

I've got 2003 GMC 3500 standard length van that I love. No problems except the front brakes tend to warp very quickly. I've had the turned a couple times. Been doing some research and found some cross drilled and/or slotted discs. Anybody tried these or have suggestions for fixing this problem? Any benefit to the slotted over just cross drilled?

 

[Dolly Llama]

"or have suggestions for fixing this problem?"

don't be so hard on the brakes.
(heheheheheh)

With the Autozone Chinese connection, I didn't know anyone turned rotors anymore.
I just put new ones on.
$79 bukz each.


Fords were notorious for warping rotors.
I'm easy on my brakes, and they'd still warp in no time.
When they went to 4 wheel disc, that made a HUGE difference in the life of rotors.

Does your Chevy have 4 wheel disc?
If not, be sure the rear drum brakes are self adjusting properly

Be sure your calipers are functioning properly as well.
Doesn't take much to stick a caliper enough to cause enough drag to over heat and warp a rotor

Never used or have any experience with the cooling grove rotors


..L.T.A.

 

[Shane T]

Yes they are 4 wheel discs and I am also easy on brakes but given the amount of weight carried its a lot to ask of these brakes.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Once rotors are turned they are more susceptible to warping. I prefer to let the pads grind to fit the groves on the rotor. Once they warp it is time to replace.

 

[danpauselius]

Yes, they will help. Anything that helps keep the rotor cool is a good thing. Are they worth all the extra money? I can't answer that one. Keep in mind, every time you have the rotors cut, you will warp them again even faster than before because there is less mass to absorb the heat.

The only issue I can foresee with a drilled rotor or even the slotted rotors is that they decrease the overall surface area that the pad is contacting. This might reduce the effectiveness of your brakes (not a good thing when hauling a TM and a boat load of water) They use them in race cars but I think they use a larger rotor to compensate for the surface area reduction. You probably will not be able to install a larger rotor on a stock van unless you revamp EVERYTHING including your wheels.

If Cross-drilled rotors do the trick, let us all know.

 

[The Great Oz]

Given the same quality rotor, I'd go for slots. They allow brake gasses to escape and your braking will improve. Once the slots are worn away you can replace the rotors.

Cross-drilled will allow even better gas dissipation, but the standard issue models are susceptible to cracking, so are better suited to your sporty car for track day.

 

[Ron Lippold]

yes the cross drilled rotors will help but that is the facts when you run a truck to the max capacity.

 

[Kevin B]

I'd go for some aftermarket rotors and calipers.

 

[danpauselius]

I wouldn't just go aftermarket if there is no real difference (i.e. drilled, slotted, etc.) I USUALLY find manufacturer's parts to be of higher quality than most aftermarket.

 

[Guest]

What type of fresh water tank do you have? Plastic or metal

Plastic tanks will wear out your brakes faster than a metal tank, because the metal tanks have baffles in them

 

[Shane T]

Brakes are not wearing out. Disc is warping.

 

[Kevin B]

Brakes are not wearing out. Disc is warping.

That is essentially the same thing. The rotors are getting HOT, and not able to cool themselves off effectively. Getting an aftermarket performance disc brake system will virtually eliminate that problem. If you can't do it, go to someone who can. ie, a qualified brake shop and tell them your problem.

There are many solutions to your problem. My guess would be an advanced performance rotor and the top of the line pads would solve your problem.

 

[R W]

I've got the 2003 2500 Chevy with HD suspention....4 wheel disc's, 8 lug wheels. I have 53,000 on the original brake pads, and no warping. BUT...I have had to replace the upper ball joints because my lube shop wasn't greasing them. I went ot this shop because I trusted that they would service the vehicle properly. For now on....I do my own.

 

[KBRENNY]

Another carpet cleaner who was a friend of mine had a van with very high mileage and did all his own maintenance religiously. One day he was running short on time and had to take it to a "jiffy lube" type place. On his way home about 5 miles from the service center his rear main seal blew out and there was oil everywhere under the van and it was smoking like cheech and chong. He was near my house so I went to help him. We towed his van to my house and the dipstick was so full it was ridiculous. We drained 10 qts of oil out of the oil pan and that was after it lost alot of oil on the road. I know what some of you are going to say: No there was not a leaking head gasket or any other problem, They just put way too much oil in.

 

[Fon Johnson]

I wouldn't just go aftermarket if there is no real difference (i.e. drilled, slotted, etc.) I USUALLY find manufacturer's parts to be of higher quality than most aftermarket.

Then you must not know much about GM brakes..

I love GM vehicles, but they have been known to put crappy undersized brakes on them. The biggest problem you will find people complaining about regarding performance brakes is that the cross drilled rotors CAN have a tendency to spiderweb and crack. The safest way to go is with slotted rotors. I have just started to look for some for my van, and I will try to remember to post what I find. If there is a big brake kit available, that is one of the best ways to boost stopping performance. I've been looking at brakes for my car for some time. The stock brakes were known to be crappy and problematic (yeah, GM) and they don't do great now, which really worries me about stopping the car after the engine build. 8)

 

[MicahR]

Take a look here for an idea of what you have available.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/p...ra_3500&category=brake&subcategory=brake_disc

I ran a full set of Brembo vented and cross-drilled on my 01 Audi S4. Noticeable improvement, but if I would of had the coin I would of upgraded to a two or four piston caliper as well.

A good vented and slotted should help quite a bit with your heat issue. You'll spend a little more, but you can't go wrong with a Brembo or EBC rotor.

 

[Out of Character - 0]

We run the crossed drilled on our trucks and cars. They will solve your problem. The above comment about reduced contact area is true however you'll have better performance from the cross drilled when they are warm. A stock rotor will have more bite when cold but they don't stay cold long that's why your warping them. Slotted helps more with wet conditions and I wouldn't go that route.

 

[danpauselius]

Fon, my experience is with Ford. Shame on GM if that's the case.

 

[Fon Johnson]

Yep. GM has put out some cars with really crappy brakes. I think Ford's are better. The front brakes on my car should have been an inch bigger anyway. You just have to wonder what some of these "engineers" are thinking. They would be surprised how well my car will run and STOP when I get done with it. GM suspensions are know for being just as bad. My "new" '96 Chevy needed new shocks by 25,000 miles, and it needed them BAD. I am a die hard GM guy, but Lord knows they have made some colossal mistakes.

I'll try and post some links for brakes in a bit. APW is a good resource for just about anything you need.

 

[Hal]

Brakes

Crosdrilled by far better than slotted but one must consider cost diff! I think NApA will special order and go with a softer simi metalic pad.

 

[TimP]

The only thing I can thing to bring to the table here is to make sure when you rotate your tires or change them etc that they lugs are put on with a torque wrench to make sure they are on properly. Lugs put on with an impact gun can contribute to warping of your brakes in addition to not being able to get your tire off in an emergency. This is my single most biggest gripe about hack tire companies.

 

[Jim Martin]

Cross drilled discs will provide 40% better cooling, 20% better stopping, operate better in wet weather, lower brake temperatures, reduce rotor warpage with less fade and longer life. Although brakes do need heat to work, too much heat will lessen the ability of the pad to grab the disc....

cross-drilling adds a cooling effect that increases stopping ability by reducing the heat-induced fade that occurs when brakes are used frequently or at high speeds. Lower heat temperature means less warpage, which will lengthen the life and durability of the rotor. Wet weather performance is enhanced by pushing water through the holes rather than waiting for the water to dissipate from the heat the brake generates.

 

[steve g]

here is something everyone has forgotten, ADJUST UP THE REARS!!!!! any person who does brakes and knows shit from shinola knows that rear drums arn't exactly self adjusting in most cases so when you replace the front pads also give the rears a few clicks to make sure they are getting the job done, many don't know it but their back brakes really aren't even working in most cases, this is why I suspect so many of you are warping out the fronts so fast, it would also be a good idea to adjust the rears at every oil change, I also recommend carbon metallic pads they last twice as long as the others, which means much less chance of ruining a rotor because you don't know it or get too busy and can't get it fixed in time. if you notice vehicles with 4 wheel disks have much less issues with brakes, thats because the self adjusting problem isn't there

 

[steve r]

pump your brakes when stopping and quit taigating. :roll:

 

[Jim Martin]

they are 4 wheel discs

I thought about the adjusting the rear but I don't think you can adjust up rear disk.............(????)

If they were drum then I would say they are not assisting the front all the work is going to the front disk...

 

[glenboy]

stop driving in overdrive with a load or do what i did get rid of the fresh water tank

 

[Kelly]

how well does your parking brake work?

 

[clean one]

My 99 Mercury Mountaineer had over 100,000 miles on it before i put front pads on it. I would have to look an see if i had back pads. And i have been pretty hard on them at times. Now my 15' e350 cube van needed brakes when i bought it, so i put new rotors, calibers, bearings, pads, on the front. That was back in 01 i think. since then i have replace the pads once since then. and had to replace the shoes on the back. it now has over 200,400 miles on it

 

[Kevin B]

My 99 Mercury Mountaineer had over 100,000 miles on it before i put front pads on it. I would have to look an see if i had back pads. And i have been pretty hard on them at times. Now my 15' e350 cube van needed brakes when i bought it, so i put new rotors, calibers, bearings, pads, on the front. That was back in 01 i think. since then i have replace the pads once since then. and had to replace the shoes on the back. it now has over 200,400 miles on it

Do you stop going uphill ? LOL

I replace the brakes on my van about every year or so.

 

[Bob Foster]

You can't drive a loaded van like a car. Think of driving it like a real big truck and slow down over a way longer stretch. That will make all the difference in the world. One a rotor is turned you might get one more shorter service life from it but it will warp easier.

The biggest difference between 1T and a 3/4T is the brakes. WAY better on a 1T and more suitable for heavier payloads like most CC trucks have.

The key - slow down slow over longer distances.