Aftermarket Calipers?

SmokeShow

SmokeShow

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Nov 30, 2006
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I get sick n tired of the freaking brakes on these trucks! :mad: no matter what I do to ensure the pads will slide nicely on the rails & wear evenly they never do so it wrecks the rotors. And if that don't get em, the caliper itself craps out & pukes fluid so the brake slips. And if that don't happen the stupid damn pads only wear the middle half of the pad & leaves the outside 1/4"-1/2" of the pads not touching so then the rotor rusts on the outer & inner edges & can only be turned down so far.

Pisses me right off.
 
SmokeShow

SmokeShow

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FIRST, sorry about the two threads. Hopefully a mod will join them for me. :(


Yes, the stock brakes seem to last the longest. After that, no luck. I buy med grade pads from the parts house. The high end ones tend to be too hard and brake dust builds up or they squeal so I go for middle grade. There's only one option of quality for rotors at the parts stores around here.

I suppose I could put all stock parts on from GM?

I've done all the filing/sanding and test fitting the pads first to be sure they slide free but not so much they can get uneven & bind. I've tried anti-seive to try and keep the pad frame from rusting and sticking on the little sheet metal caps that come with the pads that go on the caliper lip. I've polished that sheet metal cap until it's like a mirror. I make sure the slide rods that go through the caliper are clean, rust free, smooth, and packed with grease when going back together.

IDK what else to try? There was a really good thread on DP about this with a super knowledgable guy (or so he seemed to me anyways) and don't see where he says to do anything more than I have to ensure good brake life.

This current set has plenty of pad life & rotor left but they did the uneven wear thing so the rotors are likely ruined.


Guess I might try some aftermarket rotors and/or pads but I feel this is more an issue with the caliper not applying evenly? And I have no idea what would cause the brake pads to wear like they have. I remember reading back when I first was looking to buy a dmax truck, someone mentioned this was common deal with the GM brakes since the mid-90s I think??


Oh well. Just frustrating. This set might have 50K miles? I'd have to check my records.
 
Ryan T

Ryan T

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i own a napa, most of customers get just over 100k on the factory pads.... check for a bad brake hose, this can cause the caliper to drag....
 
Dozerboy

Dozerboy

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A lot of guys talk up EBC pads and rotors. I think thats the rout I'll go, but I'm only at 90K so I have a bit left on the stockers.

There are at least 2 companies that make rotor upgrades for our trucks, but they ain't cheap and you have to run bigger wheels. Sorry I don't remember the names off hand, but there widely known companies. Maybe BEAR was one of them.
 
SmokeShow

SmokeShow

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my truck has 165k on it... stock ones made it to about 135k I think. A pad was used up to the point there wasn't any pad material left, just the rivets that hold it to the metal frame it's attached to. That in turn ate that entire side OFF of the rotor so that it looked ribbed. I don't know how to describe that. It never squeaked or felt bad so I never even worried about it. Until the caliper finally over extended and blew a seal and blew all the fluid out and lost brakes in the back. Replaced brakes all around and that caliper obviously. All was well for a couple years. Then I had to replace rear pads due to uneven wear and shuttering. Now I crawled under the front to do oil servicing and seen the pads are only worn in the middle section of the pad leaving the rotor rusting on the outside edges.

IDK, maybe just some bad installs? There's only so much you can F up on a brake job? :confused: :rofl:


I think I'll get some GM parts and really be sure the slides on the calipers are fit appropriately and probably replace the lines with the SS ones as I think one of the front ones is leaking and spraying fluid causing it to slip.


Thanks for the reassurance that normally the brakes are trouble free. :rofl:
 
M

mainer

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i put all new "sliders" or w/e they are called on mine when i did the pads/ rotors... and no issues
 
C

c55asleep

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Dozerboy said:
A lot of guys talk up EBC pads and rotors. I think thats the rout I'll go, but I'm only at 90K so I have a bit left on the stockers.

There are at least 2 companies that make rotor upgrades for our trucks, but they ain't cheap and you have to run bigger wheels. Sorry I don't remember the names off hand, but there widely known companies. Maybe BEAR was one of them.
Click to expand...


Wilwood, about $2500. Minimum wheel size is a 20 even that is extremely close.
 
SmokeShow

SmokeShow

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No wonder the stock stuff lasts! I just did a quick search on GMPartsDirect and the front pads are listed at $116.60! Yow! That's about triple the parts house price! Rotors are less than $70 each though which is comparable.
 
MWDHAND

MWDHAND

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I have had to replace the passenger side rear caliper as it was sticking bad and now the drivers side is doing the same and needs to be replaced. The fronts on my truck are still stock and I am at 260,000 kms (160,000 m).
 
D-MAX Mafia

D-MAX Mafia

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I had 130,000 on my stock pads and rotors and that was after 2 catastrophic events where the front bearing seperated and the only thing holding the tire on was the rotor! Attention!!! Dont pull your cv's and drive to Oregon and back unless you want to die! Anyways, when I replaced them they were only half wore. Probably could have gotten another 50,000 easy. I went with slotted and dimpled rotors with premium pads from performancebrakes.com. I think it was like $240 shipped and lifetime warranty. So far they work great and bite a lot better than stock.
 
Ryan T

Ryan T

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Dozerboy said:
A lot of guys talk up EBC pads and rotors. I think thats the rout I'll go, but I'm only at 90K so I have a bit left on the stockers.

There are at least 2 companies that make rotor upgrades for our trucks, but they ain't cheap and you have to run bigger wheels. Sorry I don't remember the names off hand, but there widely known companies. Maybe BEAR was one of them.
Click to expand...

SSBC also makes some sick brakes
 
403turbo

403turbo

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Aug 3, 2009
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Your prep sounds about right, and the prep is very important. I am leaning towards the parts being part of the issue also. All pads are not created equal. I have tried a lot of brands, and done a lot of GM brakes...in my experience the GM duralast pads are the best stuff. Even the stamped backer plates are cleaner and requires less fitting. The only other pads I will use are the NAPA Ceramix premium pads. They are just about as good but usually require more fitting.

Rotors are pretty much rotors everywhere.

Check your front hubs also, I have seen worn hubs cause rapid wear on front brakes due to the floating caliper design. Also check the back brakes. Often the back will freeze up and the fronts do all the work.

I abuse my truck, no doubt about it, I live in the hills and drive like a jackass. (but at least I'm honest) and I can get 70K out of a set of brakes with the right hardware.
 
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