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Best brake rotors for towing and mountain driving?

GM Guy said:
I assume it is the city driving that chews up brakes? nearly all my trucks are on original brakes. I am not very picky on performance, but they do seem to do just fine.
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You're reaping the benefits of being a 'manual trans 2wd enthusiast'.. :thumbsup:
 
3500GMC said:
You're reaping the benefits of being a 'manual trans 2wd enthusiast'.. :thumbsup:
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thank you very much! :) all the recent threads about rotor replacement on 4wds has me scared. unfortunately I think GMT800 2wds also run unit bearings, so a fleet of GMT400 2wd's I shall keep!
 
GM Guy said:
thank you very much! :) all the recent threads about rotor replacement on 4wds has me scared. unfortunately I think GMT800 2wds also run unit bearings, so a fleet of GMT400 2wd's I shall keep!
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Rotor replacement is not that bad, so long as the 4 bearing bolts come out easy. If you're in snow country, they will be a bear to get out. I do not fear this job as I've already been through the worst.
 
ak diesel driver said:
also driving habits, if your the kind of person that zooms up to a stop sign and then jams on the brakes you will eat them up a lot faster then someone who coasts down a lil before applying the brakes
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I fully agree. the family truck, the old 73 Ford F350 Cab and chassis with a 12 ft flatbed, 390 4spd manual and 2wd that Grandpa bought new has like 150 or 160K on it and it has its original brakes, except for ONE pad (not a set/pair, just one) that was changed due to a seized slider pin at around 30K.
it has pulled a trailer often, been near 30K on the Idaho farm with bales, and been up near 20K hauling machinery from colorado to idaho and California and all between. 2nd gear pulling the rockies on I70 once. :) that granny low has made up for the 390 a few times. original short block, but it has been sitting awaiting its 5th set of heads. ford for ya, good chassis, but the engine sucks.

anyhow, back on brakes, I guess I will need to do something sometime on dad's 3500HD, the rear discs have grooves in them, I assume from rocks wedging in and cutting a groove? still stops fine. did a run dragging crap back from an auction, figured up near 30K lbs with only the truck brakes, and it could lock them up on gravel, so I guess we are still good. :)
 
yes sir. valvetrain trouble. the dealer that sold it new did get to a valve job with 4 miles on the odometer of another customers truck. and to think, dad almost had grandpa talked into a international with the 392 and a 5 speed OD (IH offered about 4 or 5 manual transmissions back then, 5 speed direct, and a 5 speed over, 4 speed with granny low, and a fully synchronized 4 speed) would have been a much better truck IMO.
 
I'm getting excited awaiting the arrival of my slotted rotors, calipers, pads and CV half axle. I may take all of this, jack, stands and tools to Big Bear and do the job in the driveway while supervising the drywall crew next week.
 
Big T said:
I'm getting excited awaiting the arrival of my slotted rotors, calipers, pads and CV half axle. I may take all of this, jack, stands and tools to Big Bear and do the job in the driveway while supervising the drywall crew next week.
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You will need that one tool you didn't bring... Don't do it away from the comfort of your main shop.
 
Be careful with the jack stands, a month back a fellow I went to school with had a car fall on him. He was known to be very careful.
Big T said:
I'm getting excited awaiting the arrival of my slotted rotors, calipers, pads and CV half axle. I may take all of this, jack, stands and tools to Big Bear and do the job in the driveway while supervising the drywall crew next week.
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Yeah, I agree with WW a pretty big job and never know what tool you might need. I just did my steering linkages and used my carpenter's crow bar to get some extra leverage on the centerlink/relay rod to get it off the pitman arm. It was a booger. Also not to mention what might pop up you end up doing at the same time with a run to the parts store.

Before I start a big project like that I sometimes try and clean the truck up a little like degreasing and power washing underneath a little to help minimize the crud. Again I just did my steering and did not clean it this time. It was a messier job than it could have been. I will remember next time.
 
Since the final parts (CV axle and calipers) will arrive Saturday, I'll do the job at home after they arrive.

The worst part of this job are the bearing bolts and I'm hoping that my application of anti-seize on the last go around (3 years ago) will make that part easier. Actually, I had the RF bearing fail (water intrusion) on a road trip last fall and the bearing bolts came out with no problems. The next hardest part is pounding out the wheel studs and I have sacrificial wheel lug nuts for that.
 
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