[RenoF250]

I have replaced my front rotors with Performance Friction 2-piece rotors and bought new rotors for the back plus new calipers and pads all around. Awhile back I had some Good Year Wrangler AT/S tires put on and it seems like since then the brakes surge. There is no feeling in the pedal or the steering wheel but the truck shakes and it feels like the rotors are out of parallel. They look fine, no hot spots, consistant surface etc. Since they look fine and there is now pulsing in the pedal I am starting to wonder if it is the tires and not the brakes. I notice the left front had a flat spot on it. I thought it might just be where the truck had been sitting on it. Anyhow, can tires cause this kind of behavior? It is very prononced. I know my Pilot had a similar problem of considerably less magnitude and it turned out to be caused by a bubble in the tire. If it is the brakes what do you think caused it?

 

[RenoF250]

So nobody knows anything about brakes?

 

[haul_n_horses2]

I would Jack up the truck and spin the wheels listening for rubbing of the pads on a high spot on the rotor. Doubt that is the cause but worth trying. I would take the tires off and have their roundness/balance checked.

 

[haul_n_horses2]

Any updates on this problem?

 

[RenoF250]

I checked the front tires today and they seem to be round. I guess I will try replacing the rotors.

 

[haul_n_horses2]

How many miles on the rotors? Have they ever been turned?

 

[Dale_Lakin]

How many miles? Are the ball joints OK? How about the Hub bearings?

 

[RenoF250]

There are 24k miles on the rotors and they have never been turned they are the Performance Friction 2-piece rotors. The ball joints and bearings seem to be fine since there is no slop in the wheel at all when I jack the truck up and try to shake the tire. I just bought new rotors and pads and I will change them and see if that fixes it. I am becoming convinced that the Performance Friction pads are junk and the cause of my problems.

 

[haul_n_horses2]

Which version of the their pad are you using? the Z-rated carbon metallic or the regular carbon metallic?
On edit: How long (months) have you had the two piece rotors? I know for a while these rotors were off the market for some issues. Perhaps you have some of the older ones that had problems??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

 

[rzcolobanshee]

Are the tires bigger than stock? If they are you need to get the abs module reprogrammed, this can cause surging

 

[RenoF250]

THese are the newer version, I had to wait to get them because they were fixing them. Also, I checked and the screws that tie the two halves togther are tight.

It is the stock tire size but it does feal like it may be the ABS doing it and I think it started when I got these tires. I do not like the ABS anyway (I have had problems n bumpy surface with it letting go). I think I will try to pull the fuse and see if that fixes it.

 

[RenoF250]

Okay, I ran it with the ABS fuse out (ABS was definately off since the tires would slide) and I still have the same problem. I am going to recheck the ball joints and if that is not it change the rotors.

 

[RenoF250]

Well, I just finished installing new rotors to find I had wasted $256 and 3 hours to not solve the problem. The front end is tight as a tick so I cannot see what would be causing this. I am going to check the shocks, I am thinking that perhaps they are completely shot and allowing the springs to wind and unwind and create axle hop. If that is not it I am back to tires. Perhaps I will inflate them to max and see if it goes away.

 

[RenoF250]

Looks I am just talking to myself at this point but I have inflated the front tires to 80 psi and it still does it. I had the wife drive by slowly while braking and I could see the front of the truck dipping and the tires rolling flat. This is pointing me more towards the shocks. I pulled the left front shock of and it seemed to be okay though.

 

[haul_n_horses2]

So are you going to put the PF rotors back on?

 

[Dale_Lakin]

Drive the truck on the bumpiest stretch of road you can find and then get out and feel the shocks. If they are warm to the touch I would rule them out. Now on the other hand if they are to hot to touch there is a problem with them. Shocks are mini-radiators and disipate heat that is created from the absorbtion so if they are hot they are more than likely bad.