Phil48315

Did you check your rear brakes to make sure they are functioning correctly?
If the fronts are doing all the work it will cause them to warp faster.

WXman

The local NAPA here said they had a customer that kept coming in complaining of rotors warping quickly over and over again. After replacing several sets, they finally asked him in detail about where he lives. Turns out, he had to cross a small stream (just a few inches deep usually) to get home each day. Bingo, problem discovered.

Cold water on a hot rotor is a recipe for warpage.

Crownman

Check out www.frozenrotors.com The cryo treated rotors are tough as nails and resist warping and cracking. I had a set on my old car that I guy gave me specifially to see if I could warp them. I went through 2 sets of Hawk racing pads and the rotors still looked like they had just been turned. I heated them up once or twice then immediately sprayed them down at a car wash. They didn't warp. They're not exactly cheap, but in my opinion they're well worth the money. I plan on putting some on my f150 and my wifes Escape in the next month or so.

Gypsy

When you did the runout on the rotors, what was it?? What did you use to check the runout, let the forum know??

RapidRoy

Posting here to summarize all the good advice and so that I can get back to this thread. My rotors are just beginning to warp, so I can see a replacement in my future. Great suggestions everyone!

Preventative Actions
1. Use the correct torque on the lug nuts. Personally, I recheck this each time I have the someone else mess with my wheels. I almost always find a lug or two that is overtightened by tire shop folks. They get into a big hurry changing tires and just check to make sure the torque wrench clicks, rather than making sure it tightens and then clicks.

2. Make sure the rotors, hubs, wheels, and lug bolts are all clean of derbis and corrosion. Possibly use some corrosion preventative to keep this at bay. Personally, I use Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector on hubs and rotor areas that contact the wheels. Obviously you need to keep this stuff off the lug bolts and rotor braking surfaces. I also wipe off all the excess as I don't want it running all over the wheels.

3. Avoid hard braking where possible. Use engine braking where possible. I also like to feather the brakes at the stop and let the rotor rotate a bit when creeping up to the spot where I finally stop. I'm not sure if the creeping makes any difference at all, but my theory is that if the rotor is hot, I don't want the pad clamped onto one spot on the rotor as it cools.

4. Consider using a brake run-in procedure as indicated by Joe McMillan and sigocentral. Multiple 60 to 5mph stops with cooling periods in between. FYI, the PowerStop web site (powerstop.com) has a break in procedure that might be worth reading and following as well.

5. Check the calipers as suggested by tanked_darren. Obviously a stuck caliper will cause a rotor to overheat.

6. Check the rear rotors to make sure they are doing their job as well and not causing the front rotors to do all the work. This was suggested by Phil48315.

Replacement/Repair Considerations
1. Buy good quality rotors and brake pads. As suggested by rnlcomp and kenrussell power slot rotors and hawk LTS pads are good.

2. Check the hubs to make sure they are not out of round.

3. Check and repair the rear brakes if necessary (see #6 above).

bk117wrench

My front rotors are grooved and pulsing when stopping. 32000 miles. My wife drove my truck for the last 10k miles while I was repairing my son truck. She has a heavy braking foot. Ordering new rotors and pads from Rockauto this week.

kbrunk

What ft/lb did you torque your lug nuts to?
high impact wrench? Are they equally torqued?

azik701

What brake pads did you use? Aftermarket brake pads can warp rotors, always use OEM brake pads, aftermarket rotors ok, as long as they're not a cheap brand.
If your truck has high mileage, replace both front calipers. My 09 F150 has over 270,000 and the driver side caliper piston cracked and the passenger side brake pads were not as worn as the driver side.
But your problem is most likely because of hard aftermarket brake pads.

Mach18604

my 2014 has 18500 miles on it.. rotors are shot..

more.cylinders

Are there major grooves in the rotor? If the grooves can catch your fingernail when you scratch over them, then a cheaper $15 resurface should fix the issue, as long as you have enough thickness. While you're at the mechanic's, you can ask for a runout check to verify that it is in fact a rotor issue. Many times, it's actually a pad having been set wrong, or some other imbalance in the suspension, instead of a costly rotor replacement.
Doing these checks might save you money, if it results in not having to replace the whole rotor prematurely.


edit: for those who like to read reeel guuud: http://www.kwik-way.com/techdoc/blog1.php/rotor-runout