I recently started to feel some vibration in my truck while applying the brakes at around 50-55mph. The shudder/vibration only lasts between that MPH range. There were some other partnering symptoms that caused me to take the truck in to the shop to have the driveshaft looked at (clunk when shifting in/out of reverse) - just picked it up from the shop and he replaced the rear U joint and rebalanced the driveshaft. Definitely fixed the clunk and it drives smoother at the 50-55mph range when cruising or accelerating - however the shudder/vibration is still there when the brakes are applied. The last time I had a similar issue, it ended up being worn out brakes, except at that time the vibration happened when applying the brakes at 30-35mph - does the difference in speed indicate something different? Or do you think it could be the brakes and rotors again? I had the brakes replaced and rotors resurfaced in April of 2019, approx 16K miles ago. Does this seem like the normal lifespan of brakes and resurfaced rotors? I also recently got new tires, back to highway tires in stock size, in April of this year, approx 3K miles ago. Would an out of balance tire cause vibration only when applying the brakes at that speed?

For reference: 2010 XLT scab, 2wd, 4.6L 3V, (100,300 miles)

 

Sounds like bad rotors to me - Where I live I don't even think people bother with resurfacing rotors with the snow and salt, not that that is a problem in Texas. I'm not sure how long resurfaced rotors last.

Are these the original rotors from 2010?

 

I honestly don’t know since I purchased the truck last year in January. When I had them resurfaced they recommended new rotors but I couldn’t afford them at the time, so they just did a resurfacing on them to hold me over. I suppose this is as long as they held me over to.

 

There's a possibility that they are. I just put Wagner E-shield rotors on my '13 a couple months back, I believe I paid around $77 a rotor which is what they are still going for with a promotion. I'm happy with them - solved my vibration when braking and my rotors were definitely shot.

https://www.pepboys.com/wagner-e-shi...807?quantity=1

Double check to verify, but these *should* fit your truck too. I also put Wagner thermoquiet pads on for $35 from Amazon. They squeal sometimes which sort of bothers me but it's not constant and I only notice it when I'm driving slow with my foot on the brakes. I'm sure they just glazed over a little bit.

If you do it yourself, I'm sure you can get the fronts done for just under $200 with some good parts

 

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation - I'll check em out!