So, I've got a 2004 FX4 that just turned 60,000 miles and I'm about to do a brake job on it. I know I have at least one warped rotor because I can feel it under hard braking. The runout on the rotors is within tolerance and the pads are not worn out.

My question is: Are the factory rotors worth trying to machine straight or should I just replace all four with some better quality rotors?

I do tow quite a bit both on and off road but I don't overload the truck or brake exceptionally hard so I'm assuming the Ford rotors are just weak?

 

no IMO the rotors arent worth turning especially after 60,000 miles. i would get yourself a good set of OEM style rotors ( i just payed just over $40 a rotor for NAPA premium) and a good set of high performance pads. Ive had awesome luck with Hawk LTS pads on my lifted ranger and i just recently put them on my lariat and they are hands down superior to the oem crap pads i took off of it. I tow often as well and these pads i know will get the job done without over heating like the stock pads.

heres a recent thread i made when i did my brakes.
https://www.f150forum.com/f2/got-brakes-94817/

 

IMO if your rotors still have enough material to be turned then I would have them turned. I get mine done for $12.50 a rotor and the OEM rotors seems to hold up better then the crap they sell at the discount auto stores. If they are warped you may not be able to turn enough off to get them flat again. If you replace your rotors then get a decent set. Like stated above get a decent set of pads also.

 

Thanks for the replies. So we're 50/50 on the turning, that's about what I figured.

I'm actually leaning toward a set of cross drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic pads. I can get the whole set up delivered for $488. I turn my own wrenches on everything so the labor only costs a couple beers an hour.

 

Some people turn them and others don't. I like to squeek every penny out of something when I can.
Although ceramic pads are nice, they will chew thru rotors faster than regular pads. Unless you are towing alot or towing really heavy loads, slotted and drilled rotors are waste of money IMO.

 

Yes the rotors and ceramic pads are a matched set.

The main reason I'm leaning toward not turning the Ford rotors is I'm just skeptical of their overall quality, and if I pay to have them turned only to put them back on and realize the problem is still there...well I'd rather lay out the cash for the new stuff and only have to do the job once.

 

Look here...I have these on my current truck and have had them on 2 others before this one. No problems at all and they wear very well. i put over 50K on a 1999 F250 Diesel I had and there was still plenty of life left on the brakes when I sold the truck.
http://stores.ebay.com/brakemotive__...+ford+f150+fx4

 

ford rotors are of the same quality of most rotors (except for the high dollar high end rotors) these days because pretty much all of them are made in China or made of Chinese iron. the pads you use matter more than the rotor though, as long as you get a quality pad and you bed them in correctly and torque the lugs evenly when re-installing the wheels (yes, that makes a difference) you will have good luck with pretty much any rotor setup.

My main reason for not turning the OEM rotors, or any rotor for that matter is because unlike the old days when rotors were pretty thick and could handle being turned, the newer vehicles have somewhat thin rotors to begin with. the less material that is left on the rotor the quicker it can heat up and be more prone to warping.

 

Thanks for that link!

 

first off to clear up some misconceptions your rotors didnt actually "warp" but have some brake pad material bonded to them creating a high spot that would feel like the rotor is warped in the steering wheel. More info on the warped rotor myth can be read here:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

personally I would replace the rotor with either an OE or aftermarket rotor for piece of mind sake. If you do want to save some money then having the rotors machined is a good alternative, as long as the finished rotor is within usable tolerances. Ford developed those tolerances to ensure that you can still achieve good braking performance with that amount of material on your brake rotor. Keep in mind though that when you have less material left on the rotor itself the thermal properties of that rotor have been changed and under heavy braking events this could cause cracks to form in the rotor.

as for a replacement rotor, i would recommend using an OE solid disk as this will have more material then the slotted/cross drilled rotors thus having better thermal properties as well as more surface area for the brake pad to make contact with. If you are heavy on the brakes or do a lot of towing then slotted rotors might be a worthy improvement as it will give slight advantages (cleans brake pad surface, allows gas to escape from the fire band) in braking performance but come at a higher cost.

as for brake pads I currently use, and recommend to everyone who asks, the Hawk LTS pads. They offer the best braking improvement over the stock brake pads for a decent price. If you want less brake dust and do not mind the slight decrease in braking performance then the ceramic pads would be a good alternative.

If you want a custom price for any of the brake pads or rotors shoot me a PM and i'll see what i can do.