I've come to the realization that atleast once a week I drive my 03 3.9 pretty hard. It's a fifty five mile trip to my girlfriends via highway with lots of stop go construction that's been going on for almost 3 years now. My way around this is a forty mile "back highway" that is pretty poorly maintained. I might be the only guy who drives this thing so I usually go 55-60 on it. There are a ton of potholes that are literally the road width, and curves that require me to slow quickly. With that said it literally knocks a half hour off my commute. I take care of my truck but I know this road isnt good for it, and I know I'm burning brake pads. What else should I consider checking since I'm pretty much beating the hell out of my baby

 

I've had my truck completely off the ground at 45 MPH and bottomed all the way out pre-runner style multiple times (so much so, the fenders have gouged the tires), high-centered angularly on a concrete ditch, and gone through a barb wire fence at 35 MPH.

Aint nothin fell off yet.

That said, ball joints/general alignment/steering stuff is all that comes to mind.

 

As far as performance brakes what can I do ?

 

sloted rotors and ceramic pads, you will stop better but still eat through pads.

 

Where would you reccommend I look for slotted rotors? Summit?

 

Aside from what magnethead said, I'd say check your sway bar links too. One of mine was bad, and let me tell you, it rattled like nothing else when I went on those back roads like you're talking about.

 

the deal with slotted rotors, yes you will stop better, but you will still eat through pads. Instead of having a flat, fairly-stable friction surface, you not have a surface with varying mu values. This causes the brake pads to actually "face off" a little when each slot goes by, similar to facing a surface on a lathe. The softer the pads become, the more aggressive this can become. Usually, it's small enough that you won't notice it. Usually.

Because of this, drilled rotors, or rotors with smaller slots than the pads are tall, are generally better.

 

That makes sense. I think I'm going to stick with solid vented rotors but go with high tier pads.

 

The key word there is "usually" They're designed to wipe the top layer of brake dust off the pad, so that you have a clean surface between the rotor and pad. On blanks, you have that micro-layer of dust.

But because of that inherent design, they can tend to pull more than just that top layer of dust off. Just depends how hard you are on the brakes. Lay on them with both feet, and you'll probably eat more pad (especially on softer pads).

 

The back road you take is how every road in Vermont is. Every road is completely falling apart. It has beat the **** out of the suspension on my truck. Since I've owned it I've replaced the shocks, ball joints, sway bar end links and bushings, control arm bushings; upper and lower. It's the reason I have annoying rattle in the back of my truck I can't find...