Friend of mine has an 04 with f'ed up rotors and his is stock w/the factory 20s. Had heard that the dodge's are bad about it though. My 06 hasn't had an issue with the brakes and i'm at 33,000miles.

 

I reada very goodarticle from a well informedengineer and race team manager, that in 30 plus years, he never oncehad a set of rotors warped.
What happens is, the pads leave deposits on the rotor surfaces which leave minute raised areas.
This is what causes the pulsing sensation and shaking under braking symptoms, not an actualwarping of the rotors/metal.

Turning the rotors apparently clears the deposits but, the damage goes deep into the fabric and materialof the rotors chemically changing them and the problems will usually reappear after turning.
I think we have all seen that?

He also mentions that the "break in" period for new rotors and pads, is critical!
People must not stop, after the first 5-10 progressive stops made during the "break in" period,especially with their brakes still applied.
The pads can leave deposits on the new rotors if left in contact after the progressive braking,due to the heat build up in the new pads/rotors etc, if you sit in situ with the brakes still applied.
That's why a series of progressive stops, butNOT to statonary, is critical during this phase of the new pads and rotors life.
It's also true therefore,that after a long period of heavy braking even with broken in pads and rotors, say down a steep hill,to not leave your foot on the brakes after you have stopped. Try and either keep rolling tojoin traffic or take your foot off the brakes so the super hot pads don't stay in contact with the rotors stopping the transfer of materials between them. Apply the e-brake if necessary and let the pads and rotors cool.
It's evident that sticking calipers weather it be pistons, or more likely the sliders, can also inadvertantly cause this problem as well, as the hot pads will stick to the rotors and alow transfer of material as the pads are not correctly retracting.
Don't forget, the calipers are designed in such a way as to alow the pads to "float" over the rotors. This Floating caliperdesign, compensates automatically for pad and rotor wear and also means that the pads are never far away from the rotors, maximising braking. This is the Achilies heel of the design, in that it doesn't take much for the calipers to stick etc.
So, well maintained and serviced calipers and brake systems can also stop the so called "rotor warp"
I'll try and see If I can get this article and past it here in another reply.
Al.

 

I was lucky and found the article quickly.
Click on this link and scroll down to the The "Warped" Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking Systemarticle.

There are lots of other articles equally interesting and worth readingon that web page, especially on the upgrading of brakes.

Link:-
http://www.centricparts.com/techsupport.htm

Please don't think I'm a cut and paste merchant. I learned a lot from this and other articles.
Hopefully, this will help a lot of others on the forum as well??

Al.

 

when they were changed the first time did you take EVERYTHING apart and clean and re tourque to specs?

just a little dirt in thoes sliders can make a caliper stick and if there is only 10 lbs. diff in the bolts taht can cause a problem also.

I am now woried because I just go new brakes at 31k due to warped rotors. I hope my new power slots don't have to be replaced.

 

Your "Bang On" the nail with that RamWood.
All too many people just insall the pads and rotors never giving a thought to the sliders and cleaning and torque specs etc, and think they have completed a brake job.
Also, it's equally as important to torque the lug nuts on the truck wheels as well for the same reasons.
Al.

 

amongst numerous other problems with my 06 ram,
the brakes were completely replaced on my truck,
from stuck caliper--and started shimmying fairly bad
after--and they denied fixing the problem after
becauase the truck was then past 12k miles,

Horse Sh-t-

they also commented(dealer) that chrysler does not want to fix or touch
anything else on the truck until the lemon law/buyback situation is figured
out

I hope chrysler goes bankrupt and out of business-- with the way they handle
problems and treat their customers

g/l

 

abarmby,

yes "warped" is a loosley used term that does not necessarily accurately capture what is actually happening to the rotors.

i have had several highly modified vehicles and currently do,and I am more than aware, and ensure, that i use proper break-in procedures as well as torque specs, cleaning during installs, etc... I am OCD when it comes to service with my vehicles. But this is my daily driver and i've kept it stock so my warranty would stay intact and dodge could pay for things that are warranty issues

this is not a result of sloppy work or improper break-in. This has been an issue with my dodge as well as many others (just do a search here or any other dodge forum and you will find tons of problems)since day one. as i said in an earlier post, had i acted on this sooner, this would be covered by dodge and i would make sure they continued to "mask" the problem by getting new rotors every 12k miles. I could just replace the calipers myself but its time for dodge to step up and fix the problem rather than try to find every excuse why the owner is at fault.

i am not disputing what you are saying, proper maintainence is extremely important, but when that has been done and you still have a problem then the issue is deeper.

 

Totally agree with what your saying _M_

Al.

 

I have over 100,000 miles on my stock rotors, Never had any trouble with them.

 

thats great, im sure there are others that have the same experience as you...i dont