I have an 06 ram, it is a 4x4 and has roughly 73,000 miles. Lately i've been having a problem when I'm braking on the highway at speeds of 60 plus. When I brake hard the front end shakes violently and the steering wheel shakes back and forth. I had the tires rotated and balanced and a front end alignment done, but that didnt help. I keep thinking the discs are warped but I would think I would have that problems at any speed, the discs and pads are only a few months old. Tonight I'm going to check them out and jack up the front end to see if I can find anything obvious. If it isn't the discs then I'm stumped and I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

 

You need new rotors and pads. Highway speeds cause glazing and hotspots on old rotors so that is why it doesn't happen at lower speeds...Yet...

 

So basically the new discs are defective? Is that why lately my brakes have been squealing so much?

 

Yeah this happened to me too. Changed my brake pads, and all of a sudden I was getting this wobble/shake. Changed the front rotors and she's smooth as silk now!

 

Aftermarket rotors are much thinner than OEM one's and are made from cheaper metals so they tend to not last near as long. Also, if you are doing city type driving or have your rotors hot and go through a carwash, that can warp your rotors. When cold water comes into contact with very hot rotors, it causes instant cooling which tends to warp the rotors.
Most cars can get away with aftermarket rotors but a truck is hit and miss depending on the tyoe of driving you do.
Regarding the squeel, that has to do with the pads not the rotors. What happens is the pads are vibrating against the calipersand causing the squeel. Most better quality pads have shims to prevent this, but I always go one step further and apply brake pad lubricant. It goes on the backside of the pads where they rest against the calipers. It dries like a pliable rtv. They are usually sold in little $.99 packets at the registers of Advance Auto and Autozone. If you ask for the stuff, an employee will know what you need. It's brake squeel stop lubricant.
Pads...Advance Auto for example has Silver pads and Gold pads. The ONLY difference is the shim on the back of the pads that are on the Gold's and not the Silvers.
Ceramic pads are much quieter than semi-metallic which are common for squeeling. OEM uses ceramics.

 

well i put new pads and rotors on, its much better. but the steering wheel still shakes back and forth when i brake hard, again its not like it was before but it still shakes. anymore ideas?

 

alignment issues, or bad tire wear, mine was wobbling really bad from no rotation for over 10 K, just roatated the other day, no more wobble. truth be told, i don't care if my truck rides rough, i bought a truck for a reason, i don't expect a luxury vehicle.

 

just had the tires balanced and rotated and the alignment done this past weekend. i don't mind a rough ride either, all i've ever owned were trucks. but i commute 600+ miles a week and i need to figure this out before it drives me crazy

 

Dont forget to take a look at your tie rod ends, that is what caused a vibration on my truck.

 

That's what I'm gonna try next, when I changed my half shaft I tore the boot on the tie rod so I want to replace it