'15+ brake upgrade? OR upgrade to 2500 brakes

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kbuskill

kbuskill

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IMHO, the biggest weakness of the 1/2 braking system are the rotors. Not as beefy, prone to warping. If I was doing any kind of brake upgrade, I'd make sure it includes beefier rotors. What good are six-piston calipers if they'll just warp the rotors more readily?

I understand what your saying, however, this is a daily driven Burb. I'm not out carving canyons or racing on F1 road courses. The odds of ever getting the rotors hot enough (glowing orange) to ACTUALLY cause a physical deformation of the rotor is nexr to none.

Now with that being said. People get "warped" rotors all the time due to poor driving habits.

But what most refer to as "warped" is actually just a build up of pad material on different spots on the face of the rotors.

When people, lile my MIL, wait until the last minute to start slowing down for a stop they are ******* the brakes which causes excess heat to build up in the rotor and when they come to a stop it causes pad material to burn/melt/transfer onto that particular spot on the rotor. The next time you start to apply the brakes, that spot of the rotor grabs the pads because it has more friction/grip in that location. That is what you are actually feeling and most interpret that as a warp.

The thicker rotor simply have more material to dissipate the heat into.
 

Ilikemtb999

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I do feel like the 2500 brakes made a difference towing thru mountain passes here. My Sierra stopped so well with or without a trailer or a load. I miss that truck but didn’t want to cut it up to get it at the height I wanted.
 

jmm121783

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Funny you ask that Kenny because I also was looking for a "stock" (aka a newer GM trucks OEM equipment that was better than ours) that would be a simple bolt on upgrade with bigger rotors/calipers and I got very few responses. I would be very interested in an upgrade like this but again I am so laser focused on my V that the Tahoe has been a side project basically.

I need to invest some good time in the 'Hoe this summer and really attack a bunch of things I've wanted to do to the Hoe.
 

intheburbs

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I understand what your saying, however, this is a daily driven Burb. I'm not out carving canyons or racing on F1 road courses. The odds of ever getting the rotors hot enough (glowing orange) to ACTUALLY cause a physical deformation of the rotor is nexr to none.

Now with that being said. People get "warped" rotors all the time due to poor driving habits.

But what most refer to as "warped" is actually just a build up of pad material on different spots on the face of the rotors.

When people, lile my MIL, wait until the last minute to start slowing down for a stop they are ******* the brakes which causes excess heat to build up in the rotor and when they come to a stop it causes pad material to burn/melt/transfer onto that particular spot on the rotor. The next time you start to apply the brakes, that spot of the rotor grabs the pads because it has more friction/grip in that location. That is what you are actually feeling and most interpret that as a warp.

The thicker rotor simply have more material to dissipate the heat into.

It's not a buildup of pad material. It is physical changes to the metal rotor due to large differences in temperatures causing internal stresses in the metal. Apply localized heat to one area at a rate faster than the metal can dissipate it through conduction and radiation, and the metal expands at different rates, causing an uneven surface. Or rapid cooling of one area of the rotor. No different than warping a skillet or frying pan by overheating it, then throwing cold water onto it.

I rotate my own tires, partly because I like to inspect the various components of the trucks. My Denali was vibrating under heavy braking or at high speeds, and I suspected a warped rotor. When I removed the tire, the rotors were glass-smooth and mirror-like, so there was no friction material on the rotor. And I looked closely, but could see no visible signs. But as soon as my mechanic chucked up the rotor on the lathe, and started moving the cutting tool towards the face, you could clearly see (and hear) the waviness of the rotor as it made partial contact with the face as the rotor spun.

All it takes to warp a rotor is one good, hard stop, or even normal but frequent stops and then any one of a number of things to happen.....

Sitting at a long light while the pads are still hot and dumping heat into the rotor on their contact patch.
Driving in the rain or just driving through a puddle, causing cold water to get on the rotor, which causes uneven cooling and warping.

All I know is I've warped my Denali brake rotors several times, as well as my Taurus brakes, but I've never warped my Jeep brakes nor my Suburban's brakes. A larger/beefier rotor will be a larger heat sink, thicker, and less prone to warping.
 

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