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Frot brake rotor recommendation

11K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  71239 
#1 ·
Hey guys I am looking for good quality front brake rotors for my 2012 GMC Sierra 2wd ex cab. It only has 36K and the original OEM rotors are warped and have been since 10k so not sure OEM is my best choice, What do you guys recommend ?

Thanks
 
#8 ·
tell me more
 
#5 ·
I'm surprised the OEM rotors warped like that unless you were towing 8000lbs in the mountains and riding the brakes or something. Usually the OEM stuff is pretty decent. I had 70k on my OEM brakes on my 2008 Z71 with a leveling kit and 33" tires and they still had a ton of life left when I traded the truck.

If you can get OEM stuff through Rock Auto cheap, I'd probably go that route, but any of the "premium" grade aftermarket stuff you buy at the local parts store is probably just fine. I'd do pads and rotors together. Then make sure you bed them in properly.
 
#7 ·
In for updates. My carquest rotors are warped at 20k already.
 
#12 ·
My rotors are the power slot rotors and they been fine for me. I will never get any rotors with a hole in them because the ones that came on the truck were always clogged and started cracking.
 
#16 ·
I mentioned that I have Powerstop rotors. But what I thought I should add is that I'm on my second set. I liked them so much that I bought the same rotors when I did my brakes again this time. I just redid my front brakes in March, so barely 2 months ago. My last set of PowerStop rotors I installed in 2009, that's the last time I did the brakes. As far as miles, I honestly can't catch exactly how many miles I put on those brakes. But people like to say that drilled rotors are bad about cracking, that's why I'm giving my honest experience. Mine started having VERY tiny hairline cracks around a few of the drill holes this past winter. That's why I decided that it was time to replace them. I could have went with more expensive rotors, but at less than $150 a pair and I got a good 8 years of HARD driving out of these brakes, I am VERY satisfied with them. Plus it was a good excuse to buy new calipers so I could upgrade to the NNBS brakes. (Which is a considerable improvement over the smaller NBS brakes)
And I bought them from "Brakemotive" on eBay. They had the best prices because they do free shipping. Rockauto was the same price, but they want another 30-40 bucks to ship them heavy bitches. This time I went with the black zinc plated rotors. Here is a picture comparing my new rotors to the old ones.

 
#18 ·
No, I live in Louisiana. As far as rust, no they don't look bad at all. The only rust is that very small amount of surface rust from the rain a day or two before I took the rotor off. You can even see the spot where the brake pad rested, and there's no rust. Lol
And as far as the cracks I mentioned, you can even see those in this picture. They are VERY tiny cracks literally no thicker than a hair. And the longest crack was only about 3-4 mm at most. I honestly could have probably driven on them for another 6months to a year at at least, but I was looking for an excuse to upgrade and I told the wife that those cracks were unsafe and I HAD to replace the rotors soon. And while I'm buying new pads and rotors, might as well get new calipers and hoses while I'm at it. LOL
Here's how they look installed with the red powder coated Powerstop calipers and Wagner Thermoquiet Ceramic pads. The calipers were about $180 a pair from Rockauto. But there's honestly no point in you replacing your calipers since you have a 2012 and you have these same calipers already, just not powder coated.



 
#19 ·
Note to self: buy NNBS calipers when I buy brakes.

Have you done any upgrades to the rear brakes, Scotty? I've got either some sliders that are frozen or one rear caliper not releasing. Passenger rear is gone & the other 3 are looking thick. At least I got the ability to check them since I decided to swap rims on my trucks.
 
#20 ·
Note to self: buy NNBS calipers when I buy brakes.

Have you done any upgrades to the rear brakes, Scotty? I've got either some sliders that are frozen or one rear caliper not releasing. Passenger rear is gone & the other 3 are looking thick. At least I got the ability to check them since I decided to swap rims on my trucks.
No, I have not done any upgrades other than replacing the pads and rotors. I have the same Powerstop rotors on the rear along with the Wagner Thermoquiet Ceramic pads. But I will say this: if you don't already have the dual piston rear calipers on your truck, then swap over to them. I have a Suburban so the dual piston rears came on mine, but they didn't come on all pickups. Also, if you plan on doing the NNBS brake upgrade, you need more than just the calipers. You need the calipers AND brackets, the pads, and of course the rotors. I ordered calipers, pads, and rotors all to fit a 2007 Suburban and it was a direct swap.
One more tip, ALWAYS use loctite on the caliper bracket bolts!!! I had a rear caliper bolt come loose on the highway and it was disastrous. The caliper tilted down and rubbed on the inside hoop of the wheel and by the time I hear the sound of metal rubbing, it had cut the wheel open like a can opener cutting a can. The wheel basically exploded and ripped the caliper hose off and I damn near lost control of my truck. Having a blowout AND losing brakes at 75mph is NOT fun. Luckily I know to grab the steering wheel with both hands when. you have a blowout, so I was able to safely guide my truck to the shoulder. It also broke the rear shock when the wheel came apart. Luckily a good Samaritan stopped and helped me, he brought me to an auto parts store so I could get a new brake hose and bolts and brake fluid. We fixed it right there on the side of the interstate (I ALWAYS bring tools with me when I am traveling) and then put the spare tire on and off I went. I drove the rest of the 200 miles home limping it on the busted shock, so it was pretty squirrelly when I hit even the smallest bump. God was with me that day, I tell ya.





 
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