Brake woes...

[olemiss]

Seems like I am fighting a never ending battle with the brakes on my 07 2WD Tahoe.

After a few minutes of driving, there is a rather strong shake in the steering wheel when I am applying the brakes. Are the rotors "warped"?

Little history on the truck:
I have about 125K miles on the truck. The rotors have been replaced once, maybe twice, and they have also been turned with new pads installed last summer. I am just in disbelief that another set of rotors have worn out.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Help.

 

[Big Buttons]

What kind of rotors/pads are you getting? I would just upgrade your rotors and pads to drilled and slotted and some hawk/stoptech/posiquiet pads...

Check out R1Concepts that's where I got my brakes at and I was extremely pleased.

 

[Rockytfox]

If the rotors are still good, I'd think about the quality of the pads. The metallic ones seems to be pretty bad as far as shaking goes.

 

[olemiss]

I am using all factory GM parts. I read the long thread about R1Concepts this morning, and they seem like quality parts.

Would the factory pads cause the steering wheel to shake? When I am almost to a stop (under 10 mph) the steering wheel shake goes away, and the car feels almost like I am rolling over an egg or something oval shaped.

 

[Rockytfox]

I'm assuming you've checked some of the obvious stuff like properly torqued lugs and tire wear, bent rims, etc?

 

[olemiss]

Just had an alignment done along with the tires rotated and balanced. Alignment was off, and cut into one of my front tires. The alignment was corrected and that tire was rotated to the back. Still have the same brake issues, no change.

It is almost tire time, but I do not think the tires are causing this issue. The problem was corrected after the last set of rotors were put on the truck. I just do not want to believe that I need to replace rotors every year on this truck.

How can I check the rotors to see if they are indeed warped? Could my calipers be bad and one side clamping down harder than the other?

 

[Rockytfox]

Easiest and cheapest way to check the rotors is to get a micrometer and check the thickness all around. The price ranges from $10 to $300 for that tool based on size, manufacturer, digital, etc. alternatively, you could take the rotors off and use a separate vehicle to go to a local auto parts store like O'Reillys and have them check and turn them.