Brakes

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1500ram12

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A couple of weeks ago when switching to my summer wheel/tire combo I noticed my rear rotors were falling apart on my 2018 2500 6.4L with just under 27k on it. I've done some moderate towing, heaviest load would have been 10k max.

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Where the chunks are missing is roughly a 1/16" of a inch deep. Pads were slightly chewed up but had well over 3/4s life left.

What should have been a hourish job took 5 hour's. Driver's side took about an hour and a half. Parking brake pads were fighting me.

Passenger side, I was ready just to trade my truck in for a new one. It fought my wife and I every Inch of the way. Hour into some of the parking brake hardware let go. So now the parking brake was really fighting us. Adjuster was froze. So with pry bar's and a sledge and every ounce of strength we finally beat it off. So had to do a passenger side parking brake delete for now.


2018 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman
1990 5.9L 12v Cummins W250
 

wallacemf

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That’s amazing, so much corrosion. Do you live in a state where salt is used heavily?

I have a 2018 2500 BH 4x4 crew, 36k on it. We tow a TT several times a year, around 8500#. My rotors don’t look anything like that, they are still flat, smooth and shiny. What you have there makes no sense…
 
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1500ram12

1500ram12

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That’s amazing, so much corrosion. Do you live in a state where salt is used heavily?

I have a 2018 2500 BH 4x4 crew, 36k on it. We tow a TT several times a year, around 8500#. My rotors don’t look anything like that, they are still flat, smooth and shiny. What you have there makes no sense…

I live in upstate NY. Lots of salt. Very much a pain in the ass.

This is the first time I've ever had anything like this happen before, to the rotors themselves and having the parking brake doing whatever it did.

I will say that my past handful (big handful) of truck's I've only kept for a year and a half to 2 years so never had to worry about brakes. Things changed and I'm set on keeping this one. (Although I did for fun try carvana, their offer of $39500 is very tempting) I am horrible at washing my truck during the winter (it's one of those thoughts of why bother, a minute from now it'll look the same anyway). I do touch up the frame in the summer.


2018 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman
1990 5.9L 12v Cummins W250
 

2003F350

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I live in Michigan, what I like to call the 'salt capital of the world.' They salt for every little thing. I have had the e-brake components fight me from time to time, it's a pain in the rear.

I have never had rotors fall apart like that on a vehicle that didn't sit a lot. That looks horrible.

I do pull in and spray off the truck if it's going to be above freezing for a day or two, just to get rid of stuff like that.
 

caulk04

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That's nasty. Ooof.

If you're planning to keep this one, two years ago would've been the time to get it fluid filmed or otherwise properly treated.
 

Halligan

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I just did the brakes on my 2015 Power Wagon with a tad over 60,000 miles. It has all the same components as your truck and I live in southeastern Massachusetts so we get some snow. My rotors had some pitting also but not like yours. The metal backing plates on the pads themselves had rusted away as well. When I did my rear rotors I loosened up the e-brake cable adjuster some and I managed to get the rear rotors off with only some mild whacking of my sledge hammer.

I replaced all the hardware including the shoe assembly/springs/pins for the e-brake. I used Napa premium anti corrosion coated rotors and Power Stop pads. I will say the Power Stop pads improved braking performance over the factory brakes.

Maybe Ram went with lower quality iron in their rotors and the castings are lousy. Or maybe these road chemicals are just brutal. I will say that your rotors looked really trashed though. Mine were only pitted on the inside/caliper piston side.

I also agree with fluid film or something similar.
 

Halligan

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I want to add that I think the factory pads use a harder friction material designed for longevity and in doing so the pads may be very tough on the rotors. My new PowerStop pads bite much better, and also dust my rims quicker, which will probably mean shorter pad life.
 
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1500ram12

1500ram12

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I want to add that I think the factory pads use a harder friction material designed for longevity and in doing so the pads may be very tough on the rotors. My new PowerStop pads bite much better, and also dust my rims quicker, which will probably mean shorter pad life.

I went with the basic powerstop rear brakes with ceramic pads. I do plan on upgrading to powerstop drilled and slotted towing package when the time comes. I would have done it now but most of my spare funds are ******* in my 90 w250 build.


2018 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman
1990 5.9L 12v Cummins W250
 

crash68

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There was something wrong with those rotors. I've logged +700K miles in heavily weighted(+8K lbs) work vehicles on the great Michigan roads that as mentioned are usually salt crusted all winter and I don't baby the brakes at all(mostly
stop n go city traffic), never seen brakes rotors do that.
Only thing close I've seen like that was a buddy's car that wasn't drove much and parked on the grass next to his garage. The rotors would surface rust real bad and eat the pads.
 

RoadRamblerNJ

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Your rotors appear to be de-laminating somehow. Since they are not laminated to begin with, I vote some nasty Ness got into the molten iron when they were made.

I've turned wrenches for 45 yrs and never ever seen a rotor do that. I have the same truck as you only one yr older and I rotate my tires every 5k miles. My truck spent it's first 18 months and 20k miles in N.E. Jersey so, no stranger to salt. My rotors now have 38k on them and look nothing like yours. I just had the dealer replace front pads and turn the rotors due to normal wear and well, that's what I've always done. Replace the rotors and get new pads.

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1500ram12

1500ram12

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Your rotors appear to be de-laminating somehow. Since they are not laminated to begin with, I vote some nasty Ness got into the molten iron when they were made.

I've turned wrenches for 45 yrs and never ever seen a rotor do that. I have the same truck as you only one yr older and I rotate my tires every 5k miles. My truck spent it's first 18 months and 20k miles in N.E. Jersey so, no stranger to salt. My rotors now have 38k on them and look nothing like yours. I just had the dealer replace front pads and turn the rotors due to normal wear and well, that's what I've always done. Replace the rotors and get new pads.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I may put 5k on my summer setup and less than 5k on my winter set. So tires get rotated when I swap sets. Didn't notice anything odd this past fall when I swapped. I replaced the rear rotors and pads. Brakes wasn't something I was planning on anytime soon.


2018 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman
1990 5.9L 12v Cummins W250
 

Senodil

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I used to live in NY, the salt durring the winters can be nasty.... It covers everything. Only thing I have seen close to that is the beaters people bring to the boat ramps here and back up into the salt water..... Powerstop for the win and definitly treat them or when you rotate tires clean them up as best as possible.
 

mtofell

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Wow... I've seen lots of rotors over the years and have never seen anything like that.... crazy!

The salt could be making it worse but I have to think there was some defect with the steel. Should be a warranty thing (if it's still in effect) but anytime the dealer hears "brakes" they just say they aren't covered which is kind of a half-truth. The wear parts aren't covered for wear but a defect like that sure should be.
 

dputnam01

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Is what you are seeing actual material lost due to corrosion or sloughing / de-lam, or is it a build-up from your brake pads adhering?
 

bigdodge

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Mine liked like that. Truck came from Canada so it did see some harsh winters. I think they just are bad casings.

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1500ram12

1500ram12

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Is what you are seeing actual material lost due to corrosion or sloughing / de-lam, or is it a build-up from your brake pads adhering?

Delamination of the rotors


2018 2500 6.4L Hemi Tradesman
1990 5.9L 12v Cummins W250
 

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