[Irelands child]

I have to get this off'n' my chest somehow - everyone else in my neighborhood has gone to work or is too old to talk or reason with.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I was tired of looking at the brake crud on the front wheels of my wife's Escape so I ordered up a set of no/low dust Hawk pads from Tire Rack. They showed up in a couple of days, but since she is a young chick (relatively speaking) and has to work every day(I'm retired) and really does not like to drive my PU, I decided to wait until she had to take a business trip. I stripped off the calipers and measured up the rotors. In 27K miles, the pads are probably good for another 30K miles. The d*** rotors are worn out !!! I know that cost reductions are a way of life in business - GE cut the costs so much on their turbines that I spent a working lifetime fixing or uprating them to what they should have been when they were shipped. But the fact that Ford felt that a softer brake pad/rotor system is beyond comprehension. This is safety - don't they recall Pinto's and Crown Vics that burn after rear enders, speed control sensors, Firestone tires just to name a few of high visibility problems they had in the past few years.

I dug around the internet and found out that 27K is fantastic mileage for Escape rotors - but yet my F150 4x4 has over 40K(Ford changed the pads on their buck @35K for an unknown reason) on the pads and 78K on the rotors and they still look good and passed NY inspection a couple of weeks ago.

American vehicles are very good, but gnarly problems (expensive to the average non-mechanical joe), tend to drive the unwashed public to the ricers - which, really have the same problems, but people are brainwashed into thinking that it's alright to send their money to Japan and Korea.

Oh well - time for another cup of coffee to raise my blood pressure some more.

Dave

[Bryan59EC]

400,000 on the original rotors in my 79 Chev pu----still good
Can't even get a year out of either one of the T-Birds (94+97)

Bryan

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by Bryan59EC

400,000 on the original rotors in my 79 Chev pu----still good
Can't even get a year out of either one of the T-Birds (94+97)

Bryan

My long gone '79 F350 had 150K on the original rotors and they still were not worn - rusty and disintegrating from 3 years of the Mass Turnpike commuting from upstate NY to Maine weekly and only 2 sets of pads. For 4 years my state inspection station told me that "before next year..." and when I replaced them they still had 1/4" of lining left at 125K.

Surprised with the 'Birds - I had a '94 and a '97 as well. The '94 had crappy brakes, but never wore them out in 80K miles. The '97 had great brakes but I didn't keep it very long - 25K so not sure how long they would have lasted. I'm evidently easy on brakes, based on what others tell me they get for mileage on them.

[Y2K]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

American vehicles are very good, but gnarly problems (expensive to the average non-mechanical joe), tend to drive the unwashed public to the ricers - which, really have the same problems, but people are brainwashed into thinking that it's alright to send their money to Japan and Korea.

Oh well - time for another cup of coffee to raise my blood pressure some more.

Dave

Not this guy
Aside from a '63 VW Baja bug once I've never owned an import car or truck.
Mostly been a bowtie guy but have owned Fords and Mopars too,even a couple of old binders.
We went blue oval on the wifey's new ride.

[poncho62]

I know a couple of people with new Mopar products, that only got 30-40k out of their brakes and rotors......................Even the factory is putting junk parts on their vehicles.

moving to lounge...it's car related.

[Y2K]

Originally Posted by poncho62

I know a couple of people with new Mopar products, that only got 30-40k out of their brakes and rotors......................Even the factory is putting junk parts on their vehicles.

moving to lounge...it's car related.

We had an '02 Chrysler and the brakes were shot at 30K including the rotors.

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by Y2K

We had an '02 Chrysler and the brakes were shot at 30K including the rotors.

Sounds like all the majors have some cars with rotor and/or pad problems. GM had some Pontiacs a few years ago that ate 'em up as well with probably Chevy's, Buicks and Oldsmobiles that used the same platform. I guess I don't feel quite as bad as I did. Hope to see the rotors in a few days. Then I think a (real) big hammer will be needed to remove the old ones from the hub - or else my gas wrench .

Dave

[Jake_Dragon]

Other than needing cleaned up they still have a lot of steel left on them.

[powerrodsmike]

It is more the fault of the newer pad materials. Those metallic pads eat rotors. The manufacturers spec the smaller pads with higher CF values and it's the rotors that get worn. I'm sure the rotors have been cheapened as well. I have seen that on some cars, it is cheaper to buy a new rotor than it is to resurface it. My next door neighbor just bought a set of rotors for his honda car, 20.00 each as opposed to 22.00 to have them resurfaced. (yes, china)



Mikey

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by powerrodsmike

It is more the fault of the newer pad materials. Those metallic pads eat rotors. My next door neighbor just bought a set of rotors for his honda car, 20.00 each as opposed to 22.00 to have them resurfaced. (yes, china)
Mikey

Mikey,
I'm not sure these pads are metallic, but regardless, they are tiny for the weight/application. Thankfully Ford put the ABS toothed wheel on the transaxle hub instead of inside the rotor.
A US made Wagner(maybe) was about $70 ea, and a Chinese made Raybestos about $23 .
I'm getting the Brembo's from Tire Rack for $56ea and hope they last as long as we own the car .

Dave

[WakBordr7387]

They just don't make them like they used to.
Both of my mine are still on the original rotors,
86' Chevy C10 155k miles, Original rotors been resurfaced. I did have to put new drums on the back though. Ive had it since I was 16, Ive only had to change the pads once.
85' Corvette 163k miles, Original rotors all the way around. I put new pads on it this past year.

Compared to my dad's truck 99' Dodge ram 1500. It just now hit 100k miles, its had 2 sets of rotors, the second set has been resurfaced this year. and goes through a set of front pads a year. And had to have the back drums completly replaced a few years ago. Gets kinda annoying.


Brad

[pasadenahotrod]

I think you'll find the life expectancy of the replacement rotors is way above that of the originals. Remember, you're dealing with a tinkertoy "truck" here not a real truck. The game is different when you're in the commercial end of the business.
I'd be surprised if the Wagner parts aren't made in Canada.....

[302 Z28]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

I know that cost reductions are a way of life in business - GE cut the costs so much on their turbines that I spent a working lifetime fixing or uprating them to what they should have been when they were shipped.
Dave

Speaking of GE turbines, a while ago in Aviation Week magazine I read where the Air Force had stripped GE of it's second sourcing of F100 jet engines because of of a higher failure rate compared to P&W F100's.

Vince

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by 302/Z28

Speaking of GE turbines, a while ago in Aviation Week magazine I read where the Air Force had stripped GE of it's second sourcing of F100 jet engines because of of a higher failure rate compared to P&W F100's.

Vince

Vince,
I've missed reading Aviation Week - great mag.

A couple of years ago I was flying back from Scotland on a Continental (barf) Airbus 330. They couldn't get the GE engines started because of a controls system glitch and they had to wait until someone got to work at GE in Salem, VA to help them fix it - we sat on that plane for 4 hours. I WILL NEVER AGAIN FLY THAT AIRLINE.

Luckily, the turbines that I worked with were the HD industrial power gen units - if they crapped out, they didn't fall out of the sky, the only thing that happens is that your lights go out.

Dave

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by pasadenahotrod

Remember, you're dealing with a tinkertoy "truck" here not a real truck....I'd be surprised if the Wagner parts aren't made in Canada.....

My wife would not be very happy with you having her Escape called a tinkertoy - it's her favorite vehicle....ever. She really doesn't like my F150 4x4 SCab and you should have heard her when we had an old F350 S Cab long box(I'm looking for another one now to pull our camper).

Canada - for rotors - why not, NAFTA must be good for something.
Dave