Funny that I was looking for pads / rotors for the HD Sierra, and ran across this in 'new' posts...
-
@ComputernerdBD - those AC Delco slotted rotors you ask about are definitely Raybestos sourced. You can see in a side-by-side from both a photos & specs comparison. They're available for my HD, but I'm going with something different, myself. No knocks on Raybestos - those NAPA Adaptive Ones are theirs as well (more on these below).
The advice you're getting on the EXT / XL rotors along with the A1s - I have them, and second (third? fourth?) that recommendation - heartily. NAPA sells two front kits for the LWB, both with the A1s - $200 or $170, depending on whether you want their best / second best rotor. For some reason, I can't log on to my NAPA account to check on which ones I bought for the Voy (& NAPA won't send a p/w reset email to any of the 3 accounts I would've used for it). I'm guessing I bought NBK 7759ADK2C , which has the 'Ultra Premium' rotors, but NBK 7759ADK2 has the 'Premium' rotors and is $30 cheaper. My
rear rotors are rusty, so I probably went with the slightly cheaper rotor there. And as
@Chickenhawk described in an earlier thread (which I saved to my hard drive, and still refer to) - you don't need to go all spendy on the rear. The fronts are where the money goes
Get one of those two kits above, the LWB brackets, and your front brake search is over. The Adaptive Ones,
once properly bedded in, are
THE best pads I have ever had occasion to install / use on a regular 'consumer-level' (non-competition) vehicle. Full stop.
After installing mine, I had to adjust my braking style with the Envoy, as I was stopping about 10-20 ft *too short* behind traffic at the stoplights. Yet they're not excessively 'grabby'. They're good enough that I consider my Prodigy trailer brake controller more or less a 'wasted' purchase - I trust them enough to stop the 10,000 lbs of me and trailer, alone. Even in the mountains. If I still had my track toy, and these brakes were available for it (they are!), these would be on it, at least for evaluation.
No, I don't work for NAPA! And I will admit - I drive conservatively, off-track. So if you're a more aggressive driver, your experience will be different. The Envoy doesn't have the new safety goodies (autonomous / automatic braking, collision warning, etc.) - so having the extra stopping margin, should I ever need it, is peace of mind.
As far as warpage of the rotors - if you're getting good quality rotors (material & thickness), and not unevenly / over-torquing them, then warpage shouldn't be an issue, I would think - ? If a shop has been putting them on for you, it's time to confront them on it, so they can pay for the replacements. There's no excuse for putting the gun on the lug nuts at full power, just because it's easy / quick.
Calipers and hoses - I'd leave those alone (replace stock-for-stock, and only as-needed), on a street-driven 360. Off-road, you can do whatever you feel necessary. If you're worried about the calipers not releasing, take the truck in and have it checked out (Firestone, as an example, does a very nice $10 'full vehicle inspection'; the brakes / calipers are included in that $10). Just be aware that shops can use the inspection as a loss leader - to help sell parts & services. But having a professional inspect them provides peace of mind, as well as liability protection, should the worst happen out on the road. Can save money in the long run, too (by retiring the parts shotgun).
I think that covers most of what you asked about. If you do decide (need) to replace calipers / hoses - use the same type of caliper, whether single- or dual-piston, etc. Otherwise, you're compromising the engineering of the OEM system, even if you go 'better / bigger')
Stainless (especially braided stainless) hoses *look* nice, but unless pure appearance is a factor, the rubber ones are generally fine for consumer applications. If there were an issue with them, the OEMs would have switched to something different by now, either by desire or force.
One more thing - if the brake fluid is factory fill, or you don't know when it was replaced last - take care of that during your next brake service. It can be a PITA to do it alone, but you can rig up a self-bleeding system with some clear tubing & an empty Gatorade bottle (videos a-plenty on YT, so I won't go into details). If you have a helper to step on the pedal for you, it becomes child's play.
Finally...For anyone wondering what I'm choosing for the Sierra - it turns out that there is no NRS / NUCAP front pad option for that truck (at least, available at the 'consumer' level).
That hurts. But I'm not going to use 'fleet' or semi-metallic pads (see: my earlier comments above on
@Chickenhawk's recommendations)
After spending last night & part of this morning looking at options (yeah, I'm that anal...lol), I'm likely going with AC Delco 'Professional' ceramic pads all around (again, likely a Raybestos re-branding), along with Bendix 'Severe Duty' (Fleet / Police 'MetLok' spec) front rotors / Raybestos coated (anti-rust) rears.
This looks like a good price / performance mix; if it turns out I find a weak component, I can replace it without worrying about having wasted a ton of cash finding out. The Sierra has RPO JH6 - 9900 lb disc brake - so it gets a big beefy rotor & pad combo to begin with.
E.g.; I should be fine, even if I upgrade the trailer at some point and pull at / near max GVWR.