[nj1266]

And I am not new to cars either I'm afraid you article is inaccurate too as anyone that has worked in the automotive field for long can testify. I'm afraid you are giving far to much to respect to a single web site

Dude, do whatever you want. I will trust Caroll Smith and StopTech over the hacks at dealerships. The Tundra had the SAME problem and Toyota tried the same tired "machine the rotors" solution and it DID NOT work. Finally, after two years, Toyota came out with a real solution, ie, calipers with large pistons, new rotors and pads. The whole front brake assembly was replaced right down to the hub and caliper bracket. I hope Nissan will do the same for you guys.

 

[calgary_redneck]

Yes toyota's solution worked because it had larger inproved rotors which are essentually a heat sink. The calipers where changed to accomidate the different rotors.

 

[SMB]

Regardless of what other peoples opionions are of this subject my rotors are still warping once again after two times of the service department "machining" or "turning" or what ever they say that they are doing in the back behind the desk. I have an appointment on the 7th to have them machined according to the 8/16/04 TSB that Nissan just put out and according to Nissan consumer affairs they say that this is a permanent fix to the "warping rotors" problem. The Nissan C.A. rep was very sure that this is the sure fix for the problem. We will see how it goes.

 

[Carri]

Taking my Titan back tomarrow for the 3rd time to fix brakes. This time I'm told all will be replaced (rotors, calipers etc...). Also going to have them check the "strangulation" belts in back and passenger seats. Otherwise I love my truck!!

 

[jtmvol]

Rotors DO NOT warp. This is an old wife's tale that MUST die. The problem is with the pads/calipers. Nissan, like Toyota before it, used calipers that have too small pistons for the weight of the truck. This being the case, the calipers overheat the pads causing uneven pad material transfer to the rotors. This will give you the warpped feeling.

How do you remedy this problem?

Well, Toyota redesigned the caliper on the Tundra using a bigger one. Then they issued a TSB (like a silent recall) and changed lots of calipers, rotors, and hubs. It took Toyota two years before they solved the problem once and for all. My 02 Tundra did not have the warpped rotors, but I still took the truck in with TSB in hand and had them upgrade my calipers.

I do not see Nissan doing what toyota did any time soon. Your best option is to get brake pads that are better heat resistant than the OEM ones. This will lessen the likelihood of pads overheating and transfering material unevenly to the rotors.

When they're all wobbly on a brake lathe, they sure look warped. And... the reason rotors warp AGAIN after turning them is because there is even less material to stand up to the heat, therefore, warping again, often warping quicker than the first time around.

 

[araujo]

I have the warped rotor problem. My dealer told me that everyone else does too. According to the service manager, Nissan is only sending two pairs of roters per week to each dealer. Its going to take me three months to get mine replaced. That sucks.......

 

[GETSOMZ28]

Yeah, this has been a big problem with late model F-body's as well. Many have found a remedy by using autozone rotors (~$40 each, Aimco brand). Wonder if they have some for our trucks?!?

 

[vansd1]

whoever made the comment that rotors "do not" warp is high.....I personally do my brake jobs including turning rotors on my local colleges brake lathe, and trust me when you put a rotor on the lathe and it has visible runout it is warped no question about it. before you make some comment make sure you think about it before you show all of us how stupid you really are. rotors warp, end of discussion and the reason they are warping is because they are too small for our trucks, they heat up quickly and dont disipate the heat quickly enough and this is why they warp. the only real solution is bigger rotors and i doubt nissan will ever admit to/fix that problem.
thanx guys (at least those of you with half a brain)

 

[Tom Roper]

Vansd1, that community college edumucation has made you reely smart in somes ways, but their our other xplanations for the warpin rotor problams besides not dissertating enoubgh heet. Did you consider that breaks canb oberheat anbd wart from absorpin too much heet from the fricksion of pads continuously dragging againbst them rotors when not breaking because them calibers dont let the pads release during hibhway runnin n such, causin long term heet build up?

Maybe thats why nissan not be admittin to that problam of biggun rotors you suggest becausn they a fixed the reel problem with the TSB?

 

[TallTexan]

Rotors warp! Any vehicle, truck or car, rotors warp! Any one who drives a vehicle over approximately 50 thousand miles or less, will be installing new pads and turning the rotors. If you check the prices of most brake service companies their total brake job always includes turning the rotors. I am 56 years old and numerous cars and trucks and I do not remember changing the disc pads without turning the rotors. This is not a Titan problem only, just that we may be turning the rotors earlier than expected. That warping of the rotors is caused by heat and heat can be generated in many ways. I had a neighbor who insisted on pulling his 4500 pound boat without trailer brakes and always complained of his rotors warping to soon. DUH! Folks riding their brakes going down hill, hard braking from high speeds, or some malfunction with the braking system will cause the problem on ANY VEHICLE. If you do none of those things, then some other malfunction is occuring causing heat build up on the rotors. Lug nut torque too high, maybe. I think Nissan may have come up with the answer on their final TSB by changing some of the pad hardware and locking pins. Time will tell. My truck at 3000 miles no judder but told my dealer I might have felt something just to get the TSB done, so here we go.

 

[calgary_redneck]

Dude, do whatever you want. I will trust Caroll Smith and StopTech over the hacks at dealerships. The Tundra had the SAME problem and Toyota tried the same tired "machine the rotors" solution and it DID NOT work. Finally, after two years, Toyota came out with a real solution, ie, calipers with large pistons, new rotors and pads. The whole front brake assembly was replaced right down to the hub and caliper bracket. I hope Nissan will do the same for you guys.

I guess the dealerships will be pretty upset after spending a tone of money on the new on the car brake lathes when they find out that rotors don't warp eh nj1266 .....Trust me rotors do warp oftain it is a fact and measurable and anyone who has worked with brakes for any amount of time can attest to this

 

[vansd1]

Vansd1, that community college edumucation has made you reely smart in somes ways, but their our other xplanations for the warpin rotor problams besides not dissertating enoubgh heet. Did you consider that breaks canb oberheat anbd wart from absorpin too much heet from the fricksion of pads continuously dragging againbst them rotors when not breaking because them calibers dont let the pads release during hibhway runnin n such, causin long term heet build up?

Maybe thats why nissan not be admittin to that problam of biggun rotors you suggest becausn they a fixed the reel problem with the TSB?

The heat created by the pads contacting the rotors when the calipers do not release all the way is a good theory. I decided to test it on my last 200 mile trip to the desert. i thought of the idea about 50 miles into the trip on the freeway. i didnt touch the brakes for another 50 miles and then coasted to a stop on the side of the road whithout every applying the brakes. jumped out of the truck and felt the rotors and they were warm....but not hot by any means. and certainly no where near hot enough to warp the rotors. So my calipers are definitley not sticking however i cannot say this is true with all of the titans. i never claimed that your idea was in any way stupid or wrong.

I just stated that i believe it is due to undersized rotors which will also explain the reason for the titans poor braking performance in the "Trailer Boats" magazine where its 55-0 braking distance was 12 feet farther than the f150 and 6 feet farther than the 1500. The artice is on the nissan website read it for yourself. are you going to blame the sticking calipers for the titans poor 55-0 braking distance or will you admit that the rotors are inadequate. or maybe you would like to go to edmunds.com and do a truck comparison and tell me why our roughly 5000lb vehicle has smaller rotors than the 5400lb f150 which let me remind you beat the titans by 12 feet in the 55-0 braking test or let me guess that too must be because our calipers were not releasing all the way right??

....will anyone support me on this....

c-mon guy i was just stating what i thought was the problem and i have proof to back it up. i dint say anything bad about your theory untill you come up with some smart *** community college crap. by the way i use the colleges machine shop because i know the teacher not because i go there. now i may not be an english major but i do have a BA in business and i have been a successul business owner for over 3 years. \

with that said take my theory for what it is because that is all it is. it might be right it might be wrong. you might be right and you could be wrong. you brought up a valid point so i tested it and i gave you my results along with some more info. feel free to let me know what you think about my theory but leave my college education out of this.

 

[Tom Roper]

Lol...(ahem)...

Did Edmunds say exactly what the diameter of the Titan rotor is? I don't know myself, but in theory, Titan should have room for a fairly large diameter rotor due to 17-18 inch wheel sizes, and multi-piston calipers.

I can say this with all honesty, the brakes on mine so far, are slightly more "grabby" just before the vehicle comes to rest, say 1-2 mph, than the ultra-smooth brakes on my previous Silverados, '99 - 1500 and '01 - 2500HD. Those trucks used ceramic pads that also didn't muck up the wheels with brake dust. The book on those excellent Silverado brakes was that some could go 100,000 miles on the pads, or that the rotors might actually wear out before the pads. My pads and rotors showed only slight wear at 46,000 miles, when I traded it. That said, ultimate stopping power may be something altogether different. The Titan brake "feel" is a little more communicative and intimate, and may stop the truck faster. My driving habits are non-agressive and generally easy on the brakes because I allow plenty of distance in front, so I'm not making judgments usually about all-out maximum stopping power when I state my observations.

Now I don't usually attribute too much importance to small differences in stopping distances in magazine tests, but that's just a value judgment I make. I do pay attention to the numbers, and so I'm going to post a few below that were in a Nissan reprint of some magazine articles given to me by the dealer.

From "Automobile Magazine" (Don Sherman) were these results 70 mph to 0 mph:

Silverado 193 ft
Ram 199 ft
F150 204 ft
Titan 180 ft
Tundra 199 ft

...not a bad result there. Statistically important? I wouldn't lose sleep over any of 'em.

From the Sport Truck "Truck of the Year" reprint they didn't post numbers but said the following:

on F150, Dodge SRT10, Chevy SST, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra...

"It was braking however that proved to be the Titan's strong suit; in fact, it has the best brakes of the bunch. It scored the shortest 60-0-mph cold-stop distance and the least amount of brake fade. The Bosch ABS worked flawlessly in the test as well as spirited driving over the course of the road test.

In the Trailer Boats 2004 Tow Vehicle of the Year:

Braking 55-0 mph:

Silverado Towing 162 ft, non-towing 84 ft
F150 Towing 156 ft, non-towing 93 ft
Titan Towing 168 ft, non-towing 87 ft

**********************************

By the numbers, Titan brakes seem competitive, at least.
Tundra brakes are pretty famous for having warping rotors in front, and also warping drums in rear.
Silverado brakes in my experience, were excellent for durability, wear and absence of warpage, but ABS often kicked in prematurely, and THAT could extend stopping distance.

Since Nissan HAS issued a TSB and fix for warping front brake rotors, my opinion would be that it's appropriate to take a wait and see attitude about the long term effectiveness of that fix before condemning them.

 

[Tom Roper]

I also welcome your testing results from the 200 mile trip to the desert, which showed no abnormal heating from the pads dragging on the rotor.

My experience with Titan brakes only extends to the 1200 easy miles I've put on it so far, which with my driving style, no evidence so far of a tendency to warp the rotors even without having the TSB performed. But I am definitely keen to observing the onset of this problem, and have no illusions about the potential likelihood of it.

I do have complaints about interior creaks and rattles from the cheap plastic materials used, but so far, no complaints about the running/stopping performance, except that I've spent more time wiping brake dust from the wheels in 3 weeks than in 5 years with the Silverados. Just my $0.02

 

[aztitan4x4]

Mine has close to 6k on it now and have been slowly getting the "brake judder" warped rotor feel now for about 1500 miles. So give it some time it will show up. I have been fairly easy on my brakes too.

 

[Tom Roper]

But Az, can I assume that you also have not had the TSB performed? Or are you saying you've had the TSB performed and the problem returns?

Does anyone that has had the TSB performed report that the brake judder has returned?

I ask because some people are just getting the TSB performed as a routine matter of course by asking the dealer for it, without even necessarily experiencing the symptoms.

 

[vansd1]

maybe you can educate me slightly on the tsb are you refering to the one where they just turn the rotors, replace the fluid, or actually replace the caliper/piston/rotor. my truck has had all three done and none of them have worked. granted i do tow about a 4-5k pound trailer 3 times a week but i set my brake controller very aggressively. btw i have the most expensive tekonsha prodigy brake controller and to be perfectly honest i love towing the trailer because by setting its brakes over aggressively my truck actually stops like it should....its when i dont have the help of all 4 14" drum brakes on my trailer to slow me down that the titan brakes suck.

tom u asked about the size of our brake rotors, and i am glad u did. a little research and i found that it has bosh 12.6 inch rotors all the way around. in the f 150 brochure it states that it has 13 inch rotors. not a huge differance at all but the real differance i found was in the thickness. i wasnt able to take measurments yet but it appeared as though the f150 rotors were almost an eighth of an inch thicker whether or not that means anything i really have no idea. i have a little over 6k on my truck right now and the vibrations in the steering wheel are getting more dramatic as the rotors continually warp. Like u said we have 17-18 inch rims so there is no reason why nissan couldnt have put a larger brake setup on our titans....at least on the front where most of the braking force is distributed. most vehicles have much larger rotors on the front for this reason. unfortunatley i have the 17" rims with the OR package and i really dont see much extra clearance. and oh yeh i'm loving wiping all the brake dust from my rims after every time i drive it.
good luck guys

 

[trowelsworth]

Since having TSB performed [with rotors] brake dust is benign. TSB 2500 miles ago , 14,000 miles so far. Wish me luck.

 

[TITANLECC]

My truck is now in for the third time for brake issues. The first time they simply told me it was a tire and alignment issue and they ordered the brake pads for the TSB, the second time they did the repair dictated by the TSB....now I took it in today...same problem, the steering wheel shakes at highway speeds as well as under hard braking. Not to mention I've had the rear center seat belt replaced, the horn replaced, the air conditioner annoys the crap out of me with its hissing, and today I asked that they also replace the radio under the TSB for the FM and reception and tone variance. How many things have to go wrong with a new $33,000 truck before we actually get some satisfaction from our dealers and Nissan Motor Corp.? I'm 30 years old and this is my 14th vehicle and I've never, ever had this many problems with any of them. On a positve note, I love the looks of the truck as well as the acceleration, but just can't seem to get over the braking issue and their lack of having a permanent fix for it. What is everyone else in this forum planning on doing if the brake problem persists? Do we all have to hire expensive lawyers? What about all the time it takes to drop off our NEW trucks at the dealership and take a (dis)courtesy van to work? Or how about all the weekends we can't tow our boats because our NEW truck is in the shop? Sorry folks, just venting here in Sunny (Hurricane Alley) Florida. :sunshine:

 

[Tom Roper]

I'm 30 years old and this is my 14th vehicle and I've never, ever had this many problems with any of them.

You've averaged 1 vehicle for every year you've been eligible to drive, and want a lawyer because you can't tow your boats. Sounds like you've not had to work too hard. Maybe you can find a sympathetic jury.

Hope you're just trolling (with your boats) ...