Slotted/vented rotors are a hot discussion topic. They do have an application that warrants them, but these trucks aren’t them. Slotted/vented rotors preform better when hot, but with proper brake use they don’t get that how even when towing. You’ll get better braking on cold/cool rotors with solid rotors.
100% agree.
Drilled and slotted rotors are, for a HD truck, pure ego and emotion. 99% of the folks will never drive an HD Ram to the point where they will give you any benefit. They do wear faster and are more prone to rippling of the surface. On my race-cars, I needed them. Even on the GTO, I kept solid rotors. Tested them against a buddy with a $2000 brake set up, drilled and slotted and we stopped within a foot of each other from 100 mph over 6 times, hot and cold.
The brake pads on my 1/2 ton Silverado, I got 140K out of them before I replaced them. The GTO had 80K on the original pads, and I drove it hard. It's as much knowing how to drive and brake as anything else. If you are braking from over 50 mph, press, release, press, release, press to stop, rule of 3s. Dang, they even used to teach that in Driver's Ed. Frankly, when the brake pads need to be replaced on my 2500, I'll check the rotors and if possible resurface them and then put premium lifetime pads on from a local parts store. That has served me well for the last 20+ years.
The bigger issue for most will be the brake fluid. Unfortunately, DOT3 is recommended for my HD 2500, and I have not researched the compatibility with DOT 5.1. Regardless, you SHOULD change your brake fluid at 5 years maximum. If you tow and or live in a climate with 4 seasons, 2 to 3 years. Water absorption is a thing. Almost every HD passenger Truck accident I have worked on professionally where brakes were an issue the water content in the brake fluid was over 3%. What I do is change the pads then take it to the local shop and watch them flush and fill the brake fluid. It's worth the $100 with the anti-lock systems to make sure it all gets replaced.
