Help with Suburban Brakes

[novaguy]

I have a 97' Chevy Suburban. It has a Fab Tech 4" lift and 31x10.5x15 tires. I had my brakes redone in June because they were vibrating during braking and have since put about 7000 miles on the truck. Approximately 2-3 months ago, I started noticing that my truck would begin to vibrate when braking (warped Disks). Could the bigger added tires cause the brakes to wear out and rotors to warp so quickly? Also, when I had my brakes done, the mechanic said that the rear drum shoes were cracked and it should not affect anything. I notice recently that the truck feels like the rear brakes are depressed and when braking it feels like something in the rear brakes is failing. I am fed up with dishonest mechanics, any suggestions???

[PLACECRAFT20]

you did not say if your suburban was a 1/2 or 3/4 ton. if it is a half ton, the rotors are floating. this means when you remove the wheels and the calipers the rotors will just slip off. in texas these rotors can be purchased new for about $30 dollors a set. i have had better luck with replacements than turning old ones. the drums are not very expensive either. the newer chevys are prone to warp rotors. i think they are made out of weak materials. i would also check the rubber brake lines if they have not been replaced. they are weak and will hold pressure on the calipers which will leave a small amount of brake drag. this will also warp rotors quickly. the braided brake line kit from pro comp will elliminate this problem. if your unit is a 3/4 ton the rotors are expensive. but the brake line problem still exist. chevy has finally addressed this problem in the new body style trucks and suburbans. i finally bought a ford. i hope this helps. mitch
p.s. check the calipers themselfs and make sure they are not sticking.

[novaguy]

Mitch,
Yes it is a 1/2 ton. I was thinking iit could be the brake lines too. I am thinking of replacing them with braided lines. Thanks for the info.

[Mandelon]

I have a 95 K 1500 and its now got 88000 +/- miles. Had the brakes done 3 times. I installed New rotors at about 65000 miles. Since then no more problems. I'm only running 265's, no lift. Cuz it wouldn't fit into the garage if it did. :)
In my opinion the stock brakes are just undersized. Its a heavy vehicle too. Buy top quality aftermarket disks and pads and that should take care of it.

[Desert Rat]

I had a 95 Suburban 1/2 ton that would go through front brakes every 7-10K. I finally found a fix for it.... I sold it and bought a Ford F250 PSD Crew Cab, no more brake problem. Really the best fix is to upgrade the fronts to a bigger brake and caliper and put an after market rear set of disks on it. GM finally got around to four wheel disks in i think 01 or 02. The main problem is too much of the braking action is taking place on the front rotors and they just plane overheat. I think Summit has rear kits for the Suburban for around $750 with the new portioning valve. Good luck