I had read a few post in the past about the rotors warping on the '02 X, but couldn't find any of those posts while searching. My question to put out there is that i can notice a slight jerking almost with light to medium application of the brakes, and thusly believe that rotors may be warped and would like to get new and better front braking setup for my X. I was thinking slotted or cross-drilled rotors, but in general I am a novice in the brake dept, so any advice on brakes and what would be good to go with would be certainly appreciated.

Thanks,
Russ

How many miles?

Slight jerking could be the ABS engaging of course you're not stomping on the pedal. I would wait a few weeks and see if it gets worse before I go dropping the cash.

Mine pulsate (indicating a little warping) also.

I have ~22K miles on my X.

I also have that problem. Last time I took my X into the dealer, they checked out everthing and shrugged their collective shoulders. If there is a fix I would love to know about it.

There is a fix...replace them with NON nissan rotors. They suck!

Mine have done the same thing from time to time, but they always stop after a couple hundred miles for some reason...

Right now I have 71k miles on the stock brakes - they still work very well, but I have a set of cross-drilled rotors to put on when they're through.

That's the truth. I just had mine turned because at 24K miles, they were alreay glazed, and I am a very conservative driver in my truck. The next pair will be Non-Nissan and cross-drilled.

Mine turned maybe 4-5,000 miles ago... They are pulsating again... Maybe I should move on to non-nissan rotors, too...

The Nissan rotors are just fine. Riding the brakes and overheating them can warp them, just like any other rotor. If you use your brakes correctly, the rotors should last the life of the vehicle.

Thanks for all the input, I on have about 14K on my X, and certainly use the brakes correctly, and as I'm sure a lot of you know, that for some situations tha brakes aren't even necessary since the for un-aerodynamic X slows itself down pretty easily. I think it may just be the ABS pulsing, but I'm taking it in for the 15K checkup soon, so I can gett he shoulder shrug from Nissan that seems to be going around. I think I will hold off, especially because the pulsing only happens on light to medium braking, and as far as i can tell does not interfere with stopping the truck when it needs to be stopped. Eventually I think I will replace the rotors with a nice cross drilled set, any comments about who makes a good set? I saw a Stillen brake set that looked nice, it was actually for converting the back drums to rotors, but I think it would just as eaily slide on the front, right? Thanks for all the input everyone.

~Russ

Yup. 71k on mine, and they've never pulsed, even with new pads - they've never been turned, either.

I had the pulsing problem last year.
The pulsing was comming from the rear drums. I determined this by finding an open parking lot and drove slow(5 - 10 mph), then instead of applying the brake pedel, I slowly pulled the e-brake out and found the pulsing started to happen. To me this told me the pulsing was coming from the rear, since the e-brake cable is only engaging the rear brakes.

I took it into the dealer right before GOX (and a few hundred miles before the warrenty expired) and they said the drum was warped slightly. They machined the drum and returned the X to me. I was amazed to find the problem went away....for about a day and a half. Then it started to come back again. By the time I was on the road to GOX, the pulsing was back at the same force it was before they did their work. When I returned from GOX, I took it back and they decided to completly replace the drums. I've not had a problem since. All this was covered by my 36,000 mile warrenty

Do the e-brake test to see if you can isolate the problem, either front or rear.

Andy

Any recommendations on Non-Nissan rotors? What about the drums?

While we on the subject, anyone have a preference to pads?
Thanks

XID-
Thanks for the idea, I'll have to check it out and see if it is indeed the back drums.

Also while the quesiton is out there, I'm always looking for good upgrades to put on my wish list. Anyone know of any good cross-drilled rotor kits to put on the front?

I just can't buy that completely but there may be multiple factors.

I mentioned earlier that I'm a fairly conservative driver, even while going off-road, which is not that often. I also drive with two different tire and rim sets for on and off-road.

After 24k miles, my rotors became glazed. This means the rotors heat to a point that while driving, harmonics are created between the brake pads and rotors, making them squeak like mad. They also appear with a slight blue color. Although, they had not heated to the point yet that they warped.

After talking with a friend who knows a lot about mechanics and engineering, he mentioned that with my steel rims on, there is less airflow. I have small gaps between my spokes with this rim. Also, the steel does not disperse the heat like my stock aluminum rims do. Also, the stock spoke spacing is much larger allowing for greater airflow for cooling. (See photos below)

With this theory, I've concluded that with my steel rims in summer heat even considering my conservative driving, this setup can shorten the life span of the rotors.

Having said that, the Xterra is rated one of the best braking mid-size SUV's on the market. Although, I think the Nissan rotors for the Xterra could be better.

My steel rim and tire setup..


My Stock rim and tire setup..


I'm researching this myself. When I find a vendor I'll post it.

I have less than 8K on mine and they pulse the same way under light pressure- as when coming from a slow speed to a stop. The grab, then let go, grab then let go. Definitely a rotor problem, but it doesn't seem to do it at higher speeds to stop. I really don't ride the brakes at all, in fact, I downshift out of OD or into 2nd sometimes to slow down. (Used to a stick). I agree the stock rotors must suck. Just can't fathom dishing out a few bills for new slotted rotors. BTW- I would stay away from x-drilled rotors. In my racing experience, if you get a crappy set- the holes have a tendency to crack. Especially witht the heat created with stock brakes and no direct ventilation.