2019-2024 Ram 1500 DT front brake pads and rotors

With the truck on the ground and the parking brake set, use the breaker bar and 22mm socket to crack all six lug nuts on each front wheel a quarter turn. Attempting this after the wheel is airborne will spin the hub and risks throwing the truck off the stands.

Chock both rear wheels. Position the floor jack under the front crossmember. Raise the truck and set jack stands under the frame rails just aft of the lower control arm mounts. Lower the truck onto the stands and confirm the stands are settled before removing the jack. Do not work under a truck supported only by a floor jack. Note that DT-generation Ram 1500 trims with the four-corner air suspension will lower the truck onto its bump stops when the ignition is off; this is normal and does not affect the jack stand procedure, but the truck must be lifted from the frame rails rather than from the axle to avoid loading the air-spring bellows.

Spin off the lug nuts and set the wheels flat, face down, to protect the paint. DT-gen Ram 1500 uses aluminum wheels on all trims from Big Horn upward and they scratch easily on concrete.

Look at the pad thickness through the caliper viewing window. If the friction material is under 3mm on either pad, replacement is overdue. Check the rotor face for scoring, heat cracks, and lip buildup at the outer edge. Rotors below 32.0mm minimum thickness (stamped on the rotor hat) must be replaced, not machined.

The two 15mm caliper guide pin bolts sit on the inboard side of the caliper, one at the top and one at the bottom. Loosen and remove both. Slide the caliper straight off the pads and hang it from the coil spring loop or the upper control arm using a bungee cord or wire hanger. Never let the caliper hang by the brake hose - the internal reinforcement kinks and the hose can rupture under pressure days later.

Lift the inner and outer pads out of the bracket. Pry the stainless steel abutment clips off the bracket ears. New clips ship with quality pad sets and must be installed - reused clips cause pad bind and uneven wear that shows up as pull or judder within a few thousand miles.

Remove the two 18mm caliper bracket bolts behind the knuckle. The bracket is heavy - support it as the second bolt comes free. Set the bracket on a rag on the strut coil. The rotor lifts straight off the hub studs; if it is rust-welded to the hub, thread two 8mm bolts into the removal holes on the rotor hat and turn them alternately to walk it off. Hammering directly on the rotor face is acceptable on scrap rotors but will damage the hub bearing.

Wire-brush the hub face until bright metal shows on the entire contact patch. Corrosion between the hub and rotor is the leading cause of pedal pulsation that returns three months after a brake job. Apply a thin film of anti-seize to the hub face only, keeping it clear of the wheel stud threads.

Slide the new rotor onto the hub studs and secure it temporarily with one lug nut hand-tight. Spray both rotor faces with brake cleaner to remove the shipping oil coating. Skip this step and the first stop will smell like burning grease and glaze the new pads.

Fit the caliper bracket back over the rotor and start both 18mm bolts by hand. Torque the front caliper bracket-to-knuckle bolts to 129 ft lbs (175 Nm). Verify against your service manual. These bolts see high shear load and must be torqued correctly.

Snap the new stainless clips onto the bracket ears. Apply a thin bead of ceramic brake grease to the tabs where the pad ears ride on the clips. Slide the new inner and outer pads into position. The wear sensor tab goes on the inner pad, oriented so the sensor contacts the rotor before the friction material wears out.

Open the master cylinder cap so displaced fluid has somewhere to go. Set the large C-clamp against the old inner pad or a scrap block of wood and slowly compress the piston fully back into its bore. Watch the reservoir - if it is close to full, siphon a small amount off before compressing to prevent overflow. The DT-gen front caliper piston pushes straight in with no twist required.

Lubricate the guide pin shanks with a light film of ceramic grease. Slide the caliper over the new pads onto the bracket, aligning the guide pins into their bores. Thread both 15mm caliper guide pin bolts by hand, then torque the front caliper guide pin bolts to 30 ft lbs (41 Nm). Verify against your service manual.

Set the wheel onto the studs and start all six lug nuts by hand two turns. Snug them in a star pattern. Once the truck is back on the ground, torque the front wheel lug nuts to 130 ft lbs (176 Nm). Verify against your service manual.

Perform a proper bedding cycle: from 35 mph slow to 5 mph moderately six times, then from 55 mph slow to 15 mph firmly (not to lock-up) six more times. Drive at least a mile between the two sets and after the second set to let the pads cool without stopping. Skipping the bedding cycle glazes the pads and causes squeal for the life of the set.