Upgraded Rotors and Pads

[Nick]

I'm pretty heavy and had breaking issue too, went with the power stop slotted Cryo their pads and a complete flush and re-vacuum on the fluid. Day and Night difference and a very low wear on the pad.

I do see a bit of rust when parked for too long that creates a bit of sounds until it wears over.

[MadScience]

How's your fluid level? The last time my brakes were a little soft in the van, that was the first warning sign of a hard line working its way up to failure[1]. Inspection did show a damp fitting at the time. -- In hindsight I should have immediately dealt with it at that point.

So, I'd say check around for leaks first. No brake line should ever be anything other than
dry on the outside. To state the obvious: Hydraulic brakes rely on the fluid being a closed system.

Next I'd do a full bleed. After that I'd think about whether I needed better brakes.

FWIW, I switched to the hawk lts pads on the front earlier this year, and they are very similar to whatever was on there before[2]. I've also had some bad experiences with stoptech/centric pads on a different vehicle[3], to the point where I'll avoid their products.

[1] One end of that hard line had been secured by a zip tie before I got the van and it
admittedly held up for a number of years. However that's not the right way to do it,
and will eventually fail. I was very lucky and the line failed on a mild section of dirt
road. I have since fabricated mounting brackets and installed them.

[2] Whatever came with my '04ish f350 axles, likely stock Ford.

[3] Pads would leave residue on the rotor quite regularly leading to pulsing. So I swapped
on one of their new slotted rotors thinking that would help, but it didn't. This was an
issue on the front only, and supposedly the same pads on the rear didn't exhibit this.
My conclusion is that I either got a bad set of pads on the front, or that their product
doesn't actually work in the real world.

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by SmokeyN8

How about upgrading calipers? I've had to replace several calipers on my Quigley due to them locking up. Granted it's not a daily driver and sits more then gets driven, but still really annoying.

My question would be (and you can never find any data) do the $2000 aftermarket calipers actually provide additional clamping force? They sure look pretty but the most gain for the buck is simply bigger rotors.

[MadScience]

Originally Posted by JoeH

My question would be (and you can never find any data) do the $2000 aftermarket calipers actually provide additional clamping force? They sure look pretty but the most gain for the buck is simply bigger rotors.

That matches my understanding.

By aftermarket calipers, I assume you're referring to Brembo style painted aluminum body calipers. Those buy you a couple of things:

1. Aluminum vs. steel body can reduce unsprung weight. IMHO beside
   the point and not worth the money on a van with solid axles and 33"+ tires.
   
2. Aluminum body may dissipate heat a bit quicker. If we needed that, we'd all be worried about running super high temp capable brake fluid. -- We're not.
   
3. Additional pistons. Those should provide more even pressure over larger pad area, giving you both more clamping force and better modulation.
   
4. Looks.

I've got nice and very nice brakes on a wagon and a convertible. The very nice ones are amazing, other than the fact that they won't stop when cold/wet. The nice ones have a very similar feel to the van. With passengers, I might actually prefer the feel on the van because there's more pedal travel to control the initial bite. Both of the cars have super sticky tires and I feel like, after weight, that's the biggest difference in stopping distance.