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Old 09-05-2018, 11:40 AM   #1
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Upgraded Rotors and Pads

Well it seems as my build progressed and the weight goes up, my brakes seem a little soft. I get a little concerned with any sort of fast stop in traffic and being able to hold on some inclines. Nothing bad, but certainly worth considering an upgrade.


Considering maybe some Hawk pads and powerslot Cryo Rotors. Probably a grand in total. Read another thread talking about it, but wondered if anyone has any other ideas.


Again, not terrible and I do have tow/haul to help me out, but would like to make the brakes a bit more grabby.


Cheers.

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Old 09-05-2018, 01:07 PM   #2
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2WD? If yes, stock '08+ brake hardware is the best upgrade.

I tried your proposed upgrade, all I ended up with was a bunch of cracked rotors, and they still didn't stop as well as new OEM stuff.
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Old 09-05-2018, 03:20 PM   #3
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2013.


Thanks for the Reply carringb. I will take that under advisement. Tell you what, I still have original rotors on my 2006 F250 and finally changed the pads at 120k. I didn't tow that much, but by all accounts, Ford OEM stuff on brakes seems to be darn good.



I'll just kind of resolve to the fact that my van is heavy and needs time to stop. The tow haul sure helps on those twisty mountain roads. Take my time, I will get there.
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Old 09-05-2018, 06:48 PM   #4
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I'd give Hawk or Raybestos pads a try on stock rotors, I've done thousands... of miles durning my past HPDEs years and pads make a huge difference, then SS braided and coated lines, then fluid. I always used plain stock rotors (cheap), granted the aggressive pads would eat them up but never felt a need for fancy rotors.
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Old 09-05-2018, 08:01 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flux View Post
2013.

---
I'll just kind of resolve to the fact that my van is heavy and needs time to stop.
If your 2013 brakes are braking well, you either need to flush your brake fluid (and use the DOT-4 LV Performance brake fluid for better pedal feel), or you may just need to bed them in.

Stock Brake System Bed-in

Your brakes are already sized for a 14,500# motorhome. You should have no trouble locking them up.
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Old 09-05-2018, 10:09 PM   #6
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All good thoughts, thank you.



Not sure if I have ever tried to lock em up. I will give it a go this weekend. I drove a really nasty canyon down to the beach in Malibu through the mountains. Never really felt like the brakes were not doing their job or that they got too hot. I just feel like they are generally a bit soft and I gotta put em hard to the floor to get fast braking. Maybe it's all in my head for the most part.



I will think about getting em flushed, that's something I don't trust to do myself. Brake pad swap no issue.


Thanks and thanks all. I get a little heady about the rig as it's the family fun van.
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Old 09-06-2018, 04:12 AM   #7
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I did the '08 brake upgrade on a 2003 E250 EB whose gross weight had climbed from 5300# empty to just under 7800# when my refit was finished. This is basically a daily driver, work-only cargo van full of tools etc.

While not necessarily appropriate to your particular situation this link details that swap, shows the larger calipers and rotors Ford used. (My parts are all OEM BTW except for NAPA's Ultra Premium pads.) http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...tos-11255.html

Even after adding so much weight I have no problems stopping with stock Ford parts, have high confidence I have more than enough brakes for my daily uses.

The temptation is trying something "exotic" in hopes of better braking but as CarringB says more often than not you improve braking power only marginally but yet increase your maintenance costs and work required to keep it all in good operating condition.

Another FWIW---with just over 85K miles and 5 years service on that brake upgrade there's barely any wear on the OEM rotors, pads also showing good life yet.

HTH
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Old 09-06-2018, 10:50 AM   #8
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I too had bad luck with the Powerstop slotted rotors. They rusted out and all the holes got plugged up within six months. I returned to stock rotors with good results. Meanwhile, I have a set of new in the box rear rotors (not slotted or drilled, made in Germany not China) that I'd sell for half of new price if anyone is interested.
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Old 09-06-2018, 11:18 AM   #9
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The reliable mechanics I've talked to said best to use Ford OEM rotors and pads.

I just cracked a set of rotors using aftermarket pads. It doesn't pay to cheap out on brakes on these beasts.
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Old 09-13-2018, 10:34 AM   #10
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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.
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