Brakes?

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Amber Clymer

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So I have noticed the past week or so that my brakes seem to suck. I donno if it is because of my aftermarket wheels or not, but I have just started noticing this. Is there any recommendations for different brake that really GRAB? Thanks in advance.
 
Interesting, I just returned from a 2400 mile trip pulling a 16ft utility trailer loaded with 4 motorcycles and I observed the same thing. Granted, I was towing ~4500 lbs and the trailer does not have brakes but I expected a little better performance from the brakes. I'm taking mine in this week to have them looked at.



All other aspects of the trip went very well (the 4.6 did well)......i'll post more details w/pics when I have time.
 
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Lil Red, I seem to be able to count on you for sure! I was hoping to not have to change out the rotors, but new brakes & calipers that will fit both my aftermarket wheels and my stock wheels (for winter).



I have JUST broke 3k miles on my ST and it seems to be just the past 2 weeks that they seem to be grabbing less. I was thinking maybe they just broke in and that's how they're gonna feel. If that's the case, I NEED new brakes already. :(
 
Bootsy, unless you're wanting to upgrade the brake pads then I would take it to the dealer 1st to see what they are willing to do. Perhaps they will replace your pads under warranty since it's so new. My Trac only has 8400 miles so i'm taking mine in to see what they will do. At the very least, i'm going to insist that they bleed the brake system to ensure that there no air is in the lines which can give you a soft brake pedal and reduced stopping power. But if you are planning to upgrade your brake pads to ceramic or soemthing like that then this is probably a good time to do it. My reccomendation would be Hawk pads but there are several good ones out there.

As far as calipers/pads go, anything that fits the stock ST rotors should work just fine with both your aftermarket and stock wheels.
 
I have a feeling if I go to the dealership with aftermarket wheels complaining about my brakes, they will laugh at me. I think I will just look into some better pads etc. Thanks Lil Red! :)
 
I doubt it, aftermarket wheels are so common that dealers would be a fool to try to use that as an excuse, especially since yours are not that much larger (if any) than the overall diameter of the factory wheels/tires.
 
Brakes have been the achilles heel of my Trac as well. Overall, I'm thrilled with the way it's held up over the 5+ years I've had it since I bought it new in Jan. of '02, but in the last 3 years I've replaced the calipers once and the rotors & pads twice (went ceramic both times for hopefully longer life- obviously, that didn't work).



Now, my brakes are squealing like heck again. The kicker- I've got less than 40K miles on my '01 Trac, less than 8K since the last rotor/pad change and rear drum adjustment.



Any suggestions on how I can get more life out of my brakes? I love the Trac, but having to drop almost $700 for the first brake work (calipers/rotors/pads & rear adjustment), $300+ just over a year later (rotors/pads & rear adjustment) and now looking at potentially more expense doesn't make me too happy. There has to be a better way.

 
Piro,



Maybe you are using the wrong parts. Where do you live? If you live close to me, I would be more than willing to save you a few bucks.





Tom
 
Bootsy,

If you have less than 12K miles and your ST is less than 1 years old, your brakes are covered under the standard warranty and you should take it to Ford and let them fix it. That's your cheapest option.



Your wheels/tires would only be a problem if you increased the size and weight of the rims and tires, but you should have noticed that the first time you drove it with the new wheels.



...Rich
 
I appreciate the offer, Tom, but I'm in Florida. North Florida, but it's still a long way from Ohio. :)



Also, I didn't do the work myself. The first time it was done at a general mechanic's shop near my office. The second time, at a brakes-only place with a good reputation here. According to them, the first place used the wrong pads (ones that fit an Explorer, but not a Sport Trac). I thought I had the problem licked, then the squeaking started again a week or so ago.



I'm going to take it over there (probably tomorrow) and see what they'll do. Like I said, it was last August I had them serviced, so I'm hoping they'll realize something wasn't done right and take care of me.



I also may go back to semi-metalic pads. The ceramics give off less brake dust, but don't seem to stop any better and if they're not going to last any longer it's not really worth the extra dough.
 
I heard that slotted rotors eat up brake pads. I also heard the ceramic brake pads wear faster. So given slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads, I wouldn't expect them to last very long at all. That's why I am not going that route.
 
Bootsy, I have D/S rotors and Performance Friction Ceramic Pads, and they have been on for over 35K miles. The D/S Rotors will chew up Semi-Metallic pads like theres no tomorrow. I had a set on at first and only put 2K miles on the pads and they were already worn 1/2 way down. That was when I switched to ceramic. I know some here don't like ceramic pads, but when it's time to replace mine, I will be putting ceramics back on.;)
 
We have over 40,000 miles on the ceramic front pads on my wife's car and they're fine. It's very hilly where we live and brakes get used a lot. Also she gives me a dirty look when I suggest she downshift out of OD coming down the long hill into town ("It might hurt the transmission":rolleyes: ).



If you have larger than stock rims, it creates more rotating mass that takes more effort to slow down.
 
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Piro: I feel your pain. The wifes 02 had a front brake job done at the dealler at 46k. Im looking at the pads, with 34k on them (80k on the car) now and the Motorcraft replacements might have 1/3 life remaining. The also produce alot of dust.



What should one expect for life on OEM pads given the car is driven "normally"?
 
Forgot about this thread, but since it came up again, here's an update:



Took my Trac back in and had the place that did the brake work 8K miles ago take a look at it again. (They have a 1yr, 20K warranty.) They looked it over and said everything was functioning properly and that the ceramic pads were barely worn at all, certainly not in need of replacement.



They applied a stop-squeak to the pads (free) and flushed the brake fluid (which the mechanic there recommended doing yearly- only $55 so I said ok.) and things seem better. I still get some occasional squeaking, but nothing like before.
 
I heard that slotted rotors eat up brake pads. I also heard the ceramic brake pads wear faster. So given slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads, I wouldn't expect them to last very long at all. That's why I am not going that route.



How many miles do you drive? Personally, I've never had a vehicle over 60K miles before I bought a new one. Most brakes will at least last that long.



If an aggressive pad is used it takes longer to get heat into them. Most aftermarket pads are generally more aggressive bite than OEM.



More heat the better they stop. When cold they do have wear rotors faster. However, just because it's slotted doesn't mean it's going to where better or worse than an OEM blank rotor.



You don't even need to rotors just get a better pad unless your going for the looks.



I'd rather have the vehicle stop better than worrying about saving a few bucks.



Brakes are relative cheap and easy to do on the Sport Trac. Actually, I find brakes easy to do on any car and would never pay someone to install them.



It take me longer to jack up it up, pull the wheels and get jack stands underneath than doing the brakes.



Stonemiester...what do you consider fast? I run Slotted/Dimpled rotors on my 2004 SVT Focus. 19K on the car and the rotors are fine. And, I run Hawk HP+ or Hawk Blue Race pads on them as the car has been tracked on a road coarse 45 times so far. No cracking in the rotors either.



Less than 300.00 you can do brakes and rotors on the Trac doing them yourself. 300.00 over 4 years is dirt cheap. Most people spend 300.00 a month just eating out.
 
Continueing my early report. I decided to replace the front pads on the wifes 02 with 80k on it even though the dealer (supposedly) did the following at 46k (34k ago). I found that one pad had worn down to the bottom of the wear (cut) indicator located on the pad. The others were close behind...as if they really had 80k on them....



The dealer: Turned both rotors....Replaced the pads with MotorCraft pads.....Cleaned and greased the sliders and calipers.....all done in 2 hours of labor. Guy must of been fast....



I showed the wife the pads and she said I bet they never changed out anything....



What do you all think???? Im going to post another thread about this.



Um...this was done 2 years ago...
 

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