Brake life

[Russ Hughes]

I searched for this but didn't see what I was looking for. What brake pads / rotors combinations can be made on an 01 to get longer life? 80% of my driving is highway, 10% stop & go and 10% towing a 3500# PU.



I have had brake jobs by Ford at 22k, 52k and now at 84k I need another. I'm told by Ford 25 to 30k is normal. This is too expensive to do every 18 months, so I need to get a better value for my money. I'd appreciate suggestions that include the life of the suggestions as seen so far and manufacturer part numbers.



Thanks!

 

[Dreman]

First, you should probably stop going to the dealer for brakes. They just cost too much.



Try going to one of the major chain brake repair places, and get a "lifetime warranty" set of brakes. That way they will have to replace it whenever the pads wear out at no cost to you. That makes it in their best interest to get you the longest lasting brakes they can find. Whenever you go back they will probably tell you of some other part that needs replacing, but they will probably offer warranties on those, too. And above all, "KEEP THE WARRANTY PAPERS!"



If you don't mind doing it yourself, do a search through the messages for "brakes" and you will get a ton of information.

 

[Robert Stanton]

Careful with those "lifetime warranty" offers, though. Some of them are only for the brake pads themselves... you still pay for labor in getting them replaced.

 

[Dre L]

You are in the normal range. I'd say that's 20K-30K for the front pads, and a good front brake job for the Trac should be ~$200 for pads ~$400 for pads and rotors. Mine go between 19K and 22K



The rear drum brakes on the 01, I'm at 60K on with 80% stop and go. They squeal like a mofo, but are perfectly fine otherwise.



You could do the brakes yourself and save yourself some money. Use a high quality pad and rotor and you should be fine.



Stay away from the lifetime brakes (Midas, Meineke) unless you will be having them install a HQ aftermarket pad (a Meineke mechanic put me on to Akebono pads, he said the "lifetime" brakes would have me back in the shop every 7K miles and could do more harm than good).



Being that I had just tried a Midas lifetime pad, and cursed them out after 7K miles, the Meineke tech's story held water. The Akebono were supposedly Ford OEM, braked incredibly, and lasted me around 20K.



I had no time my last change and had Sears install some Wagner ThermoQuiets. They're good, but they're not as crisp as the Akebono were. Next time, I will be switching back to Akebono ProActs, and trying out some PowerSlot Cryo rotors (supposedly they help pad life as well)



A note about "lifetime brakes". You MUST do whatever they say to put the brake system back into "factory specs" in order to receive a new set of free "Lifetime" warranteed brake linings, and you do pay labor on the linings.



So, they cut your rotors, install a set of "lifetime" linings. Those linings wear down in 7K miles, you come back, now you need new rotors at $100 each (those are not lifetime). They tell you that the linings only lasted 7K because your rotors were wearing down, and these should last you longer.



10K miles later you're back in the shop for another set of linings. This time they cut your rotors, do something with the calipers, and slap on another set of "lifetime" pads.



Now you're back in 7K miles again for, you guessed it, new rotors and linings.



So you've gone 24K miles at a cost of about $500-$800 just to get free pads, whereas the OEM, or quality aftermarket "non-lifetime" brakes would have only cost you between $200 and $400, with less headache, and better safety.

 

[Richard L]

I am on my second Sport Trac and have not encountered any premature brake wear. I put 42K miles on my 2001 ST. I replaced the pads at 37K miles only because a rock or something had gotten lodged between the rotor and pad and goughed a canyon through the pad. The pads still had a good 1/4"+ of friction material on all the pads and they were worn evenly.



My 2003 Sport Trac has 21K miles and I just had the tires rotated, balanced and had them check the brake pad thickness and I have about 70% of the pads left yet.



While highway and city driving or towing will make a difference on how long the brakes will last, there is no formula for any vehicle. We have people here that have had to have their pads replaced in less than 20K miles, and others have over 60K miles on the original pads. Most if that is related to your driving style.



I will agree that Ford brakes do not seem to be as good as other brands of vehicles I have owned, but so far I am getting my usual brake mileage as I've always gotten, 40K-50K for the front pads as long as there is to component failure. I suspect that Ford is having problems with sticking calipers!



...Rich

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Seriously, do it yourself if you have the time. It's "KISS" simple. Takes me about 30 min to just change the shoes. If you want to get the rotors cut, take them to NAPA and they cut them very cheap. You will save huge. I put on ceramic pads on mine and love them. Got them from Advanced Auto for about $52.

 

[Dreman]

My previous post was based on information from family members who swear by their lifetime warranties. There is some major chain out there that has ads out saying "pay for a part once, and you'll never have to pay for it again". I have to admit I assumed that included installation.



Personally, my 2003 Trac has 89,000 miles on it. The original pads lasted until about 42,000 miles, when I put on some lifetime AutoZone pads. At about 85,000 miles, I took those back and got a new free set. I haven't turned the rotors, but have instead "scuffed up" the shiny surfaces with 100 grit sandpaper. When they get warped or too thin, I'll replace them.

 

[Richard L]

dreman,

I used to get Calipers with lifetime warranties at Autozone and CarQuest, and would change them out every brake job, so I have gotten into the habit of just replacing the calipers and pads at every brake job. I have gotten calipers for as cheap as $19.99 each, so for $40 bucks it's cheap insurance that the brake job will last.



...Rich

 

[TomT]

I installed the ceramic Akebono pads on mine after about 30k. Love them so far. The dealer is only going to put back on the same crappy oem pads. Go to a private shop or do them yourself.

 

[Russ Hughes]

Thanks



If I have to have the rotors turned on my 4X2, do I need to repack the bearings?



So if I go with ceramic will it make any difference in the life time of the brakes? Will they hold up to towing?

 

[Richard L]

RussH,

Some manufactureres of Ceramic brake pads do not recommend them for towing applications. I'm sure it would be OK for an occasional utility traler that does not exceed 2000 lbs to run to the nursery for a load of mulch, etc but I would not use them for heavy towing.



Most people have had the best results with carbon metalic brake pads.



...Rich

 

[Fudged Undies]

Russ, if you have the rotors turned you will have to remove the bearings so repack them. They'll be out and easy to do while the rotors are turned. If you careful you can re-use the seals but new ones run about $6.