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Help Me Spend Money On a 2016 F150 ( regarding new brakes)

Betik

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as usual I have long and boring stories but I will make this short ( still boring though).

I am itching to buy a new truck, but unfortunately my truck has only 52K miles and I promised my wife to put at least 150K miles before we change it. Given that I work from home that truck does not get driven unless we have to tow something. So I asked my wife to drive to her work everyday. "Yes sure" she said " but the brakes suck ".

when I drive that truck I can make a 240 stop, but my wife is having anxiety attacks when she commutes with the truck because the stopping distance is nowhere close to that or her 2015 Mini Cooper. So I ask my trusted friends from Jetboater, " is there a way to make an F150 brake like Mini? "

thoughts ?
 

Liveto99

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Z36 Raptor and F150 complete brake kit from stage 3. Then get rid of the bed off the back and seats you don’t need to save some weight. The Mini is a go cart! hard to compete with. (A cool go cart) I really like them. But tell her you fear for her safety and you will put all new performance brakes on if she will use the truck. Or sell it in well the value is still there 25 to 30k or more is a good start. To a new one. A hot rod truck forum would probably give you the best info on brakes.
Just my $.02
 

Scottintexas

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which Icon do I use to slap you up side the head, I mean physically not metaphorically (is that a greek word? I hope so cause it's going to hurt)

let her drive the mini and enjoy the truck, stop complicating your life and plan your great loop trip
 

Betik

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physically & metaphorically are both greek ;)
 

2kwik4u

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EBC pads are great for adding a bit of stopping power to a pickup. Also slotted and dimpled (DO NOT get drilled rotors) rotors will help keep fade away if she's a heavy footed braking individual.

Make sure the rest of the system is in good order as well. Flush and bleed the system, check the sliders on the calipers are well lubed.

Yea, not much you can do this side of overkill sized (and priced) brake upgrades to get that thing to stop like a mini. Even if you put giant rotors/pads/calipers on it, you're still on large, less than adhesive tires!
 

Mainah

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I have had the itch to buy a new truck as well (currently 2012 ram 1500 quad cab 5.7l with 70k miles and in great condition). I also work from home and it is used as a hauler for the boat, costco runs, large dump runs, and trips to the home improvement stores to get supplies for my projects. I figured in the cost of new truck including sales tax, excise tax, increased premium, depreciation, etc over the course of the next 5 years. Beyond the wiz bang features of the newer trucks I am also not really missing out anything. I determined it would be cost effective for me to update the few things I really wanted. New aftermarket carplay/andriod auto stereo, add an amp/sub, upgrade wheels and tires to 22 inch since need new tires anyway and delete some chorme add ons I had done (sport looking truck anyway). I have upgraded the stereo and deleted the chrome and it already feels like a new truck. I can also justify spending more money on boat upgrades now.

A big brake kit with multi piston calipers and cross drilled rotors will make the truck stop much quicker and save you lots of money if you are happy with the truck otherwise. Tires also make a difference. I also agree with @Scottintexas ... let her drive the mini and take more trips with the money instead.
 

djetok

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Z36 Raptor and F150 complete brake kit from stage 3. Then get rid of the bed off the back and seats you don’t need to save some weight. The Mini is a go cart! hard to compete with. (A cool go cart) I really like them. But tell her you fear for her safety and you will put all new performance brakes on if she will use the truck. Or sell it in well the value is still there 25 to 30k or more is a good start. To a new one. A hot rod truck forum would probably give you the best info on brakes.
Just my $.02
https://www.americantrucks.com/powerstop-1-click-brake-kit-6-lug-1014.html

I put these on every new f150 when I get it. The factory discs always warp.

I had thought about ebc as well but haven't tried them since this kit has always worked out for me. It stops better, but am not a speed freak in the truck anymore.
 
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Betik

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okay 2 more questions then

POWERSTOP has Z23 & Z36 ? The only dirrence I can see is that it one for for "daily driver" and the over is for "trucks". Besides the marketing is there any other difference on the 2?

In regard to the calibers. The red ones look Great but besides looking pretty is there any functional value on changing the calibers ?

PS. I think @Scottintexas is looking for the "punch him in the face feature" and rightfully so :D
 

Betik

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EBC pads are great for adding a bit of stopping power to a pickup. Also slotted and dimpled (DO NOT get drilled rotors) rotors will help keep fade away if she's a heavy footed braking individual.
can you elaborate on why NOT drilled......
 

Betik

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personally I would not do the calibers. If you went with a big brake kit like baer ot wilwood with more pistons. The major difference is the pad between the two kits.
I think the baer are $3,500+ which I am pretty sure my wife will kill me if she finds out.

I am okay with spending $500 for rotors and pads, but I do not it to be just for show and me feel cool. I need them to perform better.
 

Seadeals

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I warped the stock front right disk (with 60k+ miles) towing our travel trailer through the NC mountains. Wilwood would be awesome; but was too expensive not to put a big buzzkill on boat mods I had planned. My research indicated avoiding drilled as well unless I maybe wanted to race my truck on a track. I ended up going with cryogenically treated rotors that are doing well (now at 87.5k miles). The liquid nitrogen thermal treatment squares up the metal’s mollecular structure for a smoother, stronger surface under the pressure, which improves performance (with the right pads), extends life and reduces the risk of warping which is common on the F150. Cryo treated rotors are uses on fleets like the USPS. I went with Hawk pads.
 

2kwik4u

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can you elaborate on why NOT drilled......
Drilled rotors are VERY prone to cracking. The edges of the holes create significant stress concentrations during the thermal expansion of the rotor under heavy braking.

The whole purpose of drilled/slotted/dimpled rotors is to allow the gasses caused by heavy braking to escape. When you really mash on the brakes, the pads are converting energy. Kinetic energy (rotational and translational) is converted into thermal energy. That thermal energy or heat, is then dissipated to the air around it. Create enough heat quick enough (heavy or prolonged braking), and the pads literally expel some gas as the material wears down. This off gassing can create what is perceived as brake fade. By allowing these gasses out via holes/dimples/slots, you prevent that separation of pad and rotor and maintain a more consistent feel during heavy braking. A secondary effect of the holes/dimples/slots is increased pedal feel. The amount of leading edge is directly related to how much initial "bite" you have between the pad and rotor. The more leading edge the more easily you can modulate that brake. This is why "wave" rotors are very common on bicycles and motor cycles. A great increase in lever feel that adds to control.

Dimples and slots also create stress concentration areas, however since they don't fully penetrate the base geometry they likelyhood of developing cracks is significantly less.

Another note. "warping" of rotors isn't actually a change in physical geometry of the rotor itself. The needed stresses and temperatures required to alter the structure of that cast iron are simply not possible under even the most extreme braking situations. What most often happens (outside of physical damage to a rotor) is pad material unevenly builds up on the rotor face, and that is perceived as a pulsating action in the brake pedal. On the average late model braking system, the human body can perceive as little as 0.0005 difference in pad/rotor interface surface variation. This uneven deposit of pad material comes from getting them very hot, and then stopping and letting the pad sit in one position. Towing can create this situation in a hurry, think of coming down a long hill, then exiting the expressway. You've heated the brakes coming down the hill, then have to stop the whole rig at the end of the ramp, and then you sit still for a few moments waiting to turn. You've just laid down a tiny deposit of pad material onto the rotor, and moving forward it will continue to "grow" that deposit until it's large enough to feel through the pedal, and affect braking performance. Often turning the rotor will help remove this feeling, however it will often return do to the reduced thermal mass available to dissipate the heat.

Cryo treated rotors will help with this due to the harder outer surface from the heat treatment process. The best defense against warpage is multi-pronged. The easiest is to bed the brakes properly and deposit a thin layer of brake material all around the rotor face upon initial installation, then driving with the "don't heat them and then stop" mentality. The second is easiest is to get higher duty pads. These are less likely to deposit material to the rotor face under extreme heat, and then won't show the symptoms of "warpage". The third and most costly is to increase rotor/pad size. This simply keeps the heat form being built in the first place, and the benefits that come from a less stressed system.

I sat through a seminar by Brembo for aftermarket shops doing suspension/braking upgrades at SEMA in 2003. A lot of this was news to me at the time, and I find those old theories are still around in a lot of places.
 

Liveto99

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which Icon do I use to slap you up side the head, I mean physically not metaphorically (is that a greek word? I hope so cause it's going to hurt)

let her drive the mini and enjoy the truck, stop complicating your life and plan your great loop trip
I want your ford 7.3 best motor ever before the turbo great i put 275,000 on one and sold it they put another 100k. it was a 89.
I put a lot of miles on my trucks but. I think if you only put 10K or so on a pickup it might pay to lease when they have good deals out there.
 
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Bruce

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drewkaree

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There may be zero application of this to your use due to the difference in the brake systems used, but I've got a 1996 F150 that used to have completely crap brakes. Since I haven't been around this forum for long, I have no idea how handy you are, and IMO, if you're NOT doing the work yourself, you're putting yourself at the mercy of the mechanic you're paying to do the work - they will all be willing to do whatever you want, for a price, and may OR may NOT have suggestions that will help, but they darn sure will cost you more.

I had the line for the rear brakes on my truck simply rust through, so I replaced all of the brake lines on my truck myself. In doing so, I replaced anything that I had questions about. The only thing that I didn't replace on my truck was the brake booster - I replaced the master cylinder and everything past that. The master cylinder wasn't an issue that fixed anything, it was simply old and the cost was $58 to me - IOW, cheap insurance. I'm certain it all helped, but IMO, the second biggest difference to me was the stainless lines. The biggest difference IMO comes next.

I had done the brakes about a year prior to replacing everything, and I bled every drop of the old brake fluid. That one change was huge. I also used a power bleeder for this process, easier to deal with when bleeding the brakes. No idea how old the fluid was in there, but I know that brake fluid is hygroscopic, so I buy the small bottles so as to use only what is needed, and simply toss any open bottles every spring. It's my belief that since you don't have a true "closed" brake system, your fluid is degrading by sucking moisture out of the surrounding air on a daily basis. Changing out your brake fluid by bleeding them is the cheapest and easiest insurance you can find. The power bleeder will help you get a firmer pedal in an easier fashion than MOST people can get by the pump and pray method.
 

robert843

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Beyond the wiz bang features of the newer trucks I am also not really missing out anything. I determined it would be cost effective for me to update the few things I really wanted..
I just went through this as well. I really want a new F250 but only makes sense if my wife will switch her 2015 Lincoln Navigator L for it. I took her to the dealer and she said the F250 was just two big but she test drove an F150 and liked it but after much debate we determined the same we were not gaining any towing capacity just gaining a few new gadgets and decided we were better off with what we got. So we decide to do the same I’m just going to upgrade the vehicle we have on some items that I would like to have.
 

swatski

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as usual I have long and boring stories but I will make this short ( still boring though).

I am itching to buy a new truck, but unfortunately my truck has only 52K miles and I promised my wife to put at least 150K miles before we change it. Given that I work from home that truck does not get driven unless we have to tow something. So I asked my wife to drive to her work everyday. "Yes sure" she said " but the brakes suck ".

when I drive that truck I can make a 240 stop, but my wife is having anxiety attacks when she commutes with the truck because the stopping distance is nowhere close to that or her 2015 Mini Cooper. So I ask my trusted friends from Jetboater, " is there a way to make an F150 brake like Mini? "

thoughts ?
The guys are making this WAY too complicated!

Just trade the F150 for a nice new Honda Ridgeline or Pilot, and you are done.
I hear those break real good.

:cool:

--
 

Dixie Highway

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As a former autocrosser/road racer, I’d have to recommend Hawk brake pads. I’d consider the HP plus line, they recommend HPS for the street but a little extra bite won’t hurt. Skip slotted/ dimpled rotors, the brief periods of heat and gas buildup in street driving is not worth the larger risk of warpage. What you want are thenrotors with the most amount of material, which is either Ford OEM or NAPA makes a good replacement. In addition, some stainless braided lines will do wonders for pedal feel. Do both fronts and the line to the rear axle. Next you need to convert the stopping power to traction, which means getting rid of AT tires and going with a strictly highway tread. Like a Michelin LTX AS. Wider is better. Once this is done, complete system bleed with DOT 4 fluid, synthetic has higher heat tolerance. Now properly bed the brakes in, meaning gradual stops from 20 mph, then progressively faster and harder stops until you get up to full panic stops at 60 mph. Now, some things to keep in mind. These pads will be dusty. That’s a trade off for pedal feel and bite. When assembling everything, brake clean the rotors right before putting the calipers back on. Both sides. Grease will negate a lot of this job, including simple skin oil on the parts. Don’t touch the pads with anything, in fact keep them wrapped until right before you slide the caliper over the rotor. This truck will never handle like a Mini, but you can get it damn close to stopping like one. Contact patch is the key, stock brakes will be enough to lock up all 4 on this truck. The rest is all perception my friend.
 
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