Brake Dust
#1
06-03-2003, 08:38 AM
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Brake Dust
Has anybody ever heard anything why Fords have such bad front disc brake dust? Are they using cheap pads or what? Am I the only one who thinks that the brakes on my F-150 suck? I've had older cars with drum brakes all the way around and have better braking than my truck. From the looks of the new Expys, Ford has not done anything about it. Every new Expy I've seen has horrible brake dust. With carrying precious cargo (2 year old daughter), kinda makes me wonder if I ever have to use evasive action to avoid an accident, if my truck will perform. Concerned customer here!!!
#2
06-04-2003, 04:32 PM
keep a couple of things in mind....
with discs I think you see more of the dust on the rim than a drum (not to say one produces more or less than the other, just more visible)
These trucks have nice shiny alum. rims with large holes to let the dust escape.
An older car with a full steel wheel and hubcap would deflect dust back under the car and onto the road.
so I think its perception more than anything. I got 100,000km (60,000 miles) on my factory pads... they cant be that bad with that life.
with discs I think you see more of the dust on the rim than a drum (not to say one produces more or less than the other, just more visible)
These trucks have nice shiny alum. rims with large holes to let the dust escape.
An older car with a full steel wheel and hubcap would deflect dust back under the car and onto the road.
so I think its perception more than anything. I got 100,000km (60,000 miles) on my factory pads... they cant be that bad with that life.
#3
06-05-2003, 11:39 AM
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#4
06-05-2003, 12:08 PM
fox,
I am a little confused. Are you concerend with the stopping peformance or just the brake dust? Just becuase a vehicle gives off a lot of brake dust on the wheels does not mean the performance is compromised. Take a look at every BMW front wheels. Lots of dust, yet stellar braking performance. Just an example.
I have factory chrome wheels and there is not a lot of brake dust. It just doesn't stick as much as aluminum. I have replaced my pads to cermaic which generally do not dust as much. Performance was never an issue, but it has been improved with the new pads. My wife drives our truck in traffic every day and often has to make emergency stops. Many times have I heard a story about how she was able to stop in her big 4x4 truck and a number of cars behind her had to pull onto the shoulder next to her. One time, she was even bumped becuase the driver behind her did not stop in time or pull out, yet she did not hit the car in front. I think it has a lot more to do with driver attention than actualy brake performance. Never-the-less, I am very pleased with the performance (except rotors warping) of the stock and aftermarket brakes on our truck.
Another thing to keep in mind is tires. They are what grip the road. The difference in stopping distance can be on the order of 10-15 feet between a good tire and bad one. Many F-150 OEM tires are bad.
Just some thoughts.
I am a little confused. Are you concerend with the stopping peformance or just the brake dust? Just becuase a vehicle gives off a lot of brake dust on the wheels does not mean the performance is compromised. Take a look at every BMW front wheels. Lots of dust, yet stellar braking performance. Just an example.
I have factory chrome wheels and there is not a lot of brake dust. It just doesn't stick as much as aluminum. I have replaced my pads to cermaic which generally do not dust as much. Performance was never an issue, but it has been improved with the new pads. My wife drives our truck in traffic every day and often has to make emergency stops. Many times have I heard a story about how she was able to stop in her big 4x4 truck and a number of cars behind her had to pull onto the shoulder next to her. One time, she was even bumped becuase the driver behind her did not stop in time or pull out, yet she did not hit the car in front. I think it has a lot more to do with driver attention than actualy brake performance. Never-the-less, I am very pleased with the performance (except rotors warping) of the stock and aftermarket brakes on our truck.
Another thing to keep in mind is tires. They are what grip the road. The difference in stopping distance can be on the order of 10-15 feet between a good tire and bad one. Many F-150 OEM tires are bad.
Just some thoughts.
#5
06-06-2003, 02:23 PM
The pads that came on the truck hardly left any dust at all. The cheap pads I replaced them with leave a lot of dust. If I had realized when I changed the original pads at 40k that it was the rotors and not the pads, I would have kept them until they had worn down. Live and learn. With either set the truck stops much better than my '90 F150 did and also better than the '98 Grand Caravan.