I love my ford 4x4, but ford has a long way to go in the brake department...they have always had crappy brakes. JMO...still better than any chevy you can be given....smile.

 

dude, get the truck into a Ford dealer and get your brake problems addressed, I agree the 04 has brake issues, Mine lasted 20,000 KM...not miles on the front brake pads, and all four rotors had to be turned..+ Ford threw in a new set of front pads under warenty,now my brakes are fine.....Some F-150 models gained up to 8oo lbs with the redesign....If Ford can't fix your concerns, than gripe as much as you want.

 

I have been lucky...no problems with my brakes...My 04 is excellant !!!

 

I have an 03 4x4 and went 40,000 miles before changing mine and then i only changed them because of all the brake dust i was getting on the wheels. I just chaged my rotors at 70,000 that was just to make sure that im not going to be changing them this winter in a foot of snow in the driveway. But my wife can go through a set of pads in about 20,000. Good luck with your brake problems. And if you do have to change them you should defiantly consider the ceramic pads.

 

YEah, I have an 05 scab 4x4 and have an appt tomorrow at the dealer.
The brakes are squeaking and the rotors are totally grooved already - I only have 7K miles on it

I hope this will all be under warranty because that's just ridiculous!

-Rich

 

I cannot take the dust anymore, I ordered some ceramic pads, picking them up tomorrow. I only have 12,000 miles on the factory ones. I put 75,000 on my Silverado and the pads looked like new. I still like my Ford better!

 

Does anybody have an opinion about the brakes on the '97 models, I do not think that they are as good as other makes and models. I find that it takes me longer to come to a stop even with good brakes and I would not imagine how bad it would be with bad brakes. I just want an opinion on this.

 

my 97 F-150 was a truck I should have kept...I can't coment as to othier makes in 97, but 4wheal disc and 4 wheal anti lock has come a long way since disk/drum brakes...I never touched the pads/shoes in the 97 I had and I bought it used..my truck was a 5sp, I miss that, less wear on the brakes cause you could gear down...My 04 F-150 is ok...But the 97 was a better truck...any how I beleave the 97 only had anti lock brakes on the rear...

 

Yeah I've got an 04 f-150 fx4 and i had a squeal and lots of brake dust. It was really annoying. I swapped out the front semi-metallic stock brake pads, for some Satisfied 1011c Pro Ceramic brake pads. Not a squeal or any brake dust. I lived with the squeal for 40k and decided it was time to replace the pads anyways. I'm good to go!

 

While it may be more fun to slow your truck down downshifting gears, why would you want to do that to save your brakes????? Brakes are MUCH cheaper to replace then your clutch is. And depending on how much engine braking your attempting to do your going to wear the clutch far faster than you should, especially in a heavy truck...

Just my 2 cents

 

If you know how to drive a five speed..you will not take out the clutch...slamming on the brakes in a automatic is also = hard on the truck, gradual down shifting with out racing up the RPM is the way to go + with your brakes and down shifting, you have the benifit of the engine slowing down the truck...

 

yeah, i have an '05 screw and i can tell you from experience the brakes aare no better than the 04's. 16,000kms and i had a hell of of a shake, the whole truck felt like it would shake right off the road. god help me if i ever got mud in the rims, once i had to stop on the side of the highway just to pick the mud out. so long story short... 19,000 kms and i took er in FULL WARRANTY!! WOO WOO!! i love my truck to pieces but the brakes suck big time.

 

Ever since the hubless rotor came along and since asbestos went out of pads. I had vehicles in the past with butter-smooth brakes. They were as 1979 Ford Courier POS, a 1975 Jeep CJ-5 with 4 wheel drum brakes, a 1970 Pontiac Tempest, etc. All those vehicles were made with heavy brake components, asbestos material on the shoes/pads and lots of metal to act as heat sinks. The name of the game now is lightweigt. The more weight the manufacturer can shed the better the fuel economy gets. Unfortunately, it results in components that don't have very good service lives.

The only way to get performance out of brakes is to make them cool better. We're on our way towards that as we speak but we're not there yet.

UFM82

Carbon fiber rotors and pads on public vehicles are probably just a few years away.

 

I put slotted rotors and SBS pads on the front of my 97 4x4 SC. Big difference and relatively cheap. I paid around $150 for the rotors and 150 for the pads. There is really nothing I can do reasonably priced for my rear drums. Brake pads hydroplane the same as tires. That is where the fade comes from. Gasses build up between the pads and rotors. That is why the slotteds are better. The gasses can escape. Those slots aren't for cooling as people may think.

Here is the part that troubles me. My wife drives a relatively light sports car. Best brakes in the world front and rear. It stops instantly. When are the automakers gonna realize that people with large vehicles need the best brakes. Her car would still stop good with my F150 brakes. But my F150 sure would gain a lot more braking with her brakes. The bigger and heavier the vehicle the better brakes you need.

I would gladly give back my airbag for better brakes. If trucks had better brakes the airbags wouldn't be used as much.

 

disc brakes weren't designed for heavier vehicles. too much friction concentrated in an area the same as for a lighter vehicle. i say put the shoes up front and the discs in the rear.