Um..no. I was not able to stop and hit the concrete barrier. j/k

The ONLY circumstance ABS is actually useful for is wet / limited traction conditions. On dry pavement your truck is not going to do a 360 bc the rear locked.

On wet pavement WITHOUT abs at the front, you will lock the FRONT wheels and will not be able to control the vehicle.
End result being you still have to pump the brake pedal to maintain control, even though ho have (rear) abs.
It basically defeats the purpose of having it at all since you do have to modulate the brakes.

OP: Previous poster is correct about steel lines. It will surely make the brakes feel more precise and might even shorten the stopping distance. That would be attributed to increased responsiveness and brakes engaging slightly faster.

BUT in the end, you will only decrease the time it takes the brakes to engage at 100% pressure. What it won't do is somehow make the car break harder...only sooner.

 

I realize this is propaganda -- from a company that makes and sells braided brake lines -- but it's one of the very, very few videos I can find with actual stopping distance comparisons between rubber vs. braided. The results are impressive. Wouldn't it be nice if I could get some equivalent improvements on my F350? Time will tell.

 

If your trying to stop faster you can upgrade to vented aftermarket rotors and pads that have more metal In them. As to no locking.. The truck is designed to not lock up. I wish my f800's had abs... when I lock them up .. they melt.. feels like I'm on ice and you for sure will have less control and would not stop as quick hence pumping air brakes or any other brakes will stop you faster than locking them up. Just talking from my own experience.

 

This video is a joke. Not even a speed gun to prove speed nor a camera to check braking point.
Oh, and this car clearly has front abs.

 

Updating thread...

My braided lines arrived today. I purchased the pack that includes lines for each of the front wheels, and the line from the between the frame and the rear axle. I decided not the get the short lines for each of the rear brakes until I got the fronts on and determined if I thought it was worth it to get the extra 2 for the back.

I spent a couple of hours tonight getting the old ones off (more of a chore than it should have been), getting front lines on (I haven't installed the rear one yet), and bleeding the lines with my daughter's help. There may also have been a small pause to enjoy a frosty beverage. I'm just sayin'.

I can definitely tell a difference in braking performance. Firmer pedal feel toward the end of the brake pedal travel -- which makes sense. I'm still not 100% satisfied with the overall performance of the braking system, but it's an improvement.

BTW, Crown makes some good stuff. Great looking hardware, fittings look stout.

 

The brake hoses sound like a good start but if your gong anywhere near the floor with the brake pedal after that there is a secondary problem regardless of how strong of a leg you have. Have you ever replaced the rear brake calipers? The parts stores like to sell you the wrong ones so the bleed screw is on the bottom instead of on top where the air is.

 

During all these brake jobs and bleedings are you cycling the ABS unit to get the air out of it while bleeding?

ABS only kicks in once the tires lock up, it doesn't do anything before that. So if you can't lock up the tires the ABS system won't engage/act.

ANY vehicle SHOULD be able to lock up the tires on dry pavement. In fact this is how I test many brake systems that I am having trouble with, if it can't lock them up something is wrong.

Personally I very much dislike ABS, with many vehicles it doesn't work "well" which causes a no brake situation where just one wheel is sliding but the others have grip. Because of that one wheel sliding the abs will cut braking to all wheels which increases stopping distance. I have come so close to accidents because of this very thing. Three tires will be on dry pavement and can stop the vehicle just fine but one wheel will hit some slush or an ice patch, lock up, engage ABS, and then no braking power what so ever. Most helpless feeling ever! I have eliminated the ABS system in a few of our trucks because of this situation which happens allot here in WI during winter.

Now I must add that some vehicles have a good ABS system which will only pull braking power from the one wheel that is locked up. These are much better systems and do actually work most times.

Our car club spent an entire winter one year testing these theories. We tested everything from honda civics to full size trucks, evolutions, subarus, vettes, 350z's, you name it. We tested all these vehicles with ABS working and then disabled either with just pulling the fuse or unplugging the unit itself.

The ONLY vehicle that actually performed better with ABS engaged was the vettes. Not one vehicle besides the vettes could stop faster with the help of ABS than when disabled.

ABS is for one thing only. For people that don't know how to control a vehicle without aid.

 

This is a myth that won't die. This is only necessary if the ABS pump has been opened up as per the Ford workshop manual. I would guess if you somehow got the ABS to engage with air in the lines it may be necessary, but that's about the only time.

 

I had a similar problem. I was running a couple of year old Napa brake pads and it got to the point that the truck wouldn't stop any harder after 25% pedal than it did at 25% pedal almost causing a few accidents. I found it was the pads. Not sure if they glazed or hardened or what but I used hawk LTS pads on stock rotors and it'll throw you to the windshield now. I also noticed the pad edge code for the Napa and cheaper pads were ee or de even. The lower the letter the lower the coefficient of friction. The hawk pads were ff coded.
I had Napa park brake shoes that wouldn't hold the truck on even a 3" per 50' slope(my driveway) even when new. The ford dealer shoes had an ff edge code and they hold at the parking lot at work which drops 4' over 50'.

Moral of the story you may want to replace your pads even if they're not worn down to increase braking performance.

 

My 01 will lock them up with the 305 wide tires on it but I did replace almost everything, all the rubber lines and put new stock rotors with ceramic pads in the back with drilled/slotted rotors with ceramic pads on the font.

 

Thanks Tom.

Yes, I've heard that this is mostly a myth. But considering I've performed just about every other system maintenance item, perhaps I do have air in the ABS module. Unlikely, but possible.

I know that I will need to cycle/activate the ABS module when bleeding do ensure air is removed. Is there a procedure that a DIY guy can do it at home, rather than have to take it to dealer? I wonder if my Torque app or SCT hand-held has the capability to cycle the ABS?

 

Told ya replacing lines doesn't do squat.
But hey, an upgrade is an upgrade

 

Perhaps you missed my statement above. I can definitely tell a difference in braking performance post braided line installation. It is indeed an upgrade, and I'm glad I did it.

 

I'd do it too, for the upgrade part.

But, if you think you have a real problem, I would spend more time actually identifying the problem and finding what's wrong. If you just start replacing all components of a system that isn't working right well you will fix it..m eventually. But... might as well pull up to a Brakes Plus and let them have at it.

I'd take a second look at your hydraboost and waterpump pressure. There is a cool thread somewhere her how to test out power steering and brakes in a parking lot.

 

I had no useful input on this subject til a day or two ago. Driving along and all of a sudden deer in the road and more following her. Crammed on the binders and... No lockup but the abs went nuts and we did stop in a hurry. Of course I also have newer brakes all the way around. Less than 2k on them. The truck stopped in what a feel a very respectable distance. Te deer went by in front of me. And we all went on our way.