Hey guys, We have had our Excursion (V10 4x4) since about 155K miles and now has 216K on it and when we bought it I was already well aware of the brake issues that go with the vehicle. At about 180K miles a rear caliper froze up and I did EBC Green pads and Napa Premium rotors all around, a reman rear caliper and new hoses. I was initially very impressed with the pads feel over the Motorcraft pads that were on the truck (always dealer service prior to us purchasing). We are not hard on this vehicle and I never stand on the brakes hard in fear of warped rotos.... well 10-15K miles later the fronts rotors started to warp anyways. Front pads still have lots of life left on them now.


The reman rear caliper froze a year ago and trashed the rear pads on that side and since in a pinch I installed Centric pads on the back which seemed to do ok. Now the other side rear caliper is hanging up and rear pads on that side are scorched. I don't want keep making a yearly habit of this! Calipers were from Napa.


We plan to use this vehicle to tow an enclosed car trailer this summer with est weight around 7,000-8,000 lbs loaded plus 6 people up front in the truck. A trailer brake setup will be used and an Inertia style controller was suggested by a good friend that pulls a trailer though I am new to this so have no purchased yet but that's another subject when the time comes.


I have already read over several threads over the years on the brake topic and I know everyone has their own opinions and appreciate long term feedback on what actually lasts rotor wise.


I want to address all the brakes, at least the rears now because I have to replace a caliper, but want to round up everything to make this last, which I thought I covered last time but apparently not! I like the EBC Green pads but feel maybe the compound is a bit hard and wants to make more heat than bite and caused the front rotors to warp so soon, so maybe a softer pad/different compound that is easier on the rotors? I am aware in the past that several guys talked about the Cryo'd rotors to combat the warping issue. I appreciate any advice here from the veterans with these trucks and especially those who tow with them, thanks!

 

There is a lot of information about this stuff through searching. I have Hawk LTS pads all around, Power slot cryo rotors up front and Oreilly rotors in back. Check out the thread for stainless lines plenty of feedback there. I think the consensus on controllers is the tekonsha p3 but my truck came equipped so no need to mess with it.


Interesting how you have been on the forum since 2007 with only two posts.

 

I am currently running these rotors and brakes: Powerstop Extreme Truck & Tow (Z36) Brake Disc and Pad Kit - Front And Rear
2001 Ford Excursion XLT 10 Cyl 6.8L


Availability: In Stock
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FeaturesDescription
Brand: Powerstop
Series: Powerstop Extreme Truck & Tow (Z36)
Location: Front And Rear
Quantity Sold: 4-wheel set
Bolt Pattern: 8 x 6.69 in.
Recommended Use: Towing & Hauling
Disc Design: Cross-drilled and Slotted
Pad Material: Carbon Ceramic
Anticipated Ship Out Time: Same Day or Next Business Day
Disc Construction: Front Rotors: VENTED; Rear Rotors: VENTED
Disc Diameter: Front Rotors: 13.03 in.; Rear Rotors: 12.84 in.
Disc Finish: Silver Zinc Plated
Disc Hat Finish: Silver Zinc Plated
Disc Material: Cast iron
Warranty: 3-year / 36,000 Mile Powerstop Limited Warranty
Product Fit
Fit Note
4WD
Fits Array
2000-2005: XLT; 10 Cyl 6.8L;
Parts Train has them for $292.18. They have been on for about 3 years and are holding up great. I pull a 24' enclosed trailer loaded with a 410 sprint car, Polaris RZR. tools, air compressor and 7500 watt generator 26+ weekend a year. As far as the calipers go are you lubing the pistons? I put a little brake lube on mine. Clean and lube all parts about every 3 to 4 months. That's a lot of weight to stop even with trailer brakes, so I like to keep an eye out for wear.

 

I also have the PowerStop Extreme pads, Drilled and Slotted rotors, and Calipers (front and rear). They don't have the rear brake shoes so I got Raybestos for those. I have the Crown Performance Stainless Steel Braided 5 piece brake line kit installed as well.

Everything works very well and they look really great. Zero problems and very little brake dust.

 

I used to run Hawk LTS pads all the way around with NAPA Gold rotors.

Now I have EBC Yellow Stuff and EBC Sport Rotors on the front. I have not yet replaced the rears, but when I do, I plan to use EBC there too.

The difference in stopping power is pretty significant, in my opinion.

I doubt you are introducing enough heat into your rotors to truly warp them. Usually, what is called warping is caused by having nice hot brakes, and keeping a heavy foot on the brake pedal at a light or Stop sign. This leads to a buildup of pad material on the rotor, which feels like warping.

 

mine are most definitely"warped" or more truthfully, worn down in different spots of the rotor causing a pulsating pedal. Possibly from heat, but they do have over 100k on them. You can use a fixed object against the spinning rotor and just see it. I turned a lot of rotors when I worked at a parts store and I still don't like doing it. I have a powerstop kit in my shopping cart waiting on the tax return.

 

What is referred to as warped on these trucks should really be referred to as worn thickness variation. The best solution to this is a good, but not extreme abrasive pad, which most aftermarket are, and insuring the rotors are mounted with the least amount of runout checked with a dial gauge. Factory specs for this vehicle are 0.0015" total runout.

 

Done today. All four wheels took about 4 hours including break in. Hardest part was getting the rear rotors off. Had to use a slide hammer because they were stuck good. Couldn't be happier with this setup though. Kit comes with new boots and ceramic lube for the caliper mounts. Good idea to pull those pins, clean out the bores and use new lube with the new boots. Also came with all new clips and springs. Stops smoothly and quietly. Hopefully these rotors last as long in this application as they do on our Mountaineer.

 

I run Ebc solid rotors. They are made of premium grey nodular iron. They are not cheap but they hold up.
I run Hawk super duty pads. Also not cheap. Also awesome.

I noticed a night and day difference between this setup and the factory brakes, which had plenty of pad left by the way.

You should Google warped rotors. You'll learn a little about the term. Ebc rotors come with instructions and they include using a dial to check runout and using a torque wrench on the lug nuts. Their warranty doesn't cover warping because they say it's almost always caused by improper installation. My fronts felt warped but the unit bearings had some play in them.

 

Mine "warped" after towing the Focus and a lot of other stuff 500 miles to Texas on a hot hot hot July day. Never the same after that and got worse every trip. Im convinced it was all the stopping at the I44 toll booths. 75MPH straight to zero a bunch of times. Mixed with the useless surge brakes of a uhaul trailer and a panic stop or two, they had no chance. lol.

 

That's why they have those signs that say toll Plaza ahead. I flip on tow haul mode and start coasting. Lol
Its an 8000 lb truck with relatively small brakes. You gotta give it a chance by trying to avoid panic stops and etc.

 

Avoid panic stops....yeah thats always on my list but when things come off of a trailer in front of you or a road gator flys off the truck up ahead you don't get to make that choice. Toll booths were my fault. I underestimated the length of the lines at the "I don't have a pikepass" lane.

 

I did the same and recently upgraded to the SBC 8-piston from calipers. Major improvement.

 

Who's Cart ??? You can save the $70 shipping if you get them from AutoAnything

 

+1 on the most common cause of pulsating rotors. One way to prevent this is to follow the proper pad burnishing procedure.