I need to replace the pads and rotors on the front of our Ex. I don't think the rear needs it now, I'll check them when I tear into it. I have searched and read a lot on here, and it looks like the most popular items are the Hawk LTS pads with Powerslots Cryo Treated rotors.

I finally found a race shop about an hour away from me that sells Hawk pads and they will ship directly to me. Now here's the dillema. The guy I talked to, told me (from his experience) the LTS pads were no better than OEM pads, and I need to get the SuperDuty pads. Also, he said not to get any aftermaket rotors, to only buy OEM rotors straight from Ford.

What do you guys think?

 

Not true. The Hawks LTS (green box) improved my braking 100% over the original pads.

I have never replaced or dealt with rotors.

 

Thanks VaSheriff. Good info. Are the LTS pads quiet? He said the HD pads would create dust and would squeal sometimes.

 

I have been using 'lifetime warranty' rotors from O'Riellys for 150k miles or so now on my F350 and prolly 70k on the Excursion. I wouldn't spend the money on 'fancy' rotors - I have no complaints about how my trucks stop and I got 80k out of first set of O'Riellys rotors on F350 - towing 5ver 50% of the time. (they got a LITTLE shimmy and I swapped'em out at next tire rotation - no questions asked!! )

Currently have EBC brake pads on both PSD's. 'Greenstuff' (6000?) on the Ex - a medium dust longer wearing pad and 'Yellowstuff' on the F350 - a higher dust MAX braking power pad. They stop AMAZINGLY well. I was surprised at how much less pedal pressure it takes to stop the truck with these pads!!! Both sets are quiet, but kinda dusty (I've had polished alum wheels on X for last 40k or so...). I'll take the dust as long as trucks STOP like I want'em to!!

 

My mechanic took the old pads out and installed the new. No turning or replacment of the rotor was needed. They have not made the first noise whatsoever. And the LTS do not seem to create any type of excessive brake pad dust on my wheels.

 

The LTS pads will not have any additional noise over any other pad. The Hawk Superduty pad is more aggressive and will dust more and it may have some noise. I'm currently running the Napa Ultra Premium rotors in front and Premiums in the rear and have had zero issues with braking since the install almost 18 months ago and about 12k miles.

 

I have an '04 Ex 4X4 and I installed the Hawk LTS with the Power Slot Cryo rotors I purchased from Autoanything.com. Very little brake dust (almost none), no noise, and a 100% improvement. The Motorcraft Superduty pads are also a good pad and I use them on the company construction F550 trucks (due to availability and my discount structure). I have had really good performance from the Hawks and Power Slots. I would recommend them highly. There are a lot of good products out there. Stick to a name brand (I also prefer USA made) and you will be fine. I would say stay away from the OEM "standard" pads because they glaze to easily and reduce your braking performance. Hope this helps and I wish you the best on your selection.

 

Thanks guys, you've been a big help. I think I will go with the Hawk LTS pads. Still deciding on the rotors.

 

What do I think? Here's what I think: The guy is either so full of crap his eyes are brown, or he's so clueless he doesn't know his anus from a hole in the ground.

Too many people who own Excursions and F250/350's have had too many problems with their OEM rotors and pads for it not to be a common problem, cured by getting better rotors and pads.

It's your choice how you wanna skin this cat. A lot of people go with the cryo treated rotors and Hawk pads because that combo has always worked. Others have choosen different rotors and pads and have still had success.

EBC makes really good products. Good to know someone who's put 'em on their Ex.

Stewart

 

I went with the cryo treated powerslot rotors also, after doing all the reading on here and seeing good success with em. I replaced in the early fall and have had no noise and very little dust with excellent stopping compared to what was on there. (they looked like stock)

I ordered rotors from rockauto, you can use this promo code that is good till April. 3/11
48230933988088

 

My Excursion is also in need of new brakes. I've gotten around 80,000 miles on these stock 2006 brakes, which has made me pretty happy, though I've never been satisfied with their performance. I have a couple of brake related threads on the Super Duty forum since I have F-350 axles that you might want to scan.

I'm leaning toward EBC Yellowstuff pads because they are supposedly some of the very highest performing pads when cold and when hot. They also claim to have a good life span. Yellowstuff pads supposedly produce about as much brake dust as OEM, while Greenstuff pads are low dust but do not grip as strong, though still far stronger than stock.

Hawk pads are very popular with F-series owners. If you search the forums you'll find that many customers have had problems with Hawk pads even after meticulous bed in procedures and new rotors. Most of the problems were because they used Hawk SuperDuty pads instead of the LTS pads. The SuperDuty pads require a great deal more heat to become effective as they are intend only for severe use. Drivers noticed they had greatly reduced braking capacity especially when cold. Many have had issues with the LTS pads as well so I'm fairly certain I will go with the EBC Yellowstuff. From what I've read Super Duty drivers have found EBC pads to be a prominent upgrade over Hawk pads.

What I like about the EBC rotors is that they are dimpled and slotted instead of being drilled all the way through so they don't sacrifice as much strength. They are also black anodized but will eventually rust. I'm now leaning more toward SSBC rotors though they are more expensive. What I like about SSBC rotors is that they are drilled and slotted but they spent years testing and developing their own unique metallurgical formula so their rotors are made of a much stronger material than competitor's discs.