A few months ago I had to replace a front caliper and noticed my pads were pretty worn, so I replaced them with another set of OEM pads. I have bigger tires now and of course my stopping distance has increased. I would hate to replace the still new pads in the front, so I was thinking about upgrading to some EBC or Hawk pads in the rear. Would I notice much of a difference by only changing the rears?

 

Here is some over kill for your question.
I got tired half way into it. It's almost 3AM
White Paper - Brake Bias and Performance- Why Brake Balance Matters

Let me know what you get out of this.

Sean

 

The rear pads won't help much BUT making sure they are in good working order with fresh fluid will help the system over all.

 

How fresh is fresh? And which of the various brake fluids out there? And how does the freshness of the brake fluid influence anything? Or more properly worded, how does age or use degrade brake fluid such that performance is significantly reduced?

 

Brake fluids are hygroscopic, meaning that they absorb moisture from the air. The older a brake fluid is, the possibility of degradation due to water influx increases, thus resulting in (potentially)compromised performance

 

With time, brake fluid takes on water. As the fluid takes on water, two things happen. First, the boiling point of the brake fluid decreases, which will show up as fade under conditions of repeated, hard braking. The second thing which changes, is the corrosiveness of the fluid. As it takes on water, it becomes increasingly aggressive towards the caliper and piston. This results in corrosion, the end result of which, is the caliper seal is no longer able to seal the bore.

If you live in humid regions, your fluid is is going to absorb more moisture than in a dry climate.

If you tow, your rear brakes contribute more in your ability to stop than if you run unloaded.

 

Is there any kind of schedule or service table for brake fluid in our trucks? I don't recall seeing it in the owner's manual, but I wasn't looking for it, either.

 

I try to do mine bi-annually or 25K which ever occurs first. Of course for severe duty that duration would be reduced. Get a power bleeder and a couple of gallons of high quality fluid. $20 jug of juice and your time=gpood insurance. Proof...I have a 95 ZJ Grand Cherokee with 223K on the clock with original calipers all around. I also have muscle cars that sit. They get the same treatment. If you don't want to do it yourself find a good garage.

 

I live in a fairly dry climate. I'm content to do it at ~50K mile intervals. About every 3-4 years.
Look at your brake fluid. The darker it is, the more moisture it has already absorbed.

 

But it's not exposed to air.

 

So you fill the master cylinder to the top, and put a lid on that is capable of pulling a vacuum? What about condensation? If it is truly a sealed system, and you put brake fluid in at 0*f, wouldn't the brakes be applied at 100*f? I know there is a rubber gasket, but there is still air in the reservoir, right? Why doe's it (brake fluid) turn green? If it is truly a "sealed" system, where does it get the extra "air" in the reservoir from as your brakes wear? (I know that rubber gasket suck's down, but tires are rubber, and they lose air.)
To the OP, Better brake's can help on the back, but your front will make the most difference. I have never been a fan of "fancy" brake pad's on a stock system, and always buy the cheapest, softest I can find. The dust suck's, but they grab hard. I have to replace them more though.

 

Safety is the big picture here….Moisture is only part of the equation. Dirt and other contaminants, especially heat contribute to the breakdown of brake fluid even the exotic dot 4 and 5 synthetics are not immune.
Think about how hot the fluid is in a caliper after ascending a 6% grade for 2 miles with 10K on a goose neck! That fluid is hot. That boiled fluid should be changed at a much shorter interval verses a normal commuting truck. Add to the fact that it takes forever for the fluid to completely circulate through the “closed” system back to the master to grab “fresher” fluid unless you’re constantly into the anti lock pump. So if the masters dirty imagine what it looks like down at the wheels. That burnt fluid more or less stays in one small area until bled.
It will also turn acidic and start to deteriorate the rubber parts particularly the flex lines from the frame to the wheels. It needs to be changed regularly just like any fluid, moisture or not. Sure you can skip it as most people do. But for $20 and an hour every other year of your or the garages time can help avoid costly repair down the road not to mention risk of injury from a burst soft line when you panic stop to avoid something. They are your brakes!
The second you open a new bottle of brake fluid it will start to pull in moisture. So that bottle of partially used fluid sitting in your shed exposed to temperature extremes for the last few years is no good.

 

I just looked through the Owner's Guide and Diesel Supplement (latest printings through the Ford Owner's site), but the only reference other than making sure the fluid is between the min and max lines is for Class A motorhomes to change the fluid every 2 years.

I'm sure it doesn't hurt, but I'm not sure I can find any recommendation for regular service anywhere in the manual, nor am I aware of anyone I know regularly changing their brake fluid--but neither am I aware of any line or caliper failures due to brake fluid leaking through eaten up components.

 

I do flushes when I see the fluid in the reservoir get to dark to see threw. I guess around 75000 miles in most of our trucks but they run almost every day.

 

I have 230,000 km on my truck.....never been done
300,000 on the other.......never been done.

They both stop great. I have reg maintenance done on both of them, and my mechanic never mentioned about changing the fluid.

But as mentioned......."piece of mind" And it doesn't cost much

I'll see what he has to say next time I'm in for a service.