Based on the unexpected amount of truly impressive detail, I guess I should qualify my brake usage. I drive 35 miles one way in the dark on reservation roads which often have no shoulder. 16 miles is straight with a bit of a shoulder and is a fairly decent road. There is minimal vegetation but the biggest damage (16K) came from a big doe sprinting full speed out of a 50 yard stretch of dense vegetation and trees In the winter, they ice like a ******. Add to that that deer season is from around Oct through March(at least) so they are really traveling around. The last 3 weeks, scarcely a day has gone by in which I did not spot 1 to 2 deer. Some are smart and stand on the side of the road as you unknowingly pass them, being visible only for about 5 seconds in which you have to make your foot go to the pedal. Some morons wander across the road-some stop and stare at you. In the summer, I used to drive 75-85 mph on the 16 mile open stretch as it is mostly wide open country. Now it’s 60 to 65 which goes against my nature to needlessly get somewhere fast and also because for some deeply unknown reason I just enjoy it—to a point. My now defunct Explorer Sport with a tuned 3.5L ecoboost would effortlessly cruise at 90 with not a second thought. After hitting the 3rd bas###!, I went for the 4th X to slow my A$$ down and for protection when things are up of my hands. I deal with some hills but not many. However, they are treacherous. So I guess you’d say I would like to stop as fast as possible without rotors warping and without fading. The current ones might pull. It’s hard to tell because it is an eternity between repaying of roads so you have nice ruts that naturally pull you. My margin of error is often slim which is not helped by the freaking wander(shims are in hand-waiting for new U-bolts and center bolts) and the fact that some narrow sections without shoulders are either destinations to hell or into guard rails within a foot of the outside white line while being blinded by someone dragging a horse trailer with unadjusted aftermarket LED headlights which are pointed up right into your eyes because they don’t care or can’t afford to do anything about their sagging rear end. Now that I wrote this, perhaps I should retire and quit driving the highway to deer hell!

 

99% of the time, I'll second @EXSwap; Auto Zone rotors will likely be fine. I love their lifetime warranty. I have the PowerStop slotted/drilled fronts, and solid rears. Are the fancy rotors up front necessary? Perhaps not, but my preference hearkens back to when I had my '99 Tahoe with the thinnest little front rotors ever. I warped the hell out of two sets in no time driving like John Force. I went to a slotted rotor and never again had a problem. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I do know that I haven't ever been let down by a set, so there's that.

I definitely sponsor the use of Hawk LTS pads. I'm quite happy with mine, and though my Ex doesn't stop on a dime I always keep in mind that it's because it's on 37s. That same braking force on, say... 32s, would probably plant my nose on the steering wheel.

I live out in the countryside about an hour outside of Dallas. Seeing deer, hogs, coyotes, etc is kind of a daily thing here. I've never had an issue stopping in time. I typically keep it around 65 but that's more because the roads out here aren't the greatest, and my lift plays against me there. There's one really bad one that's just like what you described, it takes my truck all over the damn place, and it's only a 2-lane. I drive right down the middle of it unless there's oncoming traffic. It's the only way to stay off the grass. Would something akin to a Ranch Hand Legend be feasible?

 

A heavy duty bumper is in the plan. Another good reason for good brakes- They're all about 300 lbs correct?

 

2001 EXCURSION 7.3 Limited 371 k on the clock

Owned since new.

Original brakes were excellent and long lasting.

Over the years I have had many sets if rotors and pads. I have tried the Motorcraft options several times. OEM, Motorcraft and the severe duty.

This may have something to do the the roads in South FL. Good roads but approaching traffic lights the roads tend to be worn and not as smooth as the normal lanes. My Ford mechanic says the newer Superdutys are lucky to reach 30k without developing a pulse. This is also my experience.

I have tried several of the autoparts stores options as well. Worse than Ford. Worst set only 10k before pulsing.

I have not been able to go more than about 30k between brake jobs. (no cutting disks, always new rotors and pads on each change)

My guess is that the Ford brake parts are not made to the same OEM standards as they were in 2001.

Only about 15k on my Powerstop Z36 slotted and drilled rotors and "carbon ceramic" pads.

1. I back down a 5 degree driveway. Lots of rain in S Florida. All the brake rotors I have used would get a light rust when truck sits. Backing down the driveway the water and moisture caused "surface rust". This would cause shuddering a slow speeds. Powerstop rotors from the Z36 kit do NOT develop surface rust. Big plus.

2. A bicyclist ran a light at night. I slammed on the brakes. Stopped inches before impact. No doubt in my mind the Powerstop brakes stop faster. This was the first time ever that I engaged the antilock feature of the system on a dry road. Very impressed with the slotted and drilled Powerstop brakes. Also added new brake lines, and new fluid at the time of installation. This helped was well I think.

3. Very little brake dust and silent braking at all times

4. The jury is out on longevity since I have only about 15k on them now. Will report back!

Marcspsd Long time lurker and Ford enthusiast!

 

I think the Legend is around 270. The Sport is a little lighter but makes up for it once you pack a winch in there.

 

Yes sir. Have had this combo for the last 16 years. No warping, ever.
Stainless steel lines would be another move in the right direction. The caliper action is quicker because the walls of the lines have less flex than rubber.
If you want the best brake fluid, try Casrol SRF. This is what I use in my Corvette track car as well as my Ex.

 

When I had our 7.3 I ran through a couple of sets of rotors (drilled and slotted) from Rotor Pros. That was over 250,000 miles. They performed well and I usually ran with the heavier duty pads from Autozone or Napa. They made a huge difference. I know what road you're talking about so conditions are not great.

 

I have the Hawk HP Super Duty Pads with StopTech Sport Slotted Cryo Rotor on order from Tire rack. It's been over a month waiting on them. I'm betting they are sitting somewhere off long beach CA. I had this combo on a previous truck and it was great once I did the break in process.

 

I hear mixed things about stoptech brakes these days. seems like most are going to power slot rotors. I keep having to replace OEM rotors on my truck due to them warping, I think the quality of metal has gone down over the years, id pay attention to that more than anything.

 

A number of years ago, I had a buddy who was the Manager for the Southeast Warranty Department for Ford. He said that Ford rotors, across the board, had warping problem complaints from customers. The problem stemmed from running hot rotors through water puddles. His words, not mine. The sudden change in temps caused the warping.
He suggested changing to cryogenically treated rotors.
I did. No more warped rotors.

 

what brand did you go with? centric is all i know of that uses that terminology