i was lookin at my brake caliper when i was doin my hubs and noticed one had a torn boot and had a small leak of brake fluid. my buddy says if i change one, i should change both. So i am wondering, Is there a bigger caliper, like from a f250 or f350 that i could bolt on, since im gonna buy new ones anyway? The truck never had problems stopping, but I figure if i can get bigger better ones, why not?

edit: o yeah its I got a 96 F150 XLT 4x4 302

 

anyone care to chime in here????? thanks

 

I would do both. I found the same thing on one of my f250's a couple of years ago. I was doing a brake job anyway.....upon inspection of the other caliper it looked ok but when I nudged the rubber around it cracked. It was leaking too but the rubber was hiding that fact.

Replace both.....you won't have to do two system bleeds when the other one fails.

Jim

 

I searched for a similar bolt on caliper upgrade. I was looking to improve my braking performance with large tires and a boat in tow. Specifically, a dual piston caliper was what I was looking for in place of the stock half ton setup.

I was not able to locate any aftermarket or OEM 100% bolt on upgrade. Instead I purchased two re-manned calipers, drilled slotted and zinc coated rotors ($90 from ebay), and Hawk HD ferro carbon pads.

Brake performance improved dramatically, especially when towing. I have since discarded the idea of a caliper upgrade.

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

Hey guys thanks for the replies.... my buddy said not to get the cross drilled rotors for a daily driver because the holes can lead to cracks.... any experience with drilled rotors going bad? and wouldn't the zinc plating just wear off after a few miles?

 

I've got the PowerStop cross drilled rotors. Been using them a couple years, no problems.

 

Get a quality set. They will work fine. I've had mine on for 30,000 miles and the truck is driven everyday.

Your buddy got some poorly machined rotors.

 

The better cross drilled rotors are usually a little bigger to help with the added stress from the holes.