Hi, new guy here. Can't believe I haven't stumbled over this site before.

Looks like you've amassed a ton of info. Although I am a bit disappointed to find my beloved van categorized under "Other Fords".

I guess being the best selling van for the last 20 some odd years doesn't mean much. huh?

Nevertheless, we love our van. Use it primarily for towing either our boat or our toyhauler. It's got the V-10 Triton with about 180,000 miles on it. I had the Banks cat-back system with Ottomind and TransCommand installed by Banks in Azusa, CA about 5 years a go. It made a big difference. I also fabricated a high-flow air intake to replace the restrictive OEM plastic part. (I'm in composites). Air bags in back help level the load when the 10,000lb. trailer is hitched up.

The reason for the post is my search to see if anyone has done any kind of brake upgrade to the E350 Super Duty. I have plenty of go, even up steep grades. Stopping and controlling down hill speed is another story.

I'm considering swapping out the stock rotors with Powerslot rotors, but they only make them for the front. That may well be enough, but I have found others who do make drilled and slotted rotors for all four wheels.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

greetings, my first post here so woo-hoo


i drive a '95 E350 extended van with a 460 BB. i tow a 7500# boat/trailer occasionally, but always chewed thru brakes towing or not. granted i usually drive to vegas or up past sacramento well past 90mph. ok mostly the needle points straight down.

anyway, brake upgrades really center around your willingness/$$ available to change your wheels and tires. i am currently installing 16 inch front rotors and 6 piston calipers as well as upgrading my previously upgraded rear brakes to 14 inch rotors/disc brakes from 12.83 inch rotors/disc brakes which were originally drum brakes.

it appears i may have to go to 20 inch rims... altho' i _think_ i can squeeze the 16 inch rotors into an 18 inch wheel if i choose carefully.

AP Racing (Stillen's brake biz) has a bolt on front brake upgrade kit using 14 inch rotor and new calipers for the E series van for a mere $3600. they have sold 2 kits in 4 or 5 years... lack of advertising? price? i dunno... the kits fits two other platforms as well...

i think that is probably the quickest way to improve the van braking provided you already have rear discs (i did not) and the cash to burn (i still do not, will not likely in my lifetime and i am not likely to spend that much for their system anyway).

i can answer a lot more questions about big brakes and vans. i have spent the last 10 years dreaming then thinking then trying then doing something about improving the POS brakes in my van. i love my ride, but think Ford sucks hind t*t when it comes to the brakes in my van.

maybe this should become a new thread and i can offer what i have found/made in the past couple of years that might apply to a broader spectrum of E series than just this poster's ride. longtime members please comment. then ask away.

FWIW i am inches away from putting together brake kits that will include 16" and 14" fronts as well as 14" and 13" rears that also include rear drum to disc conversions that mount the rotor over the hub allowing for much simpler servicing that most other conversions. i will be using Willwood calipers and custom made curved vane rotors from one of the major NASCAR suppliers. hopefully i can beat the crud out of $3600 brake systems. oh, so far i only live in the 8 bolt axle world - someplace most vendors do not seem to want to touch...

btw this is only a weak plug, i can and will provide info right up to the dimensions of the parts i am fabricating.

neil
the fng

 

So Neil, how much of a lift do you plan to squeeze bigger tires and wheels under there?
I was considering sending the van down to Camburg Engineering in Huntington Beach to have the Baja Series suspension work done. That would give me another 5" in front and 2 1/2" more in the rear. Here's a link if you're not familiar: Camburg Engineering Inc.

that would set me back about $3200, but I'm hesitant to do it due to the weight I tow - although they say it will be fine. Then whatever I spend on brakes and new wheels and tires and we're talking a few bucks.

So I'm hoping to upgrade the brakes without "braking" the bank. I think I can do the Powerslot rotors and Hawk pads for around 5-600 bucks - just the front.

 

jm, the camburg stuff looks pretty cool, esp the trailing arms they fab...

i do not plan to lift my van at all, in fact i would like to drop the rear to match the wheelwell heights front and rear but that will require fabbing airbag bracket, or should i say refabbing...

i believe a 20" rim that is 8" wide with a zero offset will just clear the oversize swaybay i run upfront. tire choice is semicritical - i have found that just because a tire, with the overall dimensions you want, will fit on a rim, doesn't mean you can expect the rim bead to seat safely. so you must check the tire mfr.'s recommended tire(s) for that rim size to see if they will seat the bead and still not be too fat for the application and then rub.

i wish you the best on the powerslot/hawk combo. have not run that setup personally. i feel that the basic rotor size as designated by ford is simply inadequate for the braking power needed to stop these ole pigs. they just cannot dissapate the heat generated. i have run slotted, drilled/slotted, and plain rotors and killed them all. i have heard people having good luck with the cryo rotors, but i feel the fundamental undersize issue is just too large to evrcome with just a cryo job...

the heat soak issue was plain to me in observing the rear drum brakes as my van was delivered. the drums would heat up under heavy braking or stop-and-go driving to the point where the drums would expand and start rubbing against the shoes. that would generate more heat, thus more rubbing, thus more heat, etc etc. i could go thru a set of rear brakes in 100miles - mind you these were brakes set up by the Ford dealer. my knee jerk solution at the time was to run the rear brakes a little loose - but that uncorks another bad genie from the bottle - with a split master, the front brakes come into play before the rears. so if you are a little paranoid and only try to lightly use your brakes, you end up using mostly the fronts. and then it is only the fronts trying to stop the van and then you burn up the fronts - warped rotors and all. this theory was confirmed (at least for me) when i first did the eldo rear disc brake conversion and drove the van for a few monthes without any e-brakes. no e-brake, no rear brake adjust and you end up in the same scenario as the loose drum setup - front brakes doing it all. and of course i eventually ate another set of rotors.

my buddy with the 95 F350 4x4 tows his toy hauler to Octotillo Wells. he drives an extra 100mi around the big hill cause when he takes the truck/trailer combo down the hill, even while using 2nd gear, his front rotors get dull red by the bottom of the hill. and then it is time for new brakes. he is a professional truck driver and fairly mechanical so he understands how to use brakes properly.

as to my budget solution for the two wheel drive 1ton rides, i believe i can do a 14" front rotor pair for about $300 (nascar/wilwood style slotted curved vane). if you supply your old rotors, then it is about $75-100 to cut them down to get just the hub plus then there is some threading required. then maybe $100 for the adapter bracket pair to move the factory caliper out .5" for the larger diameter rotor. plus i would like to find someone in composites (HINT HINT) to make a new backing plate w/scoop to help force more air into the hub area to help cool the rotors.

anyway, don't hold me to prices yet... i am working with a new machinist and we are just starting to price things/ figure out labor times.

hope this helps
remeber ymmv
neil

 

Yeah, those hills are buggars on vans towing heavy trailers.
Had to be towed off the mountain when I left Death Valley via 190 W in 94. Was driving a 92 E-350 Diesel with only 10,000 miles on new brakes all around. Towing an 8500lb trailer the pedal went to the floor less than 1/4 way down the mountain. Locked the electric brakes on the trailer and kept the right wheels in the sandy berm. Man was it close!! If I had been going any faster.... Thankfully someone was looking out for me.

 

Neil, if you sketch a concept for the brake scoop, I'll see about whipping something up. Ideally one that fits left and right to keep it to one tool, but if it has to be specific left/right, thats' OK.

Ultimately, one that will fit a range of years. My van is a 2000.

I made a larger cold air intake for my van when I added the Banks stuff:




HAB, what got me going on the brake issue was my wild ride down the 9 mile grade coming down from Kenndey Meadows - being chased by my toyhauler. Since there were no dump facilities up there I was hauling a pretty heavy load. Probably in the range of 12k.

I had to stop several times on the way down to let the brakes cool. I had just had a brake job prior to leaving for that trip and I went back and had the fluid changed since I'm pretty sure I boiled it. The pads and rotors didn't look too bad considering.

 

nice job on the intake!! i still have the Banks snorkel for my airbox if someone needs it cheap...

i pitched the factory battery and tray, installed the ambulance tray on the pass side, added a battery to it, then used an F350 k&n filter (you do know that ford used the same filter for a pinto as they did for my van?? no wonder i was sucking the gauze thru the screen anually) mounted in the factory battery location and feeding a BBK t-body and then built a duct from my airdam up inside the driver fenderwell to feed fresh air into the filter area. next i have to build a panel to exclude hot air from that area. probably just heat and mold some abs - maybe do something fancier once i get the shape down.

i could do the heat/mold thing for the brake scoop out of abs as a sample and ship it your way. likely to be a month or two. i am doing brakes in the factory style this week as i don't yet have the hat/rotor/hub assembly for the front brakes yet and i need to haul the boat soon - kids have two weeks on vacation and i am hoping to take them out the last week before school so i cannot down the van - mom's volvo just won't do the job - 24' SeaCamper on a 3 axle disc brake trailer. plus 4 kids...

all the best
neil
who lives 10 miles inland from oceanside ca

ps: btw jm, what is the reason for the lift?? fwiw, i shadetree - maybe i can save you the cost of wheels and tires...

 

Neil, I briefly considered the lift, but I won't be doing it. The air bags do a great job of keeping the butt end up and the present wheels and tires are fine for my purposes.

I typically tow with the water tanks empty and fill at our destination. 150 gallons does add up!

The Triton V-10 does a great job and the only weak points I see are brakes and tranny - although the tranny has been pretty darn good to me.

My buddy dropped 15k on a 4x4 conversion (Salem Kroger) for his Chateau and eventually sold it to get an F250 4x4 after the same trip to Kennedy meadows that scared the heck out of me. At least he had the benefit of putting it in 4 wheel low coming down.

My wife absolutely refuses to part with the van. She hates the way the pick-up rides and loves the interior space the van offers. And man can she drive that rig!

So we'll be keeping it a while.

Jim

 

HiNeil, do you still have contacts to these co's that make HD E-series upgradebraking Kits??, and did you ever make any Kits yourself??????
Pleaseprovide me with your ph# as I would realy want to speak with you.??? Thx, scott
idrive a '95 E350 extended van with a 460 BB. i tow a 7500# boat/traileroccasionally, but always chewed thru brakes towing or not. granted i usuallydrive to vegas or up past sacramento well past 90mph. ok mostly the needlepoints straight down.
anyway, brake upgrades really center around your willingness/$$ available tochange your wheels and tires. i am currently installing 16 inch front rotorsand 6 piston calipers as well as upgrading my previously upgraded rear brakesto 14 inch rotors/disc brakes from 12.83 inch rotors/disc brakes which wereoriginally drum brakes. AP Racing (Stillen's brake biz) has a bolt onfront brake upgrade kit using 14 inch rotor and new calipers for the E seriesvan for a mere $3600. they have sold 2 kits in 4 or 5 years... lack ofadvertising? price? i dunno... the kits fits two other platforms aswell... and custom made curved vane rotors from one of the major NASCARsuppliers. hopefully i can beat the crud out of $3600 btw this is only aweak plug, i can and will provide info right up . neil the fng