I have a 99 F-350 (Apr 08 build date) CC 4x4 V-10 4R100 that is completely stock. I use it to tow a 40' 5th wheel toy hauler that definately maxes out the tow rating. Its about time to replace the brakes for the second time, and I don't want to repeat the mistake I made the last time, which was to save a buck by going with aftermarket brakes. I went to the dealer and found that stock brakes were $130.00 for the fronts and $120.00 for the rear, so I went down the road to the local Car Quest and got the whole set for about $100.00, which were ceramic pads instead of semi-metallic, at the recommendation of the parts person who seemed to know what they were talkin' about. Well anyway, first time towing with these brakes on a local trip I had done many times before my brakes overheated so badly that all 4 of my rotors warped to the point that I could not have them turned. So I learned my lesson and went back to the Ford dealer and bought original pads and 4 new rotors, and have not had any issues since...except with my wallet, of course.

When I bought that set of brakes at the dealer the parts person asked if I wanted premium or regular pads. When I asked what the difference was he said the trucks come with the premium pads but the regular ones are cheaper so most people go with those to save a buck. I went with the premium and they have worked great. I just got on the Ford Parts website and see that they now offer Premium or "Super Duty" brake pads for my truck. I then discovered that Kragen Auto Parts carries Motorcraft brake pads, and they also carry both, with the Super Duty pads being about $20.00 an axle more.

I have also heard people recommend Hawk brake pads, but in every case they also ran them with aftermarket performance rotors, but I can't see spending that kind of money. So my question is, can anyone tell me the difference in stopping power between the Motorcraft Premium and Super Duty pads, or how the Hawk pads work with stock rotors? Thank you, and sorry about the long post.

 

You need to watch brake compounds. Hawk makes two compounds for our trucks, a regular and a heavy duty. The heavy duty is designed to work at higher temperatures (brake temps), which common mean you have to get the pads hot before you get the full grip they provide. The regular pads still require a little heat to work well, I find dragging the brakes 100' or so will do the trick.

When you use the higher temp pads, you need to keep fresh brake fluid. You will be working closer to boil temp and over time brake fluid absorbs water which reduces it's boiling point.

The slotted/drilled rotors are a fad. Good pads don't degas like the ancient asbestos pads did, so you don't need to provide a path for the gas to escape. I learned this after I bought my powerslot rotors of course and if I had known then I would have bought Performance Friction rotors. PF's rotors are spec'd for ambulance and police use, which is more severe than most other applications. If you can bring yourself to paying $500 for a set of front rotors, I think you'd be happy with them. The rears are going to be biased something around 85/15, basically the rears will do about 1/10 of the stopping. Good pads on stock rotors will be enough for them, but the fronts are worth spending money on.

Another trick is break in the rotors and pads. I use 3 stops from 15-5mph, 3 from 35-5 and 3 from 60-5. Then a couple mile ride home to cool them back off. This provides a little temper to the rotors, bakes out any residual adhesive in pads and transfers some pad material to the rotors so you are gripping pad to pad material rather than just pad to rotor.

 

reAX what type or brand of pads did use on the front. Where did you buy your rotors from?

 

I have Hawks and powerslots up front right now. When I wear them down, I am going to performance friction. I was a retailer for many years, I got them through a big jobber a few years ago. Their retail side is DriverFX.com

 

I installed a set of Hawks front pads last weekend. What a remarkable improvement! I'm going to do the rears ASAP even thought it's not time to do so.
Here's some information about the pads I installed:
Hawk Performance: SuperDuty - Severe-Duty Truck Brake Pads

 

Thank you gentlemen, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

 

Here as well - thanks