2008 disk brakes

[Gary Waugh]

Okay peeps, I notice that when I apply my brakes my car slows just great (doesn't pull to either side) but as my car slows below 20mph the braking is no longer linear, ie if I don't move the brake pedal, the car slows quite quickly for a foot or so then brakes less quickly for a few feet, then starts to break quickly again, so its a pulsing sort of effect that gets everyone head bobbing backwards and forwards (but only at slow speeds with light braking). I am assuming one or more disks is warped and are causing this effect, my car has 130,000 miles and the disks where skimmed at the 100,000 mile service, so I suspect they are probably too thin to get skimmed again. I am going to take off all 4 wheels over the xmas holiday and find out which disks are warped/bent. Obviously if they can be skimmed, I will get them skimmed, but if they cant, is there any standard recommendation for good replacement disks? I have no trouble going with ford parts in the hope they will last another 130,000 miles, but I wanted to ask everyone here if there where good replacements available that would be cheaper than Ford parts? I don't like skimping on my brakes (I depend on them!!) but if there are some good alternatives, I am happy to look at them.

Thanks and happy Xmas everyone.

Gary

 

[Knox GSL]

I recently ordered new pads and rotors for mine and it's so much better. Less than $350 for the kit shipped to my house. I think rockauto.

 

[Adieu]

This pulsing thing you speak of sounds sorta like ABS

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Okay peeps, I notice that when I apply my brakes my car slows just great (doesn't pull to either side) but as my car slows below 20mph the braking is no longer linear, ie if I don't move the brake pedal, the car slows quite quickly for a foot or so then brakes less quickly for a few feet, then starts to break quickly again, so its a pulsing sort of effect that gets everyone head bobbing backwards and forwards (but only at slow speeds with light braking). I am assuming one or more disks is warped and are causing this effect, my car has 130,000 miles and the disks where skimmed at the 100,000 mile service, so I suspect they are probably too thin to get skimmed again. I am going to take off all 4 wheels over the xmas holiday and find out which disks are warped/bent. Obviously if they can be skimmed, I will get them skimmed, but if they cant, is there any standard recommendation for good replacement disks? I have no trouble going with ford parts in the hope they will last another 130,000 miles, but I wanted to ask everyone here if there where good replacements available that would be cheaper than Ford parts? I don't like skimping on my brakes (I depend on them!!) but if there are some good alternatives, I am happy to look at them.

Thanks and happy Xmas everyone.

Gary

New rotors are generally designed to be tossed after the second set of brake pads depending on how hard you are on your brakes. Some of the better rotors can be turned and surfaced to take some of the warp out but the cheap ones are cheap for a reason. They don't have a lot of material and they can warp under hard braking where they heat up significantly. ABS would be a series of very quick pulses that you will feel through the pedal and into the steering wheel, but what you're describing is doesn't sound like ABS and ABS wouldn't act that way.

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

I too would think rotor replacement time.

 

[1955moose]

See if you can borrow a dial indicator that can be used for measuring brake rotor run out You can buy one from most tool outlets like harbor freight, good tool to have. Check the specs for your vehicle, but generally you don't want more than .005 thousands of an inch. As a rule excessive runnout gets worse at higher speeds, have someone or you run abs brake tests too. Might be a wheel sensor acting up. Let us know what you find.

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[Muddy Bean]

So I know this is extremely nit picky on Christmas Eve no less, but rotors don’t warp generally, they wear unevenly. Why we use this term to describe uneven rotor wear is confusing to me but yeah...I know I’m a jerk and haven’t contributed a single helpful note to this thread. Much love and peace and Merry Christmas to you and your worn rotors [emoji1417]


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[Gary Waugh]

Thanks everyone, it definitely has nothing to do with the ABS, it’s completely mechanical. I have my own dial gauges so will check all 4 disks, just wanted advice on a good aftermarket disk brake manufacturer, or else go with Ford. I do tow a lot of trailers and am on my second set of brake pads, but they are not even half worn, so I don’t think I am a heavy breaker.. will let you know what I find, just waiting for the garage to get a bit warmer before I find the courage to work out there!M

Happy Xmas and new year everyone.

Gary

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Thanks everyone, it definitely has nothing to do with the ABS, it’s completely mechanical. I have my own dial gauges so will check all 4 disks, just wanted advice on a good aftermarket disk brake manufacturer, or else go with Ford. I do tow a lot of trailers and am on my second set of brake pads, but they are not even half worn, so I don’t think I am a heavy breaker.. will let you know what I find, just waiting for the garage to get a bit warmer before I find the courage to work out there!M

Happy Xmas and new year everyone.

Gary

I bought AutoZone eCoated heavy duty rotors for my 05 and I was very happy with them. You should aim for anything that this OEM quality or higher and you should be fine. The eCoated brakes from AutoZone have a coating on the that keeps the surfaces of the rotor (that the pads don't touch) from rusting.

 

[Trainmaster]

My experience has been that anything Chinese is a waste of money. Those $12 pads and $28 rotors at Advance Auto is just throwing your money away. The rotors were warped out of the box. You can't lose with Motorcraft OEM parts. Tasca and Rock Auto has them at pretty affordable prices and even their imported stuff is of pretty quality controlled. Run from those "complete sets" of Chinese rotors that are "drilled and grooved" in USA and come with a set of "high performance" Chinese metallic pads.

The best brakes I've used were DBA (disk brake Australia) rotors, cast and machined in Australia with and Hawk (USA) pads. They are the only ones that didn't get wavy after 500 miles in my Excursion, though I don't know what they have available for the Expedition.

In my Expedition, I now have Motorcraft stuff which has given me none of the problems that the Chinese auto parts store junk guarantees.

 

[Muddy Bean]

I have worked my brakes really hard on my truck and have yet to have any uneven wear issues on my rotors. I mean towing 8300 lbs worth of trailer and tractor and the trailer brakes going out and relying only on the trucks brakes for a day of driving. Also, drove the truck through some intense mountain passes in Northern Arizona early November fully loaded with gear and family...lots of downgrade braking going on. I really use my truck and don’t Baby it at all, so I can honestly say OEM rotors and pads are surprisingly solid quality.


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[theoldwizard1]

I have an old E150. It would "eat" cheap brake pads a rotors like they were candy !

On big vehicles, buy the best pads and rotors you can find. Personally, I like Raybestos Enhanced Hybrid Technology pads (EHT1278H) <$50 at RockAuto.com Also, I like the Raybestos Advanced Technology rotor (680508) <$75 at RockAuto.

Just make sure to buy a premium brand.

 

[the bus]

To keep up with heat transfer ... I try to find semi metallic pads. They seem to be harder to find. I use wagner, f150 has raybestos. I had issues with gen2 expedition rotor warping.... ended up with napa drilled and slotted ones. No more issues and have over 100k on them. The motorcraft and the best autozone ones were no good for me. Used the expedition hard... loaded and towing 2 ton boat on hilly winding 2 lane roads. Plus the wife driving it who is hard on all my trucks.