PowerStop, Hawk, Akebono, EBC, Bosch, Centric and even Brembo brake pads. So many options with so little reviews and info!

[20Expy]

I'm in the market for new brake pads since the OEM ones wear out way too fast for our light use (never towed). I also recently watched a video from the channel Engineering Explained that talked about mechanical attachments between the friction material and the backing plate itself. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oIJixuvRoQ. Although the video is sponsored by NRS, the guy is still pretty trustworthy in my opinion, you should check out his video if you have time. At 12:38 in the video, it shows an image of vehicles that the OEM specified the need for mechanical attachments in their brake pads, which included the 2nd and 3rd Gen Expeditions. Since the 4th gen isn't that much lighter, I suspected that they also need mech attachments, but the image seemed outdated with cars only up to around 2016-ish. Can't find any info elsewhere if the 4th Gens requires mech attachments on the brake pads.

PowerStops and Hawks I've seen are recommended the most on our forum, but how about the other ones? Does anyone have experience on any other pads that they can share? I'm particularly curious about the Brembo pads, that currently sell at my local Canadian Tire for about $120 USD for full set. Brembo used to be known for good quality, right? And lastly, do any of these pads, other than NRS pads (mentioned in the video) for $300 US (full set) have mechanical attachments? Hope to hear from some Expy experts about mechanical attachments, because I am really curious about it and I don't see it mentioned enough!

Any opinion is really appreciated! Thank you all!

EDIT: Forgot to mention Pro-Series as well, seems like they have a lot of products as well.

 

[apex96]

I used the following products when I completed a full brake job.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ADOAD9322

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ADOAD9018

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/UP_RA880508

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NB_48882263

Haven’t had brake shake since I went to slotted front discs. I live in a mountainous area and the front rotors from ford are not suited for heavy braking with frequent use applications on the expedition.

 

[Mack444]

I haven’t changed anything on my timberline so far, but I had the below on my 2002 Excursion PSD that I towed often with and they were an amazing combo. Once pads start to fade on the timberline, the links are what I will get.

Slotted Frozen Rotors: https://frozenrotors.com/front-left-frozen-rotors-slotted-3133-fzr-sl.html

Front Right Frozen Rotors Slotted 3133 FZR SR

Frozen Rotors has been slotting brake rotors for our customers for the last ten years. We have never advertised this optional upgrade on our website but we are now proud to say this performance enhancement will be availible on most of our long lasting Frozen Rotor® brand of brake rotors.

frozenrotors.com

Rear Left Frozen Rotors Slotted 3134 FZR SL

Frozen Rotors has been slotting brake rotors for our customers for the last ten years. We have never advertised this optional upgrade on our website but we are now proud to say this performance enhancement will be availible on most of our long lasting Frozen Rotor® brand of brake rotors.

frozenrotors.com

Rear Right Frozen Rotors Slotted 3134 FZR SR

Frozen Rotors has been slotting brake rotors for our customers for the last ten years. We have never advertised this optional upgrade on our website but we are now proud to say this performance enhancement will be availible on most of our long lasting Frozen Rotor® brand of brake rotors.

frozenrotors.com

Hawk pads:

Rear Hawk SuperDuty Brake Pad HB792P.676

Hawk Performance has applied their severe-duty brake pad friction technology to the braking demands of trucks and SUVs. Heavier vehicles with larger brake systems are more likely to experience higher temperatures, requiring a brake pad that has excellent heat dissipation characteristics.

frozenrotors.com

 

[sixstring]

you are asking about pads but remember to also replace your rotors when you do this. the slotted and drilled are well worth the money for longevity.

 

[5280tunage]

I can attest to powerstop, I've used their products on my last three vehicles including this expy and have been great. I travel mountain passes a lot and needed something that wouldn't warp when you drop 4k ft and then have to sit at a stand still in the inevitable overcrowded I70. The factory rotors warped pretty early on. These are doing great and look nice too.

 

[Fastcar]

Two things come to mind with brake pads. Personally I've used Power Stop which performed as advertised. Anyway, To get the best performance one should "bed" the pads after installation. Also, when after getting the brakes hot, if possible, when stopping at a red light or traffic don't sit with your foot on the brake.

 

[LokiWolf]

you are asking about pads but remember to also replace your rotors when you do this. the slotted and drilled are well worth the money for longevity.

Drilled does not add to longevity. Quite the opposite, it can lead to more fairlure points. Also less surface area. Drilled have there place, but not generally in high weight applications.

 

[LokiWolf]

So with brakes, generally, pad life and performance can’t be had at the same time. Generally better braking performance means less pad life. Quality pads like some you have mentioned can contradict that to a point.

I am a fan a quality slotted Rotor(NOT Drilled), and a quality pad designed for heavier vehicles.

I would probably go with the StopTech Cryo Slotted rotors, and the Hawk LTS pads.

Driven many racecars, drilled is great for them, but for heavy vehicles under higher constant load, not the right thing in my opinion, seen to many failures and cracks caused by the drilled holes. Less surface area. Slots are more beneficial at clearing the gases, and don’t introduce structural issues.

Hawk LTS pads are designed for heavy SUV/Truck applications. The Super Duty pad will probably last longer than the LTS, but with more sound.

I do recommend replacing your Rotors with better than OEM, but it is in now way a requirement, as long as they are in good condition, aren’t warped, and don’t vibrate.

 

[JasonH]

I've used EBC on cars in the past but was not impressed and switched to Bosch for cars. For heavier vehicles the Hawk LT pads work great, even while towing. I've heard Stoptech Z36 package is good as well but haven't tried it myself. My trailer has brakes and I mostly tow on flat ground, so I haven't felt the need for anything that aggressive.

 

[20Expy]

So with brakes, generally, pad life and performance can’t be had at the same time. Generally better braking performance means less pad life. Quality pads like some you have mentioned can contradict that to a point.

I am a fan a quality slotted Rotor(NOT Drilled), and a quality pad designed for heavier vehicles.

I would probably go with the StopTech Cryo Slotted rotors, and the Hawk LTS pads.

Driven many racecars, drilled is great for them, but for heavy vehicles under higher constant load, not the right thing in my opinion, seen to many failures and cracks caused by the drilled holes. Less surface area. Slots are more beneficial at clearing the gases, and don’t introduce structural issues.

Hawk LTS pads are designed for heavy SUV/Truck applications. The Super Duty pad will probably last longer than the LTS, but with more sound.

I do recommend replacing your Rotors with better than OEM, but it is in now way a requirement, as long as they are in good condition, aren’t warped, and don’t vibrate.

My dealer was charging me 2.2k Canadian (1.6k US) for pads and rotors. I have another thread explaining all the details with pictures of my rotor here: https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...d-rotors-replacement-quote-from-dealer.54873/

And lastly, do you know if Ford OEM specifies the need for mechanical attachments in their brake pads for the 4th Gen? If yes, do you know if Hawk pads have mechanical attachments?

Thank you all for the help, really appreciated!

 

[20Expy]

I've used EBC on cars in the past but was not impressed and switched to Bosch for cars. For heavier vehicles the Hawk LT pads work great, even while towing. I've heard Stoptech Z36 package is good as well but haven't tried it myself. My trailer has brakes and I mostly tow on flat ground, so I haven't felt the need for anything that aggressive.

Yes, I have read a lot of EBC Greenstuff material just falling off the pads itself which is not confidence inspiring.

I think you meant Powerstop Z36, which I heard is also very popular. The only info I couldn't find is if it has mechanical attachments between the friction material and the backing plate or not. But either way, if people can tow a boat down 4k ft. with it, I think it's plenty for our light use.

 

[JasonH]

I think you meant Powerstop Z36, which I heard is also very popular.

Yes, that's the one I meant to refer to.

 

[jar0023]

I’ve been very pleased with the power stop Z36. OE rears were toast at 25k miles and the rotors warped. Approx 35k I installed the full Z36 kit with rotors. Currently at 118k. Zero issues but pads are nearing end of life. Amazon had the pads on sale for Black Friday so they are here waiting for a slow weekend.

To try and add some context, the OE pads felt soft. Pressing on the pedal harder did not produce more stopping. With the Z36 more pedal gets you significantly better stopping and brake feel. You can feel the Z36 pads work better with a little heat in them. Similar to the old Carbon Metalic Z rated pads or Porterfield R4S.

 

[jar0023]

Here are the rears. Full length friction surface. Not cut down like the OE pads. Shims, springs, lube. Bonded. No rivets.

 

[LokiWolf]

And lastly, do you know if Ford OEM specifies the need for mechanical attachments in their brake pads for the 4th Gen? If yes, do you know if Hawk pads have mechanical attachments?

Honestly, have no idea whether the Hawk are mechanical. I respect Jason(EE) and love his videos and the Science, being a Chemist by Education, and Network/Server Admin by trade, I really enjoy the detail. Could care less about the mechanical aspect. I have had Hawk Pads on more than a dozen vehicles I have driven, many of those on a Track, and ZERO issues. Used them on my SuperDuty when towing over 12K regularly. No issues in the Mountains(VA). So I go with what I have experience with in this scenario.

 

[duneslider]

I don't think the whole mechanical attachment is something to even worry about. Over all the years I have only had one set of cheap parts store pads come apart and guess what, the brakes still worked just fine with the pad material gone, of course it destroyed the rotor but still.

The EBC issues you noted were a problem that happened quite a while ago and were resolved. I have been running Green and Yellow EBC's on my jeep for 15 years and they have been fantastic but are much too dusty for my usage on the expedition. I don't care that they are messy on the jeep, I just need it to stop.

Hawk makes good stuff and the only stuff they have that has mechanical attachment that I am aware of is their HD line which is for BIG trucks and not small consumer SUV's. I used hawk on my dodge truck when I had it and never had an issue with them and would use them on the expedition. When I did put pads on the back of mine I just got the premium ceramic pads from the parts store and they worked fine.

I am in the camp that thinks drilled rotors aren't needed on anything but race cars and frankly, I don't think most people need slotted rotors on anything but race cars too. Some of this is due to my experience offroading, slots and holes just give some place for mud, dust, and crap to collect. On my jeep I have gone strictly to Centric rotors and ebc pads, and the performance is significantly better than stock and other than those pads being dusty they are fantastic.

I had one jeep (manual transimission) that was still on its stock pads at 124K miles and they still had life left on them. That doesn't mean those pads were good, it was just a light vehicle and compression braking took care of most of the work. I really think you are way over thinking and over stressing the situation. If it makes you feel better, buy a big name product and run with it.

 

[LokiWolf]

I don't think the whole mechanical attachment is something to even worry about. Over all the years I have only had one set of cheap parts store pads come apart and guess what, the brakes still worked just fine with the pad material gone, of course it destroyed the rotor but still.

The EBC issues you noted were a problem that happened quite a while ago and were resolved. I have been running Green and Yellow EBC's on my jeep for 15 years and they have been fantastic but are much too dusty for my usage on the expedition. I don't care that they are messy on the jeep, I just need it to stop.

Hawk makes good stuff and the only stuff they have that has mechanical attachment that I am aware of is their HD line which is for BIG trucks and not small consumer SUV's. I used hawk on my dodge truck when I had it and never had an issue with them and would use them on the expedition. When I did put pads on the back of mine I just got the premium ceramic pads from the parts store and they worked fine.

I am in the camp that thinks drilled rotors aren't needed on anything but race cars and frankly, I don't think most people need slotted rotors on anything but race cars too. Some of this is due to my experience offroading, slots and holes just give some place for mud, dust, and crap to collect. On my jeep I have gone strictly to Centric rotors and ebc pads, and the performance is significantly better than stock and other than those pads being dusty they are fantastic.

I had one jeep (manual transimission) that was still on its stock pads at 124K miles and they still had life left on them. That doesn't mean those pads were good, it was just a light vehicle and compression braking took care of most of the work. I really think you are way over thinking and over stressing the situation. If it makes you feel better, buy a big name product and run with it.

This right here is SPOT on! Yeah, @duneslider I could see slotted being an issue under off road conditions. But haven't had issues, as i don't do heavy offroading in my F150. More overlanding type things. I agree 100% on the drilled!

 

[GaryH]

Scotty Kilmer swears by Akebono brake pads.

 

[m3bs]

I'm not seeing any reason not to go back with the stock Motorcraft pads. I have 35K on mine, mostly towing, and they are still about 80% thickness and my rotors look like new. The initial bite and stopping power are good, low dust, and they are extremely rotor friendly. At under $60 per axle from RockAuto, I'll go back with them....if they wear out before I trade cars!

That was not the case with my old Armada. Switched to Hawk LT, and got better stopping power at the expense of increased rotor wear.

 

[20Expy]

I'm not seeing any reason not to go back with the stock Motorcraft pads. I have 35K on mine, mostly towing, and they are still about 80% thickness and my rotors look like new. The initial bite and stopping power are good, low dust, and they are extremely rotor friendly. At under $60 per axle from RockAuto, I'll go back with them....if they wear out before I trade cars!

That was not the case with my old Armada. Switched to Hawk LT, and got better stopping power at the expense of increased rotor wear.

Wow, lucky for you. We currently have 48000km (30000 miles) no towing/heavy hauling and dealer quoted that all the pads are at 1mm, except for the front left at 3mm. Forgot to link my other thread, talking about it in detail: https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...d-rotors-replacement-quote-from-dealer.54873/