hey guys. i remember hearing how the dodge have the biggest brakes in its class yada yada. were they talking about the 1500s, or all of them? the reason i ask is that my brakes just really dont impress me. we have a couple f-450s and a f-250 (not by my choice) and they seem to stop alot easier than mine. also they have aluminum flatbeds, 300 gals h20, pumps and tools. what gives?

thanks

brett

 

I am totally impressed with my brakes, the best of any vehicle I ever owned. I have the diesel, lots a weight up front compared to yours maybe that may make some difference. I have other issues but brakes is not one of them.

 

Well if it won't go as fast as a dodge it should stop easier

 

I had a '03 f-350 4x4 cc before the dodge in my sig and the Ford seemed to stop much better than the dodge. The dodge brakes are not as good,IMO, plus there is alot more brake dust on my front wheels now.Not impressed.BTW the ford was a diesel.

 

I think it is hit or miss. My brother has an F150 and I can say the brakes are good... but the brakes on my Mega are great compared to my Chevy. As far as being better than the Ford... maybe the pedal was easier to push on the Ford, but biting power goes to the Dodge. I need little pedal to get this thing stopped. (Which is amazing for a truck that weighs 7700lbs)

In addition, his wheels are covered in brake dust and I can go a month without a wash and the wheels only have a light dusting..... and I drive just as aggressively as he does.

One thing to note that I learned with the Chevy... there is actually a break-in procedure for new brakes that very few people take into account. I know my brother doesn't do it, but I have since my last Chevy. So far I have noticed that it tends to reduce brake dust build up on the wheels and gives better brake life. Both my brother and father (ford and Chevy) were replacing pads at 35,000 miles, where as I was over 40,000 miles on my chevy when I traded it on the original brakes... and I tow a lot more than both of them combined.

 

If possible, let's draw some paralells from the Dakota we used to own.

OEM brakes left a lot to be desired. They were noisy and did not stop as well as I would like. As I applied more pedal, it felt like i got no more braking force. So, at 50k miles, with plenty of miles left on the brakes, I installed Centric cross drilled and slotted Rotors and Axxis brake pads.

Talk about night and day! Now, as I apply more brake pressure, the truck stopped faster (less distance)! The wife even noticed the difference! They were also quiet as can be!

And, yes I will be installing these pads & rotors on my dually!

Some may say that you are losing surface area of contact between the rotor and pad. There may be some truth to that. How much, who knows? Brakes are all about dissipating kinetic energy. That enrgy is in the form of heat. The better you can dissipate heat, the better you will stop, to a point. These rotors do an excellent job of shedding heat, avoiding fade, increasing pedal feel, and increasing the safety factor of factory brakes!

I'm sold!

HTH

Tony

 

thanks for all the replies. to clear up anything...all three fords are diesel's. im sure with two of them being 450's they will have upgraded brakes, but i was just wondering what youll thought of your factory brakes. maybe thinking i had something going on with them. ill even throw it into neutral when coming to a stop to see if that helps, but doesnt much. how much would some new calipers and rotors run ya think? is it worth it?

thanks

brett

 

I have hauled some pretty heavy loads (over 20K) and I was extremely impressed with my '06 brakes... they are much improved over the '98 my dad has, and stop my dually better than my old 3/4 ton 2001 shortbed cummins.

 

I do notice that when I am casually braking, I have to press progressively harder and harder to get a load stopped.

But the other day I had to panic stop with the same load (trailer and camper), and it defitnitely stopped quickly.

So I am happy with the brakes, but I know what you mean about pressing hard to slow down.

.....................Jim

 

I agree with Jim they do take a little extra push.
I have noticed a lot of brake dust on the fronts an virtually none on the rear, anyone else seeing this??

 

i have noticed the brake dust build up on the fronts is greater than that on the rear, but isnt that because the fronts do the majority of the braking? also, as mentioned the brakes do stop quite well when you get on em. i guess its gonna take a little while to get used to the stiff feeling

thanks

brett

 

Mine are dust free on both trucks, but I think that's because of the aerodynamics of the dually front wheels.

My wifes front wheels are a different story..... !

..........Jim

 

My brake performance is excelent,but lately they have started squeeking a lot.Mostly just the front's,but sometimes the rear's too.I had it in for a look @ two shops,& looked them over myself,& can't find anything wrong.I give up.Maybe when it cools off,& starts raining they will stop squeeking.

 

well i towed with it yesterday and this morning on my way to work and as usual youll were right. they stop pretty good. i guess its just the stiff pedal feeling. thanks to all of you btw

brett