Front brake hype or fact?

[Terkins]

(I'm the 5th owner/driver...2000 XLS 4x4) (I didn't realize I could fail inspection on a worn ball joint. I didn't but was advised one was nearing failure. Upon a further inspection at the local NTB, I was informed BOTH front-uppers are going bad...So...)

I have to install front ball joints (144k) and my front brakes pads are borderline OK so I figured now is a good time to replace them at the same time as the joints. [I have to work outdoors on a gravel lot courtesy of permission of a local business. I'm 'just-a-renter' (second-class-deplorable) prohibited from doing auto repairs in our parking lot. 'Time-is-of-the-essence' with winter approaching/my multiple doctor appointments/zero-second-wind reserve...etc. " 'Excuse' my excuses."]

For the pads, the Power Stop Z23s are more expensive than the Z36s, which claim to have 17% greater friction than OEM pads. I drive in the 'hills' of VA so the extra stopping sounds worthwhile.
For new rotors, 'drilled & slotted' are only a few $s more than OEM. Are they worth it or will the pad upgrade suffice by itself with conventional rotors? [It seems intuitive to me that the slots/holes would 1) increase wear of the pads; and 2) provide less surface area for friction to occur (ie. stopping power)? What's the point of increasing the friction (Z36s) if I'm going to provide less surface area for them to grab?]

FTR: I've only-ever experienced skidding. With anti-lock brakes, is 'brake-fade' even much of a concern anymore?

 

[bronchole]

The softer pads will wear faster, but provide increased "grab" on the rotors for increased stopping power. Not really necessary on a stock Explorer since these things have great brakes for any stock SUV.

Drilled/slotted rotors actually decrease the stopping power when all else is equal. That said, I run slotted/drilled rotors on my highly modified rig that I commonly tow a 4500 pound trailer behind. In my experience the drilled/slotted rotors do defiantly help to cool the brake system down as compared to the normal rotors. There is a hill coming down from a run I typically do every year and when I switched over to drilled/slotted rotors I noticed a significant difference in heat/brake fade.

I would say that if you know that you occasionally push the brakes to the point where they get hot, the drilled/slotted rotors probably should be on your rig. If you never noticed them getting hot, then it is up to you. If you never noticed them getting hot and you think your brakes are a bit weak, you should probably stick with the un-drilled/slotted ones.

Sorry, no simple answer

Dan

 

[masospaghetti]

My only experience with slotted rotors is on a track car, but on the track there's little benefit with drilling or slotting. Drilled rotors in particular are recommended against because they provide an easy place for cracks to start. I wouldn't think there is any difference for a tow vehicle.

I tried Powerstop pads on that same track vehicle and they were really terrible. So bad, in fact, they ruined my track weekend (I couldn't even get around the track once without crippling fade). The Stoptech pads I had before were in an entirely different league when it comes to performance - and Stoptech are basically an entry level pad anyway.

So, I would either stick with blank rotors, or maybe slotted, and stay away from Powerstop.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Good info from Bronchole and Masospaghetti.
My (cough) Jeep Cherokee had problems with seized calipers, so I installed a set of drilled/slotted
rotors hoping they would run cooler. Afterwards the brakes felt lots better and seemed to stop with
less pedal pressure than before. No hard evidence here, just a subjective 'feel', but I like the drilled/
slotted rotors for everyday driving. An added bonus is they might help prevent rotor warping...?

 

[MrQ]

I have a friend who runs drilled and slotted rotors on his Taurus SHO. The pedal feel was really bad, every time you stopped the brake pedal pulsates, which is very disturbing when coming to a stop. At the next brake change he is going back to plain rotors.

I have always run plain rotors, but I have started to run ceramic pads on my Ram 1500, they hold up to the heat better and create a lot less brake dust. I just stick with good ol' semi metallic on all my Explorers. I never felt the need to run anything more, the vehicle stopped within an adequate distance for a 2 ton SUV with 33's.

If it were me and I was concerned about brake fade, I would buy a good set of heavy duty plain rotors, throw some good ceramic pads on them and go. I think you will find that more than sufficient for your needs.

 

[masospaghetti]

Whatever you do, make sure you change your brake fluid - none of this will matter if your fluid boils!

Fluid absorbs water over time and becomes "wet" which has a much lower boiling point than fresh dry fluid. Look at any bottle of brake fluid and it will show you the dry and wet boiling points. If too much water gets absorbed, it will begin to fall out of suspension and you'll get pockets of moisture in your brake system. This will greatly increase the rate of corrosion of your brake components.

Regular clean DOT 3 is probably fine. If you want extra margin, go with DOT 4 which has higher boiling points and also readily available. If you are really concerned about it, you can get super high temp DOT 5.1 racing fluid on Amazon that will resist boiling up to 600 F.

 

[Turdle]

Not powerstop. from cheap products to dis organized staff, just nope.

 

[gmanpaint]

Wow, all this negative talk with Powerstop has me bummed, but in a good way if that makes sense.

I was planning on upgrading my rigs brakes for towing purposes, and was looking into the Powerstop packages offered on RockAuto. I had no idea that they aren't what I thought. Now I'm back to the drawing board to find other brands, for this "Upgrade".

Good that I didn't purchase them, Bad that I have to find a different route. LOL Just glad I seen this thread.

 

[crunchie_frog]

A whole lot of education, training and learning went in to the OEM pads and rotors. Unless you are doing something special (long distance, heavy towing), go with an OEM pad and rotor or like.

 

[Terkins]

Wow! Lots of valuable info from this blog! "Many thanks!" to all who've added their $0.02.
Social Security won't stretch to increased rent, higher Medicare premiums, auto insurance (due), and brakes + ball joints. Will have to do the ball joints/alignment first; brakes next. Fortunately I've got some wear left on the current ones. I'll be going with OEM rotors (coated for rust-resistance) and semi-metallic pads: Both switched (due to comments herein)!