Brake Pad and Rotor Recommendations

[vannboy]

So I just had Ford do a 90K service on my 2002 Explorer for $550. They did a brake/rotor inspection and said both need to be replaced - and quoted me $900. My brother is the "mechanic" of the family but he's not up to speed as far as parts go. What do you recommend for solid replacements? I do only street driving, nothing fancy - but want a good, quality brake pad and rotor combination without breaking the bank. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Thelt]

So I just had Ford do a 90K service on my 2002 Explorer for $550. They did a brake/rotor inspection and said both need to be replaced - and quoted me $900. My brother is the "mechanic" of the family but he's not up to speed as far as parts go. What do you recommend for solid replacements? I do only street driving, nothing fancy - but want a good, quality brake pad and rotor combination without breaking the bank. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

You can get them off Ebay pretty cheap. Just go there and do a search for "ford explorer rotor" and you will see plenty, some have the pads with them too.

 

[Curtis]

I just put ceramic's on all 4 wheels from Autozone. Cost about $100. They have cheaper pads, but the ceramics are well worth it.

Braking has improved a lot! They really grab nicely and are very quiet.
And brake dust is very minimal now.

My rotors were fine, so I still have stock ones.

 

[shadowless127]

you can get slotted rotors, and Hawk LTS pads for less then half of what they quoted you...

Althought duralast rotors, and duralast ceramics from autozone will do just find and shouldn't be around $200-220 for the front.

 

[96eb96]

Whoa! 900 bucks!

Brembo rotors at the tire rack, they are better than ford. Ford rotors are good too. 80 bucks each, around 15 shipped for a pair.

For pads, I have Motorcraft pads now, I'm very satisfied. Hawk, Performance Friction, Wagner Quiet stop, they are all great. Also, Pretty much anything tirerack has is good.

so for around the 200 ish here you have the best you can get. Then you have to think of how to spend the other 700!

Be sure to remove all rust from your hub/ rotor interface surface, coat it with a thin layer of anti sieze. This is stuff your dealer wont do for you, but it prevents warping.

 

[BonesDT]

www.rockauto.com = best non-performance replacement parts prices hands down

I always use Raybestos Professional Grade for my other vehicles and my friends. I check the rotors to see if they could be resurfaced instead of having to buy new ones. The Haynes manual will give you minimum rotor thickness and you can eyeball them for general quality.

My Ex is my "performance" baby, so I went with PowerSlot rotors and Hawk pads (same company). I couldn't really tell you the difference (and you can't resurface the slotted rotors), so they could have just been a huge money pit for all I know. Ideally, you would want to upsize the rotors and calipers, but no one makes a kit for the 2nd gens.

 

[vannboy]

Lots of great info. Thanks everyone.

Ford did tell me the rotors were either "at or below" recommended thickness, so resurfacing is not an option. I'll continue researching and consider all the input from here before I make a decision.

Thanks Again! I knew I could get good info here...

 

[Curtis]

Lots of great info. Thanks everyone.

Ford did tell me the rotors were either "at or below" recommended thickness, so resurfacing is not an option. I'll continue researching and consider all the input from here before I make a decision.

Thanks Again! I knew I could get good info here...

Id still measure them myself to be sure.

I needed a ABS sensor (the one mounted on the master cylinder)
I knew what and where it was and Ford wanted $70 labor for the $20 part.
I declined and just bought the part. I had it on in less than 5 minutes.

 

[vannboy]

Duralast

Went with Duralast Gold Pads and Rotors, front and rear for about $300 (saved 600 over what Ford quoted!!!). Performance is great and I couldn't be happier. Thanks for all the input, and special thanks to my brother for installing and teaching me how to do them myself next time...

 

[BonesDT]

That's awesome. I love replacing pads & rotors, it is so satisfying and usually trouble free. It's when you have to open up the lines and bleed the fluid which is a messy PITA.

Just remember when you replace the pads to keep an eye on the fluid reservoir. When your old pads wore down, the fluid would go down, your light would come on, you'd add some more fluid, they'd wear down some more, etc. Now you are pushing that caliper all the way in to make room for new fat pads when you already have a topped off reservoir. Something I learned the hard way.

 

[aldive]

I recommend PowerSlot rotors ( http://www.powerslot.com/ ) and Hawk pads ( http://www.hawkperformance.com/ ).

Good luck ....

 

[vannboy]

Bones - I felt great satisfaction doing them myself and saving so much money. Plus, I think my brother and I did a higher quality job than any pro mechanic could have done. We cleaned off a lot of rust, dirt and grime, and even buffed the old bolts with wheel wool to make them look brand new.

My brake light was starting to flash on intermittently over the last couple of weeks, and I'm guessing it was the brake fluid level (even though it did not appear very low). After installing all the new pads and rotors, I did have to siphon a little out to get it below the max level.

I'm VERY happy with the new setup, and maybe next time I'll go with the Powerslot rotors and Hawk pads, as it sounds like a way to go for better performance.

Thanks to all for your .02, as it saved me $600!

 

[cross6]

Contrary to popular opinion, I've had good luck with wearever rotors from advance auto. They are ~40 a pop and hold up to my heavy foot.

For pads Motorcraft SuperDuty. Quiet and no dust. You can get them from rock auto.

 

[gsmaclean]

That's awesome. I love replacing pads & rotors, it is so satisfying and usually trouble free. It's when you have to open up the lines and bleed the fluid which is a messy PITA.

You should be bleeding your brakes EVERY time you replace pads or rotors. When your pads and/or rotors are worn, the piston in the caliper is extended out. That means there is lots of brake fluid in there. That brake fluid is subjected to the grime and dust that makes it past the cylinder seals, as well as extensive heat cycles as the brakes heat up and cool down.

When you retract the piston in the caliper, it will shove all that filthy, sludge-laden, worn-out fluid up through your expensive ABS module, and into your master cylinder, where it will contaminate all the fluid in your system.

Simple solution: Before you install new pads or rotors, when you retract your brake pistons, open the bleed valve. The dirty, used brake fluid will squirt out. When you're done retracting the piston, close the valve. Install the new pads/rotors, then bleed the brakes normally. Finally, top up the master cylinder as required.

If you don't like bleeding brakes because it is messy, buy a Mity-Vac - makes bleeding and/or flushing brakes a quick and easy one-man job.

 

[shockguys]

So I just had Ford do a 90K service on my 2002 Explorer for $550. They did a brake/rotor inspection and said both need to be replaced - and quoted me $900. My brother is the "mechanic" of the family but he's not up to speed as far as parts go. What do you recommend for solid replacements? I do only street driving, nothing fancy - but want a good, quality brake pad and rotor combination without breaking the bank. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Vann,

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