So what to do with the brakes, with a slight lift, and bigger tires? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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So what to do with the brakes, with a slight lift, and bigger tires?

1996BLKBauer

Explorer Addict
Joined
June 24, 2011
Messages
1,686
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13
City, State
McHenry, IL
Year, Model & Trim Level
1996 Eddie Bauer AWD V8
Well guys I can't avoid it any more, it takes a lot more pedal pressure to stop my Explorer now, Now granted I only have a TT, and lift shackles, with 31's, but I notice it a lot. I use my truck for the occasional off roading adventure, maybe a few passes down the drag strip, but more importantly it is my DD, so safety is key for me. so what are some relatively cheap, and or easy upgrades for my brakes that I can do to make it stop better? I was throwing the idea around of braided steel flex lines, does anybody make those? I already have brand new, well new over this last summer Raybestos Pads and rotors all the way around. all the calipers are working just fine. So what can I do?
 



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Can you still lock the tires up? If so theres nothing you can do to really help. If not, bleed the brakes and throw new pads on it.

If you just feel the need to upgrade you can get better pads and rotors. Hawk has gotten popular. EBC is good. And theres lots more.

But honestly, it's just gonna take a little more effort to stop. Braided lines are great but not needed imo. And I believe you have to get them made, as no one makes them off the shelf (I think)
 






Hawk Pads and Power Slot rotors i think were on mine,,, that hauled my lifted on 35's down pretty good,,
[MENTION=17822]Turdle[/MENTION] should know for sure, i can't exactly remember,,
 






oh hey, also a line flush so new fluid is in them could help too,, it seems to get old, and a freshening can help,,
 












thanks for the input guys, IDK, I guess they work, maybe I'll just get used to the pedal feel, but I always felt like my Explorers pedal was a bit soft, especially compared to my '87 ranger. Thanks for the link for the braided lines, for under $150 I might just try those out.

For a little bit more input, I rebuild the rear calipers, and did a flush on the brake system about 2 years ago, I could probably do another to see if it fixes anything. I am wanting to re run new front hard lines because they are original to the truck, plus I plan on taking it to the drag strip a couple more times this year, and I would hate to blow one there.
 






I had some unimpressive Duralast Gold ceramic pads on mine. They sucked. Then I did a SAS and I initially just used the junkyard pads and was serious,y underwhelmed.

Then, I got some Hawk LTS pads with some DBA rotors (which I don't think are available for Explorers) and could not be happier. I now actually have confidence when I hit the brakes.

EBC Greens are also good.
 






My last pads that I did over 2 years ago where duralast gold, and they where good, I only replaced them because the rotors had a large lip. But the Hawk pads look to be legit, and for rotors I am thinking Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors, and since SS brake lines are offered, I want to do those aswell. Still looking for any extra suggestions obviously.
 






Drilled and Slotted rotors aren't all they're hyped up to be.
If you're not racing, you won't feel a difference.

A good quality solid rotor with high quality pads will give you the best for on and off road conditions.
Slotted/Drilled rotors tend to get clogged up off road by dirt and mud.

I have 31s, with brand new Wagner brakes all around. Good quality Wagner rotors with high quality Wagner ceramic pads. I do feel that it takes a bit more to stop with the 31s, but it's not as bad as you make it sound.

I'm not trying to come off as rude, but to each their own, right? Just my 2 cents.
 






Drilled and Slotted rotors aren't all they're hyped up to be.
If you're not racing, you won't feel a difference.

A good quality solid rotor with high quality pads will give you the best for on and off road conditions.
Slotted/Drilled rotors tend to get clogged up off road by dirt and mud.

I have 31s, with brand new Wagner brakes all around. Good quality Wagner rotors with high quality Wagner ceramic pads. I do feel that it takes a bit more to stop with the 31s, but it's not as bad as you make it sound.

I'm not trying to come off as rude, but to each their own, right? Just my 2 cents.

You can't ever have too much braking power. If you rear end me because your brakes were inadequate due to a non factory tire size upgrade, I could see my insurance company suing yours. Not trying to pick a fight, just saying what unfortunately happens in this world these days. Ouch my neck. haha

So in other words if he's not comfortable, he should upgrade them. I've had big brake kits possibly save my life and definitely save my car on multiple occasions. Get in some city traffic with larger tires and you can overheat the brakes and get brake fade. Brakes can't be tested based on a 1 stop basis. They have to be able to continuously stop the vehicle under normal driving conditions.

OP - the best lines for a street/salt driven/bad weather vehicle are the factory rubber lines. The stainless lines don't last as long. Replace all of your rubber lines on your truck if they've never been replaced and you'll feel a hugeeee difference and a much stiffer pedal. Then be sure your abs is bled properly, throw on a set of nice pads/rotors and be on your way.
 






You can't ever have too much braking power. If you rear end me because your brakes were inadequate due to a non factory tire size upgrade, I could see my insurance company suing yours. Not trying to pick a fight, just saying what unfortunately happens in this world these days. Ouch my neck.

If I rear end you I'm at fault, regardless of the size of my brakes, tires, or what car I'm in. That's how the law works.

If you have the best brakes in the world but your tires won't grip, it won't make a difference. Lol. If you have the same tires on, locking stock brakes up on a car, and locking upgraded performance brakes won't make a difference in your stopping distance. It's the tires that are what grip the road, not the brakes.
 






Drilled and Slotted rotors aren't all they're hyped up to be.
If you're not racing, you won't feel a difference.

A good quality solid rotor with high quality pads will give you the best for on and off road conditions.
Slotted/Drilled rotors tend to get clogged up off road by dirt and mud.

I have 31s, with brand new Wagner brakes all around. Good quality Wagner rotors with high quality Wagner ceramic pads. I do feel that it takes a bit more to stop with the 31s, but it's not as bad as you make it sound.

I'm not trying to come off as rude, but to each their own, right? Just my 2 cents.

No offense taken at all. The drilled and slotted rotors have atleast in my expirence mixed reviews became two type of people comment on them, those who use them and love them, and those who have read about than and hate them. I want to try them and see for myself, since the brakes are working harder now with bigger tires, plus my truck weighs more , I feel that they will actually help. We'll see I guess if they really help.
 






If I rear end you I'm at fault, regardless of the size of my brakes, tires, or what car I'm in. That's how the law works.

If you have the best brakes in the world but your tires won't grip, it won't make a difference. Lol. If you have the same tires on, locking stock brakes up on a car, and locking upgraded performance brakes won't make a difference in your stopping distance. It's the tires that are what grip the road, not the brakes.

That's not true at all. A lot of accidents are 50/50 nowadays at least in NJ.

While that's true about tires gripping the road, stock brakes wont lock tires at 60 mph. High performance brakes can grab harder at high speeds and also wont fade like stock brakes will. So assuming you have good tires upgraded brakes are better. Period.
 






No offense taken at all. The drilled and slotted rotors have atleast in my expirence mixed reviews became two type of people comment on them, those who use them and love them, and those who have read about than and hate them. I want to try them and see for myself, since the brakes are working harder now with bigger tires, plus my truck weighs more , I feel that they will actually help. We'll see I guess if they really help.

I've run both. I happened to find a kit I love and it only comes with drilled/slotted so I run them. The slots and holes fill with garbage really fast and have to be cleaned constantly (every oil change). They're all a catch 22.

Drilled - Helps cool brakes, but sometimes can cause premature rotor cracking if they're not done right, and they do tend to fill with brake dust and or mud.

Slotted - Some cooling help but mainly designed to help gasses escape from behind the pad so they make a good solid contact with the rotor. Also tend to fill with garbage.

Solid - Good pad life (drilled/slotted tend to chew pads faster) and do offer more rotor surface to grab than a drilled/slotted for obvious reasons. They do however not dissipate heat as fast and brake gases can get trapped under the pad causing the pad to lift off the rotor.

It's really your call and all personal preference. On a street vehicle you're probably not going to notice much difference. The biggest difference short of a big brake kit is going to be pad choice. But again, with a more aggressive pad, you shorten brake life and possibly have nosier brakes.
 






I don't really think you should notice a difference going from stock sized tires to 31s, but if you're not satisfied or comfortable with your brakes, by all means upgrade and do what is necessary.

I agree with what people say over the slotted/drilled hype. Jalopnik actually had an excellent article on brakes myths and their view on the slots and drilled is interesting. I'd say on a DD, having crazy rotors may actually harm you more than good. It may seem awesome at first, but soon you'll be wondering why you spent all that money.

When I switched to 33s, I freaked out and upgraded absolutely everything braking related. I went with Wagner ThermoQuiet pads on Powerstop cross drilled and slotted rotors. I went the whole nine yards. My braking has drastically improved but I can't say every penny was necessary. It was nice to brag to people about all the parts I had, but they were probably just rolling their eyes at all the unnecessary money I spent to get the same performance as them at half the cost. I probably won't be getting slotted and drilled rotors again.

My best advice would be to invest in quality parts like Wagner, EBC, or even Hawk. I understand wanting to try everything for yourself first because I was like that too. I think this may be similar to the quality vs quantity debate. Be careful and make sure you get quality parts that actually do their job, rather than a whole bunch of things that sound good.
 






If I was buying brakes I would probably buy one of these two kits. Looks like they have a 20% off sale going right now too that ends in a day. Might want to jump on one of these kits. Every time I've put one of these kits on a vehicle I was blown away how much better my brakes felt. But also as I said, change all your rubber lines out with new rubber lines. After 15+ years they get very spongy.

http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/61A5870A0A0.aspx

http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/power-stop-oek-ceramic-brake-kits
 






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