Brake Pad Advice.

Fallon · Jun 7, 2016

-Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths is a good read about some braking principles & tech.

GLyford · Jun 7, 2016

I have an 03 XL, and my pedal is mushy too.

Prowling the ford truck forums it is a pretty common complaint on the 03s. The only thing that really seems to help is adjusting the screw on the end of the master cylinder pushrod. It's a very fine dance between getting a comfortably stiff pedal and the brakes staying locked in certain situations. I haven't done mine yet, but I keep thinking about it. I have noticed that if I pump it once I get a lot better feel.

*** Soft Brake Pedal Resolved *** - F150online Forums

N80 · Jun 7, 2016

Fallon said:
-Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths is a good read about some braking principles & tech.

I didn't follow the link but I suspect the article is referring to deposits on the rotors which cause pulsing in the brake pedal. Warping a modern rotor from heat is very unlikely. The rotors on my track car get glowing hot and sometimes smoke for several minutes after a track session and none have ever warped. However, I have had improperly bedded pads leave deposits on the rotors which causes vibration and pulsing in the pedal. The other issue that is more often neglected is the contact between the rotor and the hub. The slightest amount of dust or roughness that causes this point of contact to be even slightly not flat will cause increasing problems.

N80 · Jun 7, 2016

GLyford said:
I have an 03 XL, and my pedal is mushy too.

Prowling the ford truck forums it is a pretty common complaint on the 03s. The only thing that really seems to help is adjusting the screw on the end of the master cylinder pushrod. It's a very fine dance between getting a comfortably stiff pedal and the brakes staying locked in certain situations. I haven't done mine yet, but I keep thinking about it. I have noticed that if I pump it once I get a lot better feel.

*** Soft Brake Pedal Resolved *** - F150online Forums

I personally wouldn't mess with that. I've done rotor, pad and caliper replacements. I've flushed and filled the brake fluid. But I personally wouldn't mess with that adjustment myself. I'd have a pro do it. And if I thought that was my problem I'd be inclined to go to an aftermarket master cylinder anyway. (I've had this truck a long time and feel like most major components other than the engine, tranny and diff are underspec'd. The shocks, springs, brakes and steering all seem to be just not quite up to the task of what the truck was designed for.)

I still think most of this can be solved with the right pads. On a car different pad compounds can make a in all aspects of braking including pedal feel. I think OEM pads and OEM replacement pads just put too much value on quiet and dust-free qualities at the expense of friction. This might be okay for the folks whose truck is primarily a grocery getter but not good enough for towing, hauling loads, driving in the mountains, etc.

terryknight · Jun 7, 2016

i have hawk super duty pads on my truck and they have been great.

SuperDuty Brake Pads | Hawk Performance

not2old · Jun 7, 2016

N80 said:
Fred is correct. With racing/track pads there is a wide range of friction choices and heat resistance. I expect that there is at least some range of choices for truck/towing pads I just have not been able to find it. The downsides to improved friction and heat resistance are cost, noise, dust and rotor wear.

Fred, I will do some research on the Wagner pads. It sounds like what I need. Thanks. My truck does not get a lot of daily mileage so rotor wear won't be a big issue. Which is good because the front rotors are part of the hub assembly on my truck. There may be a good reason for that but seems like one of the stupidest design 'features' I've ever seen. There is no reason I know of that changing rotors shouldn't be quick, simple and easy. It has been on all my other vehicles.

My truck ate pads when new. The Wagners I tried were a lifetime guarantee but only lasted 6000KM before they were metal to metal. I change the oil that often. I've had good luck and function with "Super Stoppers" by Girling or Bendix. 1990 F250HD 4x4 460, E4OD 8800 GVW

truckdiagnostics · Jun 7, 2016

I have done research on this, been a while so the facts are fuzzy, I can tell you the results. Not necessarily the same truck but similar issues. We have a chevy suburban 2004 1500 spongy brakes I flushed the brake fluid, big difference. brake fluid over time will adsorb moisture, when towing the brake fluid gets hot the moisture boils causes all kinds of issues. if towing recommend flushing the brake fluid. We do not store any brake fluid unless it is in a sealed air tight container. We then switched out all the rotors for the slotted/vented drilled rotors and a matched semi metallic pad. Huge improvement, stopped brake fade on long hard braking, pulling a trailer. Wouldn't suggest it if i was using it as a grocery getter, but for towing a trailer at max GVCWR would recommend it.