Ford Excursion/SD brake recommendations

I thought the Excursion's tow rating is 10K-11K depending on engine/drivetrain? I think for a truck rated to tow a trailer at that weight should be able to stop it in adverse conditions. I have to admit the brakes never gave me problems before or after that incident towing or empty but that time with brand new pads/rotors, lubed slide pins, etc. after about 500-600 miles (break-in) it should have better performance in my opinion. After that incident I searched this forum and found out that I should manually downshift to the same gear the trans used incline for the decline.
The current Ex has tow/haul mode so that should help but I want to make sure I have as much braking performance as I can afford.

Lantley wrote:
I am slowly coming to terms with the facts of the GVW and payload numbers.
I once towed a 31BHDS TT with a PSD Excursion. It was a fantastic combo.
Very stable and solid in all conditions even though I was quite a bit over my GVW towing a 10K loaded TT.
I replaced breaks regularly and accepted it as a way of life.
In hindsight I have come to recognize that towing beyond your ratings may not be dangerous day to day but it will cause parts to where prematurely.
I was replacing brakes regularly because I was towing a heavy trailer regularly.
My current truck is more in line with the factory ratings and my maintenance cost are noticeably better. Wear items like tires and brakes are lasting longer.
Don't get me wrong the X is a great TV, in some ways I still miss it. If I had the same TT I would get another X in a heartbeat, but the bottom line is the GVWR numbers do have meaning and consequences.
Exceeding the ratings may not put you in harms way on a daily basis but you will more than likely wear out consumable parts prematurely.
As long as you tow a with your current combo you will be wearing your brakes prematurely. This is a lesson I learned in hindsight, while I was towing with the X I was unable to see the forest through the trees!