Brake Pads

[Larryzv7]

Does anyone here think it is necessary to have heavy duty brake pads on your truck while towing, and are there heavy duty brake pads available for an F-150 or F-250?

I ask because at a recent routine maintenance check the mechanic told me that my brake pads had cracks in them from over heating and I should think about replacing the brake pads and rotors. He said the over heating was probably due to my frequently towing a 5th wheel trailer. My pads still had some meat on them so I don't have to change them right away but I've been thinking maybe I should get some heavy duty pads which may not readily overheat.

The pads currently on my truck are the ones which came with the truck when I purchased it back in 2012, but it seems I will soon have to change them. I realize that my 5th wheel trailer also has brakes and that should take some of the strain off of the truck brakes, but it does seem like the truck brakes supply a lot of the stopping power.

[Larryzv7]

I did not know that driving with one eye was so common or viewed with such disinterest. So here is the result of my brake drama, and I am admittedly embarrassed by some of it.

I have had my F-150 for a little over 4-years and I am still learning about its features. The Ford Dealer service person showed me how I can put my truck in manual and up and down shift if I so desired, he also told me that I had “Tow Haul” which would automatically adjust for steep grades. All of this will make it easier for me not to ride the brakes.

According to a Camping World service advisor my trailer only needed the brakes adjusted, and I was told that my brake controller was set too low and thus the trailer was not doing its part in the braking. So new front brake pads and rotors on the truck, as the rear pads and rotors are fine, and a brake adjustment on the trailer should do the trick, and of course no more riding the brakes. It’s been an education and the tuition is not as great as it could have been.:)

P.S. My confusion was that I thought over-drive would help me while towing but the Ford dealership told me not to use over-drive when towing.

[nickthehunter]

I'm not sure why you even mentioned it; it had nothing to do with the topic. Am I supposed to be shocked that people with only one eye can drive? I'm not.
I would suspect they are probably better drivers than a lot of people with 2 good eyes.

[bpounds]

Larryzv7 wrote:
...

Interesting that no one commented on driving with only one eye, as is permitted in California.:)

Your driving with one eye didn't concern me in the least. But I admired your resolve and ability to come back from that disability.

[greende]

Larryzv7 wrote:
Correction: According to the Ford Dealership brake inspection that was done a couple of days ago I have 30mm remaining on the rotors and 9mm on the pads. Enough said on this as I will be taking my truck into the Ford dealership this morning to have them put on Ford OEM pads and new rotors. I'll get to the trailer brakes sometime next week before going out on my 2-week monthly RV camping trip. I regularly spend 2-weeks every month at my house and 2-weeks camping in my RV somewhere in the great outdoors. It's wonderful to be retired!:B

Interesting that no one commented on driving with only one eye, as is permitted in California.:)

My Dad drove and towed his 5er for years with only one eye. While not as good as binocular vision, your brain adapts to one eye and, as you know, depth of field gets pretty good.

[jsum]

Larryzv7 wrote:
Correction: According to the Ford Dealership brake inspection that was done a couple of days ago I have 30mm remaining on the rotors and 9mm on the pads. Enough said on this as I will be taking my truck into the Ford dealership this morning to have them put on Ford OEM pads and new rotors. I'll get to the trailer brakes sometime next week before going out on my 2-week monthly RV camping trip. I regularly spend 2-weeks every month at my house and 2-weeks camping in my RV somewhere in the great outdoors. It's wonderful to be retired!:B

Interesting that no one commented on driving with only one eye, as is permitted in California.:)

I drove tractor trailers for many years and have also been with 2 other drivers that only had 1 good eye, and the other a glass eye.
I trusted both and would rather drive with either rather than a lot of people with two good eyes.

[Larryzv7]

Correction: According to the Ford Dealership brake inspection that was done a couple of days ago I have 30mm remaining on the rotors and 9mm on the pads. Enough said on this as I will be taking my truck into the Ford dealership this morning to have them put on Ford OEM pads and new rotors. I'll get to the trailer brakes sometime next week before going out on my 2-week monthly RV camping trip. I regularly spend 2-weeks every month at my house and 2-weeks camping in my RV somewhere in the great outdoors. It's wonderful to be retired!:B

Interesting that no one commented on driving with only one eye, as is permitted in California.:)

[Slownsy]

I hope you has actually taken in that one don't ride brakes going downhill, and if you learnt to drive in Germany you ought to know that you don't have 30 mm of brake lining on any car or truck. Good luck.
Frank.

[lenr]

Very suspicious that the trailer brakes are not doing their share as has been mentioned above. If manual actuation of the trailer brakes with the controller on max setting does not pull the speed down fast, they're probably not doing their share. Does the Prowler have Lippert 4400 lb. axles? I had those on our Puma and found them to be extremely weak. I improved the voltage to the axles by replacing the one 14 gauge brake cable with two 12 gauge cables. Also, good chance the brakes are out of adjustment because it only takes a few thousand miles to need adjustment. They should be tight enough that the wheel will spin only one turn when given a spin by hand. If that doesn't do the trick, then it will be time for larger hubs with more aggressive linings, which is what I'm breaking in right now. Also switched to Dexter.

[lenr]

X2 on Ford OEM. The OEM pads on our 2012 F-350 are absolutely the best I have experienced in 45 years! And, the Motorcraft purchased 8 years ago may be the worst. The box color has changed over the years, used to be blue, now brown; just be sure that you're getting OEM when at a Ford dealer.

[justafordguy]

I use Hawk Performance pads and they are hands down better than the OEM. The increase in stopping power is awesome.

[Larryzv7]

I used to think that I was pretty good at mountain driving, having lived in Colorado for a couple of decades, and tackling grades like those found on Wolf Creek Pass, which is a one lane winding road in both directions with oncoming traffic and very steep grades; a minimum 500 foot drop on one side with no fence or barrier between you and that drop, and a very high sheer mountain wall falling rock zone on the other side. Wolf Creek pass used to be a white knuckle drive for me back in the 1980’s even if I were just driving a car and not towing.

But now I see there is more to handling steep grades than I once thought, thanks to the input of you folks. I learned how to drive in Germany on the autobahn and the first thing I ever drove was a U.S. Army 2 ½ ton truck with 5-forward gears and a high and low crankcase. That was back in 1964 and I did some towing with that military vehicle but not down many steep grades. You’re never too old to learn how to drive.

As a side note; I lost my eyesight during the Vietnam War and was totally blind for about 5-years, went through more than a dozen eye surgeries to regain my eyesight, and now have 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other eye. The State of California allows people to drive even if they only have one eye and that eye has at least a 20/40 visual acuity. After regaining my eyesight when I thought about buying a 5th wheel I was uncomfortable because of my fragile eyesight. I thought I’d wipe out a bunch of parked cars but I’ve gotten good at handling my 5th wheel. Even so, I do realize that there will most likely come a day when I am either unable, or just should not, drive anymore.

[Larryzv7]

Got it! Need to change my driving habits when coming down a steep grade; makes sense to me to use the engine instead of riding the brakes. Thanks a bunch for the education.:)

[JIMNLIN]

Pads and rotors make up the trucks brakes. Installing the best HD pad available may not give you the the best heavy braking performance.
With 40k + miles and lots of riding the brakes downhill with a heavy trailer pushing will require either replacing the rotors or have them turned by a pro brake shop.

Be careful as some shops may have a HS kid turning drums and rotors. Most don't know what to watch for and simply machine down to the rotors minimum thickness.

[bpounds]

smkettner wrote:

Larryzv7 wrote:
.....I have done a lot of mountain camping or gone over lots of mountain passes where I ride my brakes.....

Yea don't do that.

That explains it all really. Every time you smelled the brakes, you were killing the pads.