Brake pads for Ford E 350

[DAS26miles]

I have a 2004 Winnebago Ford E350 V10. It has 71,000 miles on my original disk brake pads. I had it checked at a Ford dealer back in Aug 2011 when I had 56,000 miles on it. They said it was 7mm, and still had 60% left. So in the past 3 years, I have put on 15,000 miles. Since we are going on a long trip, I don't want to take a chance on having brake problems and chewing up the rotors. Then having to wait days for parts to ship in.
Are there any brake pad that are better than others for a small class C?

[carringb]

Harvey51 wrote:
I have a 2004 E350, too. Mileage a little less. It never occurred to me that the front disk brake pads would be worn so early. They look thick. Anybody know the minimum thickness?

Is there a rule of thumb that they last twice as long as the rear shoes?

E-series have had 4-wheel disc brakes since '99.

I get approximately the same life front and rear, which is about 90,000 per set of pads.

[Harvey51]

I have a 2004 E350, too. Mileage a little less. It never occurred to me that the front disk brake pads would be worn so early. They look thick. Anybody know the minimum thickness?

Is there a rule of thumb that they last twice as long as the rear shoes?

[DAS26miles]

Took the MH in to Ram Tire for the brakes. Making noise when I Stop. I was hoping the rotors weren't cut. They removed the tires and to my surprise they still had 50% of the lining left after 70k. No charge for the inspection, but I gave the mechanic a good tip. Saved me big bucks today!
Noise was brake dust, gone now.

[SFVdave]

Where are you taking it for brakes?

[amxpress]

If you were able to get 71,000 miles on the original pads, why not put the same brand back on? Ford made your original pads, put Ford pads back on.
If you find something that works, stick with it.
Don't go cheap on your brakes.

[carringb]

I actually got the idea of trying the NAPA pads after reading the Michigan State Police brake pad test report. While they did not test the E-series specifically, the Ultra Premium pads were the only tested pads that beat the OEM Ford pads in both stopping distance and brake fade. Even the high-end aftermarket pads could only beat the Ford pads in one category.

[DAS26miles]

Thanks for the info. Checking my Napa store to see if in stock.

[j-d]

Nice thing about Class C's (at least Ford-based ones) is that pretty much any auto parts store will have pads. I had a caliper lock up in a small town and the parts store had Pads, Calipers, and Hoses on hand.
If Bryan says those NAPA pads are the good ones, then that's what to get. His suggestions are always solid.
But let me mention, I went with another of Bryan's suggestions and replaced our entire front axle assembly (same as yours) with a late model takeoff assembly. Key time to do it would be if your Rotors, Ball Joints, or other major parts need replacement. All our stuff was OK. I'd in fact done a full front brake job and still have those good parts. I did the swap to improve capacity, braking, and handling. All of that worked out and I'm glad I did it.

[carringb]

Napa Ultra Premium pads are excellent. They are a little more aggressive than the stock Ford pads, but still last pretty long. I have gotten them hot enough to smell (stop and go traffic with no trailer brakes), but never have gotten any brake fade.