E450 Brake Upgrade?

[OwlsInTheBog]

I have a 2005 Chinook Glacier (2004 E450 chassis) and am looking for info on available front brake upgrades. This chasis is notoriously under braked for the weight of a 14,000 lb motorhome. I already have a line on frozen slotted rotors and Hawk pads (have been using them for years on all my vehicles with great results), but I am looking for:

*Braided stainless brake hoses?

*Larger diameter rotors (as in the later F series trucks)? I already have the required 17" wheels to clear the calipers on larger rotors.
Does anyone have sources or experience with these? Is it possible to simply fit the later F series 2WD front hub and brake assy to the 04 E series?

I do know that Quadvan in Portland OR used the later 4WD F series front axles with the larger brakes for their 4WD conversions, but I am not looking to go the 4WD route on this one (I did that on an earlier Chinook Concourse with great results).

[j-d]

I got a Ford "axle kit" from Quigley. Call Doug about that, see what they have and how much they need for it. Included, Brakes (hubs, rotors, calipers and pads - I needed to buy the late model Hoses and re-used the banjo bolts), Rotors, Axles, Radius Arms (I had to buy two 18mm bolts), Shocks. I also found a good shipper, PM me if you need that.

EDIT: The shipment weighed almost exactly 400#

[dcg9381]

Home Skillet wrote:
The rotors- you DO NOT want drilled. They will crack.

I ordered the Centric slotted front and rear rotors.
Centric calipers-have the steel pistons.

I went through PartsGeek.com

FYI - Parts Geek doesn't specify piston type for the Centric pistons. Looking on the Centric parts page for the E-450 directly (http://centriccatalog.com/Inquiry/AppResult.aspx?id=WEB_CALPIS&v=MD/HD&y=2004&m=54&mm=2467) - it indicates that pistons are Phenolic if buying pistons alone....


A1Cardone sells calipers with metal or Phenolic pistons via parts geek...

[jdog]

I have had my frozen and slotted rotors with Hawk pads on my 3/4 ton 2002 Ford Crew cab for over 60,000 miles with no problems at all. I have been towing a 12,000 lb. 5th wheel. The original rotors started going bad at 20,000 miles. Braking improved a lot without the fading and rotor warping from heat that ruined my Ford rotors. I also have a V-10 in it.

[carringb]

I used to have slotted frozen rotors. They did not last as long as my Ford '09 rotors. My last frozen rotors cracked through in only 6 months and they gave be some BS about not being able to fully warranty them and only offered a discount a new set. I passed, which turned out to be a good thing since I ended up with the Ford upgrade.

[OwlsInTheBog]

jdog,

I agree wholeheartedly on that one. I use them on my V70R Volvo (2-piece fronts to shed some unsprung weight) and recently put them on a Toyota Tundra 4x4 4 door pickup. Huge difference.

jdog wrote:
The slotted frozen rotors without drilled holes is great way to go!

[OwlsInTheBog]

Carringb,

I am running LT245/70-17 Nitto Dura Grapplers on 17" custom alloys (originally for a Dodge with the hubs machined out for the Ford hubs with matching steel rear inners and spare). The wheels have a larger backspace to accommodate the wider tires that also give me a bit more load capacity. The rear duals are right at the load limit on the stock tires. I find that I cannot get into the anti-lock with the stock setup. What I would really like would be the later F series hubs with the 14.5" diameter rotors, but they use the 10x6.7 bolt pattern vice the 8x6.5 and I really do not want to buy a new set of wheels.

I do use the transmission on long sections and stay off the brake. One of the nice things about the 5-Star tune is the transmission control - a lot less slippage and quicker lockup without being harsh.

I currently am having trouble with a LF caliper not releasing. Checked sliding pins and they are fine, so suspect it is hoses. Fluid gets flushed every 2 years (I live on the coast - humid climate). That is why I am loking for stainless braid hoses - couldn't see much sense in butting new OEMs on if for a few $$ more I can upgrade at the same time.

carringb wrote:
BTW what is your specific braking complaint? Bigger brakes won't help if you're traction limited. At 22,000 pounds combined, with the new brakes I can lock it up on dry pavement at 75. If you are having problems with heat build-up you may need to make better use of the transmission for braking.

[jdog]

The slotted frozen rotors without drilled holes is great way to go!

[carringb]

BTW what is your specific braking complaint? Bigger brakes won't help if you're traction limited. At 22,000 pounds combined, with the new brakes I can lock it up on dry pavement at 75. If you are having problems with heat build-up you may need to make better use of the transmission for braking.

[carringb]

Bolt pattern is the same. The rotors are as big as they can be and just barely clear 16s. I run 17" rims and I doubt the new rotors would fit 16" aluminum rims, only steel.

But the bigger change is the much great swept area on the pads. Also, proper brake bedding is really important to maximize stopping power.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/bed-in-theory-definitions-and-proce...

[OwlsInTheBog]

Carringb,

Thanks for the info! However, I see you are in OR and I am in Maine - shipping from Quadvan for a take-off would be awful. However, I may try Quigley in PA as they do conversions also. Is the 2008 the same bolt pattern and hub diametyer? When you say larger brakes, are they larger diameter rotors? I was not aware that the later E series used the larger diameter wheels that would have to go with larger diameter rotors.

carringb wrote:
Swap to a 2008+ front axle. Rotors calipers and pads are all bigger. Plus, some of the other components are improved too. I did it to my van. Take off axles are $400 from quadvan then you just buy a new sway bar with links. It's cheper than a ball joint job (and you get new better ones anyways. )

PS skip the hawk pads and slotted rotors. Tried that route. The newer Ford stuff is way better. And for the rears try Napa extreme duty pads. They have the shortest stopping distances of all the major aftermarket pads and better than stock.

[carringb]

Swap to a 2008+ front axle. Rotors calipers and pads are all bigger. Plus, some of the other components are improved too. I did it to my van. Take off axles are $400 from quadvan then you just buy a new sway bar with links. It's cheper than a ball joint job (and you get new better ones anyways. )

PS skip the hawk pads and slotted rotors. Tried that route. The newer Ford stuff is way better. And for the rears try Napa extreme duty pads. They have the shortest stopping distances of all the major aftermarket pads and better than stock.

[Home_Skillet]

The rotors- you DO NOT want drilled. They will crack.

I ordered the Centric slotted front and rear rotors.
Centric calipers-have the steel pistons.

I went through PartsGeek.com

[Home_Skillet]

Ha. I just did my entire brake system, except for lines.
Did all four calipers= made sure thay had steel pistons.

Evertime I took a trip and got stuck in traffic, the calipers would stick and burn up the pads. I have a TPMS with a temp read out, so I knew exactly which caliper it was.