New brakes and shocks for the F150

[MitchF150]

Well, I started getting the old "brake shake" on the front end of my 13 F150.. Got 54,000 miles out of the OEM brakes..

So, found these Power Stop K6268-36 Front & Rear Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Kit on Amazon and decided to swap them out..

Then, I felt that the OEM shocks were **** too, so got some Bilstein 5100 series shocks for the front and rear and this is what they look like. 🙂





Both setups are much better than stock so far.. Can't wait to tow with the new brake/shock setup!

Anyway, will report the towing results when I get them.

Mitch

[TurnThePage]

I've totally given up on work that requires things like spring compressors. I'm willing to pay for that kind of work. I put those same BILs on my truck and also like them. Mine are set to 1.4". I thought they added to the firmness of the ride though, as opposed to your description. Maybe some of that is the pre-loaded front springs.

[MitchF150]

I do have the say the brakes are much better at stopping, distance wise, than the stock ones were..

I've had to apply the brakes hard a couple of times already, and they are noticeably superior to the point that I was afraid the car behind me would not be able to stop in time...

Anyway, the whole brake package was around $435 and I installed them myself.

The shocks were around $155 for the rear and around $220 for the front. I installed them myself too.. 🙂 They basically 'float' over the bumps now.

The front install was the hardest of course, with the strut assembly, and if I have to do it again, I'll take the struts out and take them into a shop.. The screw type spring compressor I used was barely enough to compress the springs and it was like a "Jack in the box" kind of thing cranking down on them, wondering if it was going to "POP"! 🙂

Luckily, it all worked out, but too close for comfort in hindsight!

Mitch

[ScottG]

Also not overpriced if you consider performance.
When a herd of dear run out in front of me with the TT in tow, I want every bit of stopping power I can get. Spending a few dollars more to get that extra edge is a non-issue to me.

[time2roll]

Wow rotors at 54,000 miles. Mine hit 196,000 this year.

They do look nice... let us know how they work out.

[rhagfo]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Just slotted is fine. Drilled and slotted are iffy. Rock auto probably would have been less expensive too. Not a fan of Bilstein, overpriced. I run Skyjacker monotube Black Max. Made here and less costly.

Time will tell for you but I prefer phosphoric coated rotors and calipers. They don't rust up.

Not overpriced if you consider lifetime warranty! I had both rears on my 2001 Ram start leaking at the same time 55K miles and about 5 years, did a warranty return through XDP only cost shipping back to XDP. I think could been a bad batch of seals, as both started leaking at the same time, still were
Working ok.

[MitchF150]

Time will tell for sure! I've had the brakes for a couple of months now and the new shocks for a couple of weeks.

The 5100's are much smoother than stock. I go over the same speed bumps and the difference is great. The fronts have 4 different "level" settings from stock to 2.25" 'lift'.

I did set mine to the 1.5" setting and it probably added an inch to the front ride height over all.

I've heard the horror stories with the drilled and slotted rotors too, but I have never ran them, so lets see how they go.. I'll report back when I have more to report... So far, they have been great! 🙂

Thanks!

Mitch

[ScottG]

You'll like the Power Stops. They have better bite than OEM and with just a little heat, they get even better.
You'll notice it in stop and go driving where it doesn't take as much pedal effort to slow it down.
Great pads with minimal dusting.

[theoldwizard1]

alexleblanc wrote:
I ran those shocks and brakes on my 2011, the shocks were a huge upgrade and are still on the truck now, the brakes after on winter though really corroded and went to hell. I got a year and a half out of those rotors and pads before I had to change them.

I would have been very UPSET with that performance for the price of those Power Stop rotors and pads !

[goducks10]

Curious why you're running 5100's? Those are for 0-?" lift. I always thought the 4600's were the same.

[SidecarFlip]

Just slotted is fine. Drilled and slotted are iffy. Rock auto probably would have been less expensive too. Not a fan of Bilstein, overpriced. I run Skyjacker monotube Black Max. Made here and less costly.

Time will tell for you but I prefer phosphoric coated rotors and calipers. They don't rust up.

[camp-n-family]

I considered those rotors of my Tundra a few years back but after much reading decided against the cross drilled ones. Apparently they don't stand up to heavy use and warp easily. Cross drilling weakens the rotor and is not good for heavy use.

My coworker got them and reports were true. They were noisy and rough and warped in a matter of months. In less than a year they were swapped out. Hope you have better results.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

That’s too pretty to put the wheel back on.
How does the ride compare with the Bilsteins?

[alexleblanc]

I ran those shocks and brakes on my 2011, the shocks were a huge upgrade and are still on the truck now, the brakes after on winter though really corroded and went to hell. I got a year and a half out of those rotors and pads before I had to change them for my Father in law( he bought the truck in Kate 2013 from me).