E350 Bigger, stronger brakes

[happy]

Have any of you E350 uses ever upgraded your factory brakes to make them better? If so what did you use....what would you recommend?



By better I mean stronger, more powerful, less fading, faster stopping, more capable with heavy towing.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by happy

Have any of you E350 uses ever upgraded your factory brakes to make them better? If so what did you use....what would you recommend?
By better I mean stronger, more powerful, less fading, faster stopping, more capable with heavy towing.

I suspect the Ford Raptor brakes would fit if you went to the bigger rims. Brembo has several kits with the biggest using 16.2" rotors and 8 piston calipers.

[Chateau_Nomad]

I know it's not the Rockies, but we spend a lot of time driving the Appalachians with our E350. I use tow/haul pretty religiously and have never had issues with overheating or fading.

Are you sure you're not overloaded? If you're towing, is the auxiliary braking system working properly?

[happy]

Brembo is a good name! I'll search more but did not see anything directed toward our unit.

Our tow/haul mode works very well. Ford linked the 7.3 with a good transmission. Down shifts just as it should. Never have been over loaded in this unit and our tow brakes are a very reliable brand that is working properly.

[Lt Keefer]

What is wrong with your current setup? It is a motorhome after all not a sports car.

[happy]

I had wondered why our Axis was not as zippy as I had hoped. Knowing it is not a sports car is helpful. I know you know I am being facetious.

And speaking of the Rockies. We took our Axis up and over Slumgullion Pass last week. The Axis handled it very well. Drove it both ways.

Now about brakes. If you have have any input or advice it would be appreciated.

[Chance]

Ford upgraded E-Series brakes for 2008 Model Year, so Axis/Vegas already have that upgrade. Brake rotors are already about as large as will fit inside factory 16-inch wheels.

If it were an absolute requirement, I would look at upgrading both front and rear axles to F-Series, but that’s a big job and would cost a ton.

Larger rotors will require larger wheels and tires, which is why even F-350 switched to 17-inch wheels. Bolt patterns are different, so can’t mix and match. Even larger brakes are used on HD pickups with 19-1/2 wheels and tires, so limit depends on how much money one wants to throw at it. Personally, I wouldn’t spend a nickel. I’m frugal that way, believing aftermarket upgrades usually don’t add enough value for their high cost.

[Lt Keefer]

Originally Posted by happy

I had wondered why our Axis was not as zippy as I had hoped. Knowing it is not a sports car is helpful. I know you know I am being facetious.

And speaking of the Rockies. We took our Axis up and over Slumgullion Pass last week. The Axis handled it very well. Drove it both ways.

Now about brakes. If you have have any input or advice it would be appreciated.

So I'll ask again, what is wrong with your current brake setup? Are the pads worn? System need bleeding? Just because it's new, doesn't mean it's right!

[Judge]

Originally Posted by happy

Have any of you E350 uses ever upgraded your factory brakes to make them better? If so what did you use....what would you recommend?



By better I mean stronger, more powerful, less fading, faster stopping, more capable with heavy towing.

Go to RockAuto.com and seatch for your year E350. It will list which brakes and rotor options are OEM quality and which ones are designed for heavy duty and other applications.

[happy]

Lt Keefer, Sir, there is nothing wrong per se, but improvements can be had over what Ford installed in their stripped chassis. The after market has many excellent choices but I am not familiar with ones specific to the E350. I know there are many on this forum who are. Thank you.


Thank you Judge I have not looked at the offerings on Rock.
Just looked and really like how they classify their offerings...thanks.

[BASSMAN]

I worked in a truck repair shop years ago and went to the school for Bendix Westinghouse, Brake lining has a friction rating and its stamped on the edges of the lining, its a letter code and will have like EE, EF, FF, FG, GG, GH an HH, as the letters progress the rating goes up, HH is a lot more aggressive then the EE, you need to know what you have now before you try to go with a higher rating, most of the popular Auto Parts stores will not have a clue of what you are talking about if you ask about friction ratings, a higher rating on brake lining does not go hand in hand with Quality, you only want to try the next rating up with what you have now, too high of a rating will burn up drums and rotors and cause tires to lock up, its a lot cheaper than trying to up grade the entire brake system.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by BASSMAN

I worked in a truck repair shop years ago and went to the school for Bendix Westinghouse, Brake lining has a friction rating and its stamped on the edges of the lining, its a letter code and will have like EE, EF, FF, FG, GG, GH an HH, as the letters progress the rating goes up, HH is a lot more aggressive then the EE, you need to know what you have now before you try to go with a higher rating, most of the popular Auto Parts stores will not have a clue of what you are talking about if you ask about friction ratings, a higher rating on brake lining does not go hand in hand with Quality, you only want to try the next rating up with what you have now, too high of a rating will burn up drums and rotors and cause tires to lock up, its a lot cheaper than trying to up grade the entire brake system.

Agree very aggressive disk pads can wear the rotors fast, but their stopping is SOO much better than stock. I prefer Poterfield pads in the R4-S compound. They have good cold stopping power and really grab when above 800 F degrees. You will have to call and see if they have pads for your application. If they have shoes to fit my 1961 Chevy Corvair Rampside truck, they can probably fit your application. The catalog shows 1081 different disk pads in the R4-S friction material (carbon-Kevlar).

[happy]

Thank you for this information.
Appreciate it very much.