Best brakes?

[dblake]

Hello. I’m looking at doing a complete overhaul of my brakes(new rotors, calipers, and pads). I was just wondering if there’s any difference
between the cheap rebuilt calipers and rotors and the expensive ones. I was thinking about going with the pads from Genos garage. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Chief USA]

I got on Rock Auto and ordered all Centric parts for both our trucks. The wife's is a 2001.5 long bed and mine is a 2002 short bed. Mine had about 75% of the original OEM pad material left but the caliper pistons had seized a few times and over heated. At 17 years old, it was time to flush out the entire brake system, replace all of the hoses, calipers, rotors, and pads. Made a huge improvement at a great price.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Yellow EBC pads are supposed to be good.

 

[WalterJ]

Greetings;

Hello. I’m looking at doing a complete overhaul of my brakes(new rotors, calipers, and pads). I was just wondering if there’s any difference
between the cheap rebuilt calipers and rotors and the expensive ones. I was thinking about going with the pads from Genos garage. Any input would be appreciated.

I was shopping for better brakes 7 years ago & tried components from the following small shop, based upon another's suggestion, that "rolls their own" including CNC machining rotors to order. Another improvement was going with their recommended SS Braided High Pressure lines for the fronts & using their premium ceramic pads. The improvement was quite noticeable & have been using their components ever since. Brake Performance, Inc., 866-756-5536 Good honest folks to deal with.

 

[JMcCoy]

Sorry, I cannot read uour signature on my phone. But if you have a 94- 99, I would do a Ford hub conversion that will give you dual piston calipers from a 92-94 F350 or 95-97 F350 (even better). If you have a 00-02, then you can easily upgrade to 2011 (maybe even later) Dodge 3500. That will give you even bigger calipers and rotors.

As far as rotors, most parts stores rotors are going to be similar. When you get into cryoed and slotted rotors, you should see an improvement in resistance to warping. I would stay away from drilled and slotted rotors. You will lose braking due to the loss of surface area. They also have a tendency to break (no pun intended) Lol!

For pads, I have gone through probably 30 sets prior to my conversion, so I have owned almost every brand and style. As would be expected, any of the premium grade pads were the best, and that goes for the premium store brand as well. Just stay away from the lifetime warranty pads. They are hard as steel and will tear up your rotors. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[dblake]

Sorry, I cannot read uour signature on my phone. But if you have a 94- 99, I would do a Ford hub conversion that will give you dual piston calipers from a 92-94 F350 or 95-97 F350 (even better). If you have a 00-02, then you can easily upgrade to 2011 (maybe even later) Dodge 3500. That will give you even bigger calipers and rotors.

As far as rotors, most parts stores rotors are going to be similar. When you get into cryoed and slotted rotors, you should see an improvement in resistance to warping. I would stay away from drilled and slotted rotors. You will lose braking due to the loss of surface area. They also have a tendency to break (no pun intended) Lol!

For pads, I have gone through probably 30 sets prior to my conversion, so I have owned almost every brand and style. As would be expected, any of the premium grade pads were the best, and that goes for the premium store brand as well. Just stay away from the lifetime warranty pads. They are hard as steel and will tear up your rotors. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[dblake]

Thanks for the replies. I have a 2001.5 2500 so I’ve got pretty decent brakes to start with. I don’t think I can do the larger brakes and calipers since I have the steel 16” wheels. At 165K I’ve only gone through one set of pads, and that’s at over 10K with a camper and out west in the mountains. Exhaust brake and manual transmission really help. I’ve decided to change everything out and just go with the cheapest options except for brake pads. Thanks everyone.

 

[GAmes]

I hope you reviewed this TDR article.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.genosgarage.com/downloads/TechPDF/TDR50_BrakeUtopia.pdf

 

[JMcCoy]

I'm not saying it's not worth reading, but it mostly just argues symantecs.

 

[NIsaacs]

Thanks for the replies. I have a 2001.5 2500 so I’ve got pretty decent brakes to start with. I don’t think I can do the larger brakes and calipers since I have the steel 16” wheels. At 165K I’ve only gone through one set of pads, and that’s at over 10K with a camper and out west in the mountains. Exhaust brake and manual transmission really help. I’ve decided to change everything out and just go with the cheapest options except for brake pads. Thanks everyone.

Unless you just really want to, I would not change the rotors, unless they are damaged. They are probably still better than the "cheapest options". I have 331k miles on my oem's, still good, same with my calipers. I do change/flush my brake fluid from time to time.

 

[JMcCoy]

Unless you just really want to, I would not change the rotors, unless they are damaged.

I agree 100%. Scuff them up or have them turned if necessary.

 

[dblake]

I’ll see what the brake shop says. I had them turned once before. I also replaced my right rear caliper once now that I remember it was dragging and heating up my brakes. Other than that I’ve been really impressed by the longevity of the OEM brakes.

 

[JR]

Historically I've had bad luck with reman calipers. Poor QC seems to be the culprit. Dorman makes rebuild kits for many calipers, I've used them on a few vehicles with better results than buying remans.

Unless you just really want to, I would not change the rotors, unless they are damaged. They are probably still better than the "cheapest options". I have 331k miles on my oem's, still good, same with my calipers. I do change/flush my brake fluid from time to time.

You are lucky, rotors would never last that long here Unless a vehicle is parked for the winter.