Better F150 Braking With EBC Brakes

131 1102 Better Braking Products Race Truck Side Shot

Lift kit? Check.35-plus-inch mud tires? Check.Yosemite Sam mudflaps? Check.

You are all ready to go off-road now, right? Wrong. One of the most commonly overlooked areas of an off-road truck is the brakes. We see it all the time: Well-meaning people build awesome rigs and completely overlook one of the main safety features. The brakes on your 4x4 were designed to stop it safely and quickly in the form that it rolled off of the dealer's lot in. But now that you have added more leverage with larger-diameter tires that have more weight than the factory rubber, stopping has become a challenge, not only on the road but on the trail.

131 1102 Better Braking Products Stock Ford F150 Rotors

If you've read this far, you already know that before replacing brakes on your 4x4 you will need to raise your vehicle, properly support it on jackstands, and remove the wheels and tires. The worn-in groove and hot spots are sure signs that the rotors need to be replaced or at the very least machined. Since we also had severely warped the rotors, we chose to replace them altogether. After the caliper and bracket are removed, the rotor pops right off and the new GD Sport rotor is installed.

If you've read this far, you already know that before replacing brakes on your 4x4 you wil

So what's the solution to your braking woes? You could go out and buy an expensive big brake kit with super wazoo calipers and rotors, but most of these high-end brake kits require an outlandish wheel size just to clear. Though some extreme rigs or race vehicles do warrant this level of brake treatment, the average trail pickup does not.

An easier and more affordable solution can be found in a set of EBC GD Sport slotted and dimpled brake rotors with a set of EBC's high-friction Stuff line of brake pads. This is a perfect setup for the daily driver and weekend wheeler. The advantage that these EBC rotors have over OE replacements is their wide slots that draw cool air under the brake pads. During heavy braking the cool air reduces brake temperature while also removing dirt, dust, mud, water ,and the gases created by the friction of braking. This makes for predictable stopping no matter what the (off-) road conditions. These rotors, when coupled with EBC's Yellow Stuff brake pads, make for some mean holding power.

Best of all, the EBC rotors and pads are designed as replacements for the OEM parts on your vehicle, so no modifications are required, nor do you have to buy new wheels. In some cases this setup is actually less expensive than the factory replacement parts.

We installed a set of EBC rotors and pads on our '07 Ford F-150 FX4 in a morning. After 500 miles of brake in time the new brakes stop our heavy truck better than it has ever stopped before.

Thread locker is your friend when working on brakes. The last thing you want is a caliper or caliper bracket bolt coming loose while you're driving down the highway, so along with using the proper torque specs it is helpful to apply copious amounts of thread locker to every bolt as you reinstall them.
Thread locker is your friend when working on brakes. The last thing you want is a caliper
Along with thread locker, a bottle of anti-seize is also good to have on hand. If you are working with a floating caliper, you need to clean and lube the caliper slide pins before bolting them back onto the truck. This is imperative for the proper operation of the caliper and for the long life and even wear of the new pads.
Along with thread locker, a bottle of anti-seize is also good to have on hand. If you are
Before bolting the caliper back onto the truck you need to reset the pistons, as over time they have adjusted to the worn-out old pads and now need room to fit the new EBC pads. Our favorite trick for resetting pistons is to use a medium-sized C-clamp and one of the old brake pads. With the C-clamp centered on the pad, tighten it down until the pistons are fully seated in their bore.
Before bolting the caliper back onto the truck you need to reset the pistons, as over time

EBC has several different lines of brake pads to choose from. The Red Stuff pads are rated as very low dust, the Green Stuff ones as low dust, and the Yellow Stuff ones as high dust. We chose Yellow Stuff Truck & SUV Pads for their superior stopping power while towing with our large tires.
EBC has several different lines of brake pads to choose from. The Red Stuff pads are rated
With the old pad (left) and new pad (right) sitting side by side, we could see how desperately the pads needed replacing. A good rule of thumb (for when your pads don't have squealers to alert you that they need replacing) is to check them when you change your oil (every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, typically) and replace them when they reach 3 mm or less of friction material.
With the old pad (left) and new pad (right) sitting side by side, we could see how despera
All EBC brake pads come with a special red Brake-In Coating applied. This is a mildly abrasive coating designed to deglaze the new brake rotors and aid in the fast bed-in of the new pads, which is critical in ensuring a long life.
All EBC brake pads come with a special red Brake-In Coating applied. This is a mildly abra

The EBC GD Sport rotors come with a black anodized finish that helps resist the rust and corrosion often found on the OEM and other aftermarket brake rotors. With the new rotors and pads installed on the front and our truck and all the hardware torqued down to the proper specifications, the rear axle was tackled.
The EBC GD Sport rotors come with a black anodized finish that helps resist the rust and c
If the rear of your rig is equipped with disc brakes, you are in luck. EBC has the hardware to help you out here too. As with the front, lift the rear and support it properly on jackstands before working under the vehicle. With the brake caliper removed, the rotor will slide off of the wheel studs. Be sure to place your calipers out of the way and resist the urge to let them dangle by the brake line.
If the rear of your rig is equipped with disc brakes, you are in luck. EBC has the hardwar
For the rear, we went with the same setup as the front: a pair of GD Sport rotors and Yellow Stuff pads. If you are on a budget but still want great braking out of the rear, you could also go with a set of EBC Premium OE or USR rotors with Red or Green Stuff pads. If you want the best of the best, we recommend sticking with GD Sport and Yellow Stuff all around.
For the rear, we went with the same setup as the front: a pair of GD Sport rotors and Yell