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2021 brake rotors

Eighthtry

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In my seven decades, the one thing I have learned is the value of factory parts. Without clear knowledge of what my replacement options are I use factory brakes and pads UNLESS something of higher quality can be found. I don't know how that is judged with the proliferation of third world aftermarket parts out there. One never knows who might be packaging them. One never knows if they are quality pieces to begin with.

Brake pads are the biggest mystery to me, end of story. There is no way to judge them against factory pads, period. Green, purple, red, blue, or majenta? Come on.

That being said, I had factory front rotors warping on my 2014 F150 XLT. Replacing the factory rotors with factory rotors was of temporary help but did not solve the problem. The one thing I never got around to was testing front end parts for wear. That will happen first if my 2023 F150 experiences any problems.

I am all hat and no cattle with my trucks, so they do not get the kind of use that yours does.

In my opinion Ford does a great job with their brakes.

If there is something clearly better than factory anything then buy it. Good luck figuring quality on brake components.
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My 2ND Ford

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Truck only has 130,000 km . I don’t think you guys realize the hell our trucks go through on a daily basis running it on oilfield roads out here in Alberta. It’s not that I’m hard on the breaks it’s just they literally get torn apart in the mud and dirt on my work commute. They littery get mixed with mud that is like cement and its not uncommon to have to do a set of rear pads every oil change when the conditions are wet. And with all that and the temperature shock after the grinding and heat from the mud then get hit with water just tends to warp them very quickly. Rather then spending $1000-$1200 on rotors again was just wanting an opinion on a cheaper set seeing that they are just going to get destroyed anyways. Was thinking of trying the drilled and slotted maby to keep the heat down more to prevent the warping. If I can get away with a third of the cost each time and get the same life span outa the parts then why not.
If you want to try a performance rotor, then stay away from drilled and stick with slotted. Drilled rotors tend to crack if they are of poor construction .
 

Eighthtry

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Oh yeah. There are plenty of sources for factory parts at reasonable prices, starting with aggressive national Ford parts dealers.

I had a 2010 Cadillac CTS V. That car had BRAKES! Brembo's as I recall. (I once had it up to 170 mph before I ran out of room to continue, which explains the need for serious brakes). At about 150,000 miles it became brake replacement time. I went on Amazon fishing for Brembo parts and found my front rotors for half of what I could get them anywhere else. I got to wondering why they were so cheap. Turned out they were returns and Amazon would not sell them new again. Since then I routinely check for Amazon "parts".

By the way nothing Brembo is cheap.

Sold that Cadillac in 2018 with 208,000miles. I was still redlining it. Really quick, but not as quick as my 2018 Z06.

Be careful with brakes.
 

Oxford_Powerboost

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I don’t have a lot to add except my experience making the mistake of thinking drilled and slotted rotors would be a good way to go. I did them on my mustang because the factory brakes weren’t up to the task of hauling that heavy car down. The EBC pads I went to were amazing, the powerstop drilled rotors were not. They cracked in about 15,000 miles. I can’t say for sure what caused it in the end but I have a hunch it was running through a puddle with really hot brakes on a 0 degree F evening. Sure enough, they cracked right out from a drill hole. I believe that is likely unless they are actually cast with the holes and not drilled, which is usually the real expensive ones. I’d go with auto parts store solid rotors and good pads if you want to change up from factory
 

nitrobass24

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Oh yeah. There are plenty of sources for factory parts at reasonable prices, starting with aggressive national Ford parts dealers.

I had a 2010 Cadillac CTS V. That car had BRAKES! Brembo's as I recall. (I once had it up to 170 mph before I ran out of room to continue, which explains the need for serious brakes). At about 150,000 miles it became brake replacement time. I went on Amazon fishing for Brembo parts and found my front rotors for half of what I could get them anywhere else. I got to wondering why they were so cheap. Turned out they were returns and Amazon would not sell them new again. Since then I routinely check for Amazon "parts".

By the way nothing Brembo is cheap.

Sold that Cadillac in 2018 with 208,000miles. I was still redlining it. Really quick, but not as quick as my 2018 Z06.

Be careful with brakes.
Man Brembo replacements are my nightmare. So expensive but man they stop on a dime. I see they make a kit for the f150 but I’m not sure I would go that way…a truck this heavy would blow through pads and rotors real fast.

I’m only getting about 20k miles from them on my Levante.

When it comes time to do my F150 I’ll probably go with factory rotors and EBC red pads. I haven’t found different spec rotors other than the Brembo kit and not going that direction here.
 

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halbritt

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I’ve had good luck with Centric rotors, which in many cases has performed better than OEM and are relatively inexpensive. There are premium and costed versions available. Given the conditions, I’d guess that coated would be preferred.
 

Eighthtry

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I has to know how you chose EBC red pads. I can't figure out how to tell the difference between them and any other pads available out there.
 

FordTruckMan

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Any recommendations for brake pads (I tow a camper) I’ve got 26K and squealing while breaking?. Or one of those Systems (Rotor and pads combo). If you’ve already put this in another thread, a link would be appreciated. Thanks
 

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SpaceWhiteF150

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