The brakes, silly. Heading north on the 133 toward Ojai today and some dude in a clapped out Chevelle won't move over, so I swing over to the right lane and nail it. Traffic ahead in that lane, so I move left to pass them, at about 100. By now rapidly approaching Stanley exit, which I plan to take. As I swing back to right lane I notice an 18 wheeler parked on the shoulder of the exit, and immediately behind is a Camaro, half on the shoulder and half on the exit. No turn signal, but it looks like he may be getting ready to pull onto the exit ramp. The red flags go up, and I stand on the binders. The stopping power for a vehicle this big and heavy is awesome. I later find things that I had parked under the passenger seat and forgotten, and the rubber mat in the bed had rolled itself up next to the cab. I guess if you're going to build a truck this fast its a good idea to give it some stopping power, so I really thank FoMoCo for doing its homework.

------------------
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

'84 Alan Record Carbonio, Aerospoke wheels, Campy brakes.
'00 SVT Lightning, silver, G-tech Pro, JBA headers

gmvye@pacbell.net

 

One Mr. Wes is going to dig into me, but back in February I had to rent a Mustang (total stock) and I got use to the breaks pretty fast after 2 weeks.

I come home to the L and have to use 2 feet to haul her down. Yes like you said the beast can stop but not with the effortless control and modulation of a stang.

My L is more physical and you had to make a decision much quicker in the L to come even close to a regular car.

I think Ford can improve the breaks quite a bit in this area.

 

I agree with f1car. They could of done alot better. When i get on them it feels like there not there like they should be. They sink to the floor and feel like nothings there at times. But my truck seems to be one that did go threw quality control.

 

Oh ya? Ever try to stop a pre-99 Chev or GM fullsize? You get one chance, then it's back to the shop.

------------------
2000 Red Lightning Born 3-8-00 / Delivered 3-22-00
22% Window Tint, Clear Corners, MPulse LoPro Tonneau, AIM 2" Drop Shackles, Bed Rug

'99 Yukon Denali - Silver, Lowered 1", Borbet CW4's, 285/60R18 Toyo Proxes S/T's, Hotchkis AntiSways, Edelbrock Shocks

2000 Red Trans Am Ram Air WS6, 6 Speed - Delivered 2-15-00 - Awesome Looking Car

 

To what04,

I think if you re-read the post you will see that we are not saying that the L doesn’t do a good job at stopping. Look closer at my post 'I drove a Mustang for 2 weeks' what did you think my L was doing at that time? It was sitting in the garage. The first time I got back I had to mash the pedal down to the floorboard to stop from 10mph, thank god that was the only time. But generally speaking the L doesn't stop so great, great and good are two different things. If Ford put cast iron disks and 4 pot brembos(sp), apg, or nisson don't you think that this truck could stop a little more manageable?

I think that Ford could of upgraded from the f250 to the above for less than a $1000 bucks and I would of been more than happy to pay for it.

No flame intended, I just noticed that you’re from Canada, maybe you built my truck and where offended by our concerns.

 

F1car,

Yes I'm from Canada, 1 of 30,000,000 people, and if you can believe it, I didn't build any part of any Lightning. I have sold pumps to the Oakville Ford Plant however. Perhaps some of that profit was used to purchase my Lightning.

Sure, just about every component on the L could have been built better. But hey, it's not all bad. (Even if I did need a new engine and transmission)

Actually I was just making a light-hearted comment about how poor the brakes on a Chev or GM truck are. It's not uncommon for me to make light of most complaints. Gets me through the day.

 

Either you guys are whacko, or there's something wrong with your brakes. Sure, virtually any factory item could be improved, but this is a $30k Ford, not a $175k Ferrari, and I'm not going to go out and install Brembos, etc. I was just commenting on how well the stock ABS stopped a 2 1/2 ton vehicle with heavy front end weight bias going over 100 mph in a semi-panic situation. Try that in your Jimmy.

 

Hey while we're on the topic of brakes, do yours squeal? I've had my '00 L now for about a month (1000 mi) and starting about a week ago, they squeal everytime I stop. I've been told that this is normal. Never had a new vehicle do this before.

Andy

 

Without the Eaton it is just another pretty face.

So, I don't think the brakes are the "best" thing about your BOLT.

BUT I get your point they are way above average on pickup trucks. : ^ _)

 

I think the brakes are great. I do think that most of the complaints would go away by switching to performance pads. I recently had to have my rotors replaced and in the process spent $50 on some performance friction pads. They have changed the brake feel dramatically: initial bite is quicker and firmer and the pedal feel is definately stronger with less "sponging'. And on hard stopping, you definately dont want loose items in the cab, as they quickly turn into projectiles.

 

Andy Maus,

Yes my '00 L brakes squeal ALL the time. Drives me nuts. Rather than get Ford to ***** with them, I think I'll go the performance route as Nathan mentioned.

Nathan - what pads did you go with? Thanks!

 

But alas, Nathan has already answered this one:

https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000784.html

 

dup.

[This message has been edited by alphadoggy (edited 05-24-2000).]

 

What04: Thanks

Andy

 

I have to agree with the folks that like the L brakes. My other car is a 911 and while it does have better brakes I do not drive a 5,000 pound vehicle like a sports car. Its just to big. Given the size and mass of our trucks a little restraint needs to be exercised. Also, since I got the L I have only driven the 911 once. I love this truck!