whats the best bang for the buck when buying brakes for the 2wd 4.2v6? i am planning to replace rotors, control arm bushings and ball joints. what does the lightning have thats different? EBAY has some cross drilled and slotted rotrs with pads etc. for 129 to 250. are these worth buying?

ps i have replica lightning wheels (without center caps) mounted to the 12mm studs and yes i know the 14mm studs would be better.

 

Not really worth it, and it's more expensive to boot. I think the Lightning has a tad bigger rotor but not worth the extra. Stock is good, save the slotted cross drilled ceramic blah blah's for those tuner kids. Just my opinion because I wondered the same thing and wasn't sold. Took the money I saved and bought go fast crap instead- more fun.

 

If your rotors have alot of miles on them, I'd replace the rears with OEM stock rotors (assuming you have disk brakes on the rear), and some powerslot rotors up front. Hawk pads are good I hear. That setup is a quite a bit better than stock. If you can afford it, I'd go with powerslot rotors all around.

Me, all I did was replace my pads with Duralast Gold pads from Autozone at about 50k miles. I now have 67k miles, and they're smooth as butter and stop on a dime. And they've hardly even worn any.

 

thanks,

i have 88,000 on everything except the front pads. the front pads may have caused more than they helped. i replaced stock pads with titanium pads at 60,000 for more performance. they grabbed like snot and never made a sound. unfortunately i learned while being inspected that blisters (tiny chips smaller than a pencil eraser) devloped all over the rotor surfaces (due to heat likely from ti pads). initially, i had some wear on the rotors in the form of ridges (that i tapped off with a hammer) and never had them turned. i assume the rears are fine so far because state inspection revealed nothing. i just don't want ********** crap quality replacement parts especially if i can't pronounce the print on the package.

 

Stock OEM replacement rotors and pads are hard to beat, and can be had at any Ford dealer. My Duralast Gold pads are good too, and cost a little less than the OEM pads.

Don't buy cheap made in China rotors from JCWhitney or some cheapo magazine. You'll be replacing them again in less than 10k miles.

Powerslots are alot better, and I hear they work best with Hawk pads. This is the best combo for the money IMO. Hawk pads grip ALOT better because they're made from a semi-soft carbon fiber & ceramic pad material, and they're easier on rotors.

The only drawback is that Hawk pads don't last as long as semi-metallic pads, but they're fairly durable. I wouldn't use Hawks on stock rotors though, stick with powerslots if you go that route for better durability and wear. They can be had from stylinconcepts.com. You can request a free catalog on their website. Good luck.

 

Here you go: http://www.stylinconcepts.com/parts....tfamilyid/1072


http://www.stylinconcepts.com/parts....20brake%20pads

 

i am presently viewing their website and will put an order in soon.

 

anyone know what the stock/reccommended rotor thickness is for 2001 XL4.2 2wd std. cab short bed???

i have seen figures vary alot between companies/products and just want to know what fits stock calipers.