New Brake Recommendations

[Udy2554]

I love my PowerStop! Noticeable improvement! Handle the rust belt winters well!

 

[Jim BB]

i know from the research and everything i have read that i will be going with the power stop Z36 and DOT4 fluid !
i tow a 28' camper prob once a every other weekend ant where from 10km to 300km so my frame of mind and thought is when i push the GO pedal on the right to go i also like to woah when i push on the left ! with out it thinking about it or fading out!

 

[Rado]

I use Wagner OEX Pads a Wagner E Coated rotors Love them,,, They are a heavy duty pad , I need good brakes here as well, We have Deer , 1200 lbs + Moose and Turkeys

 

[Shawn Burns]

I also use the powerstop z36 pads with drilled/slotted rotors. They do not fade and the rotors still look great after two years of use. They do not rust in between driving. The pads do not have too much initial bite (about stock), they come on with more power with a bit of heat input. I've stopped from 80 pulling a 12 foot trailer with the trailer brakes on a low setting with no problem. They are a real nice upgrade from OEM. The price is much better than OEM as well. The kit is very complete with all new necessary hardware. I can't recommend them enoug.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

i know from the research and everything i have read that i will be going with the power stop Z36 and DOT4 fluid !
i tow a 28' camper prob once a every other weekend ant where from 10km to 300km so my frame of mind and thought is when i push the GO pedal on the right to go i also like to woah when i push on the left ! with out it thinking about it or fading out!

Just ordered my PowerStop Z36 front & rear kits from TDotPerformance online during their Boxing Day sale the other week and got them delivered to my door for $889 all in!

I've still got 4mm remaining on my original 19' front and rear brakes with almost 120,000Km's on them, but I figured with a sale like that I would get them in advance. I figure late Spring / early Summer before I need to do my first brake job.

I'm also going with DOT4 fluid too. I've always upgraded to this fluid when doing brakes. Makes a huge improvement, especially in heavy stop situations.

 

[PbE55]

i know from the research and everything i have read that i will be going with the power stop Z36 and DOT4 fluid !
i tow a 28' camper prob once a every other weekend ant where from 10km to 300km so my frame of mind and thought is when i push the GO pedal on the right to go i also like to woah when i push on the left ! with out it thinking about it or fading out!

100% agree. At 75 mph our heavy trucks carry a lot of momentum. A strong and responsive left pedal, really helps you maintain control of the vehicle when something unexpected happens.

 

[PbE55]

I appreciate everyone's recommendations. Just to summarize, there was a huge response for the powerstop brakes, wagner brakes, and a few from R1 concepts. I decided to go with the R1 concept brakes as they were a little cheaper than powerstops. After applying the military discount the kit that includes drilled and slotted rotors was $520 including taxes, shipping, and hardware kit. The new brakes have been installed, and I did use the procedure to bed in the brakes that someone earlier in the thread recommended. Since then, I have driven the truck to the ski slopes of Winterplace in WV, and Sugar Mountain, NC, and I don't feel like I have even challenged these brakes. There is 0 fade in the brakes, 0 squeaking, and the truck doesn't nose dive when I apply a lot of pressure like it used to. Installation was pretty simple as well. It sounds like powerstop has a pretty good setup as well, hopefully these R1 brakes hold true over time and the next several thousand miles. I'll keep this thread informed.

 

[Nick Viera]

I'm at 116,000km's on my 19' 1500 and have 4mm left on my pads. The stock brakes have done really well for me, and I'm impressed at their longevity. But I'm also not a brake happy driver either, and know how to regulate my throttle input according to road and weather conditions, so that helps too.

As for brakes, I'm thinking of something like R1 Concepts with their slotted rotors and a quality pad for increased bite. Then head right out after installation and do a proper new brake bedding in process. https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6446_6443

I do recommend you flush the old DOT3 stock brake fluid when doing your brake job and upgrading to a high quality DOT4 fluid.

I have done this on every vehicle I've owned and it does make a nice difference on helping to thwart fading in heavier braking conditions.

Also make sure you do a really good caliper and slider pin/boot service too. This also helps to ensure things move freely and provide optimum braking ability.

I agree, the stock brakes have really surprised me. I’m at around 109,000 mi and just starting to get some slight noise but not consistently yet. I might make it to 110k before I need to change them. I plan to change the rotors too since I have already got over 100k on the factory rotors. Don’t do any towing really so I’m hoping I will get something with similar longevity