[Spooner]

I have a daily driver 01 Ford Ranger 4x4, which needs some brake work.

I've been looking at Hawk HPS pads. I like them in my other cars. But I'm wondering if they have enough bite for a heavy truck?

Hawk now makes some heavy duty truck/SUV pads as well, but I don't know anyone who has tried them. I'm open to other brands, but I know these work well and they're easy to get... (On edit, no plans for towing anything.)

Also, any suggestions on rear shoes to match? The drums are warped, so I'll be replacing those at the same time.

The truck shocks thread worked out pretty really well, FWIW. So I figured I'd try asking about brakes.

I ended up with Bilstein HDs, which are working out very well. They and got rid of the herky-jerky ride of the old (almost 100K mile) OEM shocks and ride quite nicely--not to firm, not too soft. (Thanks Sam.)

-John

This post has been edited by Spooner: Jun 24 2006, 02:01 PM

[sgarnett]

I have a daily driver 01 Ford Ranger 4x4, which needs some brake work.

I've been looking at Hawk HPS pads. I like them in my other cars. But I'm wondering if they have enough bite for a heavy truck?
...
I ended up with Bilstein HDs, which are working out very well. They and got rid of the herky-jerky ride of the old (almost 100K mile) OEM shocks and ride quite nicely--not to firm, not too soft. (Thanks Sam.)

FWIW, I used the Hawk HPS pads on my Z28 for street driving and autocross before switching to the PBR Metal Masters, and I like the Metal Masters better for both applications. I don't know if they are available for anything except PBR brakes or whether the Ranger has PBRs, but I'm sure Sam can tell you.

I have no complaints with the stock ceramic (I think) brakes on my Dodge 2500 4x4 HD, but those brakes are HUGE, and I've never tried them on anything smaller.

I'm still anxious to get some Bilsteins on the Dodge, but first I have to stop hemorrhaging cash.