Brake problems

[Tin Knocker]

I don't know if this is actually a problem or not. After driving about 100 mi this weekend I noticed a lot of brake dust on both back wheels but hardly any on the front. The rear rotors have very fine lines in them but the fronts are smooth. I still here a noise like the the tires are off balance like a thump,thump,thump sound from about 20mph up to 65-70 mph. Its more prominent when I let off the gas. No vibrating is felt at all at any speed. Any help would be appriciated. Thanks.:shrug:

 

[Jaysvt]

i have the same problem

 

[KenCobra03]

I get brake dust little on the fronts
and a lot on the rears.A pain to keep clean.

 

[KHsonic03]

As far as the brake dust goes, it is normal to have excess dust in the rear. In 2003, they put a more aggressive pad in the rear to compensate for the extra weight of the car. The new pads give off a lot of dust because of their metallic compound. The front rotors are actually grooved if you look closely, but the fine lines in the rear are probably due to the pads. As far as the thump, I'm not sure--is it when you brake, or when you are driving normally?

 

[Tin Knocker]

The thumping noise is there all the time. But its not really a thump just the best way I can explain it. Kinda like having a warped rotor or out of balanced tire.

 

[KHsonic03]

Possibly a warped rotor. Rotors should be seasoned when new to relieve internal stresses. If you did any very hard stopping or kept the rotors hot for long periods before seasoning, a warped rotor could result. It also could be a myriad of other things. Poorly balanced tires, driveline vibe, poorly aligned vehicle, etc. Ford just had TSB on alignment, but it was more or less for front end alignment. It may be worth it to have it re-aligned just to rule one thing out. If your thrust angle is off, you may have a vibe or improper tire wear. Just throwing out some possiblities.

 

[KHsonic03]

I just checked out another thread, and they were reporting similar problems. I guess out of balance tires is a common thing, as well as loose lugnuts. Torque those bad boys up to 95 ft/lbs if they're not already.

 

[Dierz]

Any's ones Brake Smoking after a long hard run down some twisty bits? Got no problems in braking but when i pulled up to a red light i can see smoke coming out of the front sides of the car.

 

[KHsonic03]

That is just you puttin' the brakes to the test. That is the main reason why I upgraded my brakes. Our cars weigh alot and we definately put a lot of stress on the brakes. You generate quite a bit of heat if you are really using the brakes hard.

 

[davidmax]

Try the SVT pads part# is on the back page of the SVT supplement.Also get all 4 balanced I highly recomend road force balancing nothing even close to being as accurate.Dave S.

 

[Tin Knocker]

Thanks for everyones input. I talked to Mark at SVT. He said the excessive brake dust in the rear is normal with the brake pads that are on the car. The front won't show as much. The tire problem is not normal he said. Taking it to dealer tomorrow night.

 

[Dewalt03Cobra]

Please let me know what the dealer finds for the thumping noise.

I have the same thing, I discribe it as combination of a ticking and rubbing noise. Kind of like the noise we all made as kids to imitate a choo choo train.

I know my rims and tires are fine because I have already replaced all the rims and tires to put 315's on the back, and they were installed and balanced at a local race shop. And the noise did not change at all.

Thanks Mike.

 

[RedFire2003]

I have already replaced the front pads on my Cobra and only has 7000 miles on it the dealer wouldnt warrentee them the new pads with a 25% discount set me back $178.00!!!