In the past week, I've decided to do the front brakes on my '10 FEH. They're not awful, but there's some minor pulsing, which comes and goes. Sometimes it's never there, but occasionally there's some mild vibration. The rotors appear to be original and have a significant amount of wear (~57k miles) and I'd rather do them before the winter, whist I can still do the job in the driveway with hand tools and jackstands.

I assume:

1) Because this is a 2010, there's no special procedure or precautions related to the fiendish hydraulic ABS system on the earlier models, which necessitated pulling the 12v battery cables to avoid being maimed by the system pumping the brakes by itself? So I should be able to do the rotors and pads like any other gas powered Ford Escape and not worry about losing my fingers?

I ask:

1) Are there any special caveats?

2) I don't have tons of money to spend, and I'm not a particularly demanding or hard driver. I don't want to buy junk, but I don't need racing rotors, slots or holes, etc. Does anyone have a good, mid-range recommendation for the hardware? What to buy, where to buy, and what to avoid?

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

under number 1 of i assume - thanks for reminding me of that. i have an 09 but have no brake problem but do not want to touch much of
anything until i get through inspection. tags are due in dec and i can get an inspection as early as october (i think it is oct 3rd here in texas)

under 1 and/or 2 of "I ask" - Yes; it appears that you are staying with stock as far as brake rotors are concerned, so you should NOT do any
ungrading of the pads even though auto parts sales people will try to get you to upgrade - do NOT do that. only buy the stock recommended brake
pads. if one is upgrading rotors then it is a different story.
dont know if downgrading will be so much of a negative but it will produce more brake dust if you go from ceramic to semi-metallic (there are different
grades of semi-metallic (the more expensive have more semi-metallic material)) and also if you downgrade from semi-metallic to asbestos.

 

I can't speak to any of the special procedures, which is covered in other threads.
As to brake pads, stick with name brands like Wagner, Raybestos, or Motorcraft/Ford.

Most important is to be sure it is the friction material specific to the hybrid. The goal is to preserve the OE feel. Ideally, you should not be able detect the transition from regen braking to hydraulic braking. Changing the pad friction characteristics changes that feel.

For example Raybestos shows this ceramic pad for my 2008 MGD1047ACH
But on the line below it shows RAY * EHT1047AH 08-12 ELEMENT3 - OE PAD MATERIAL IS CERAMIC

It's hard to tell which is the correct/better choice. If you walked into an auto parts store and had them look it up on their computer, the store employee would simply ask "You want ceramic or not?"
When you go to the Raybestos site, it shows "EHT1047AH Hybrid". This would seem to indicate the pad is for our hybrid vehicles. Actually, it means the pad composition is a hybrid (Enhanced Hybrid Technology) of ceramic and other materials. I suspect this is the better choice, and that is what i bought, though I have not yet installed them.

I have been in the parts business all my life, and I did not catch this when I bought pads for my 2008. I intend to call Raybestos and talk to a tech person.

 

Thank you, that's very useful to know, so I will have to do some research and diligence here. I knew there was a transition from regen to hydraulic braking but didn't know the pads were different as a result. And it's not in the manual.

 

The plot thickens. I went to the Ford Motorcraft parts website. They list two different brake pad sets when I specify a 2010 Escape Hybrid:

BRF1047 (2001) - $76.51
Front Brake Discs and Calipers
Usages: 01/08/2007 - 07/27/2010, Escape/Mariner/Hybrid, With HEV Regenerative Brake System
BR1047D
Part #: BR1047D (2V001) - $64.16

• 01/08/2007 - 06/29/2010, Escape/Mariner/Hybrid, Less HEV Regenerative Brake System
• High Level Service Design, Non Warranty Repair, OE Design, 12/03/2007 - 07/26/2010, Escape/Mariner/Hybrid, 2.5L Duratec (110kW/150PS)
• High Level Service Design, Non Warranty Repair, OE Design, 12/03/2007 - 07/26/2010, Escape/Mariner/Hybrid, 3.0L 4V OHC V6 Duratec 230HP
• High Level Service Design, Non Warranty Repair, OE Design, 12/03/2007 - 07/26/2010, Escape/Mariner/Hybrid, 2.5L 4v PFI I4 Gas/Electric

So what is the difference between these pads? The second one says: "Less HEV Renerative Brake System" but then the third line contradicts that. And the first pads, the BRF1047s, say "With HEV Regenerative Brake System" they cost more money and don't include all the extra language about "High Level Service Design, Non Warranty Repair, OE Design", etc.

Entering the VIN doesn't clear this up. The Ford parts website has some goofy search results, also. I'm searching for "Brake Pads" and I get 75 results including rear seat pad cushions.

When I search on Amazon for the BRF1047s I get:
"Notes: STANDARD PREMIUM, OE DESIGN, w/HEV REGENERATIVE BRAKE SYSTEM"
And they have them for $52.59


I'll keep investigating this. I really want to know if those BRF1047s are the correct pads, or if it doesn't make a difference.

 

More investigation leads to more wrinkles. If special pads for regenerative braking aren't really a "must have" requirement for this job, Rock Auto has some great prices on full kits. Both rotors, coated, the pads with the spring clips, for $102.79 - and a 10% rebate. So under $100 for everything.

OK that's low, bargain-basement stuff, but realistically, this is an 10+ YO, one-driver vehicle with occasionally a passenger, minimal cargo and no towing.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+pad+kit,13824

How about OEM? They also have OEM rotors and pads, but the pads don't look like they include the spring clips:

MOTORCRAFTBRRF84{#AL8Z1125A, BRRF67} OE Design) rotors for $50.79 each.
MOTORCRAFT BRF1047 {#8M6Z2001A} OE Design Info Front; w/ HEV Regenerative Brake System pads for $44.79

So I could go All OEM for $146.37 plus shipping. But I don't get new spring clips?

Interestingly, they also sell rotors and pads labeled "Service Design":
MOTORCRAFTNBRR3{#G2MZ1V125BUA}Service Design; High Carbon Coated rotors for $37.79 each.
MOTORCRAFTNBR1047A{#G2MZ2V001Q} Service Design pads for only $23.99.

Thus, the Motorcraft "Service Design" parts would be $99.57!

I wondered what the "Service Design" designation means, and why they're cheaper? I found this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...signation.html

Wonderful. So let me try to get this straight. I can
1) Buy the "real deal Motorcraft" standard OEM parts for $146.37, no clips (apparently).
2) Buy the "cheapo Motorcraft" Service Design parts for $99.57 *with the clips* but they're lower quality?

You can save 50 bucks, but how long will they last? And If I buy the more expensive #1 option, then I guess I have to buy a brake hardware kit also?

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...dware+kit,1736

I guess what you're supposed to do, if you want to buy the real, actual OEM quality Motocraft part is NOT buy anything labeled "Service Design." Unless you're really super-frugal and don't care if the parts you get sucketh, you have a beater, high-mileage vehicle, etc.

OR, maybe Ford sells these "Service Design" parts as a super-secret code for mechanics, so they can save an extra $50 per front brake set and still tell the customer they were using Ford Motorcraft branded parts and charge them accordingly?

What do you think?

Update: At this point, the only real question I have is this: do the regenerative braking specific pads truly make a difference? If so, I'll go with the full OEM kit for $146+ the hardware kit. Then I will know these are factory brakes, like they were when the car was new. I also tried to find rotors and pads that are manufactured in the USA. There aren't any. All the brake parts, from every brand, including Wagner, Raybestos, Motorcraft (both the Service Design and the more expensive ones) are made in China or Taiwan, except for some very high-end specialty parts.

 

Update: I went for the full-spec non "Service Design" BRRF84 Motorcraft rotors and BRF1047 pads. I decided not to risk the cheaper parts on what I expect to be a one-time replacement on this vehicle. The rotors and pads were beautiful and bolted right up. I also bought the Raybestos brake hardware kit, because the BRF1047s do not come with replacement hardware (clips, rubber boots/grommets, etc.)

So I paid more than I absolutely had to (approx. $175 shipped) but the car stops like new, these are the "HEV Regenerative Braking" pads, and I won't have to worry about these brakes for what I expect the remaining life of the vehicle is.

 

Thanks for the information. Totally agree to go Ford aka OE "original" aka original on rotors and pads on these vehicles. If anyone can't afford the parts, the FEH is really too much of a financial risk to continue owning. Not worth any problems, especially that the back brakes on the 2008? + are drum brakes that will not save your bacon in a panic stop. I haven't sorted this next issue out but doesn't it make sense to replace the "tone rings" when you so a brake job on these vehicles, especially in salty climates? Is bleeding the lines problematic? Brake fluid should be changed regularly too as per the manual spec, more or less. Is it just the first gen that have a complicated, specialized bleeding procedure?

 

I went in the non-OEM upgrade direction for my 09 FEH...EBC Greenstuff 7000 brake pads, EBC 3GD Slotted & Dimpled Rotors and Goodridge G-stop stainless steel brakelines. Probably overkill, but it looks nice. I found the MotorCraft pads generated too much dust. Frankly, I think there is a lot of bad information in this thread. My braking components are superior to the OEM parts and I don't believe there are "hybrid specific" brake pad materials (got a chuckle out of that one.) Also, there is nothing wrong with the rear drum brakes on the FEH....not my first choice, but nothing wrong with them, either.

These are the pads FordTechMakuloco recommends and uses on his own Escape:

 

does the 09 have the steel piston or phenolic piston caliper? the pads are much thicker if the phenolic piston caliper is used.
i think the steel piston is used because i have 3/16 left on my pads and the news ones are made at 5/16 inch thick.