Give your 4x4 the EBC treatment

When your rig’s brakes don’t function as intended, you have a problem. We recently had this problem with our Midwest-based ’99 Lincoln Navigator. Over the years, the rotors had corroded (ah, the joys of living in the Rust Belt), which culminated with sub-par function as well as fascinating brake pedal pulsations. Something had to be done.

In the foreground are the front vented EBC 3GD rotors and Yellowstuff brake pads and behind them are the solid 3GD rotors and Yellowstuff pads. The black anodized finish is applied to most domestic vehicle rotors, while a gold anodized finish is applied to most import vehicle rotors.

In the foreground are the front vented EBC 3GD rotors and Yellowstuff brake pads and behin

That something was to call EBC Brakes. EBC manufactures the world’s largest range of brakes so we knew EBC would have a solution for our dilemma. EBC recommended swapping our nasty factory rotors for a set of slotted and drilled 3GD rotors and our worn pads for a set of Yellowstuff pads. Our four-wheel-disc Navigator uses vented rotors up front and solid rotors in the rear, which is typical. EBC’s 3GD rotors utilize blind-drilled holes to eliminate the chance of rotor cracking which is common with through-drilled rotors. They also utilize wide-aperture slots that actually draw cool air under the pads during heavy braking to help reduce brake temperature. This design also helps remove dust, dirt, debris, and gases created by heavy braking from the pad contact area. Further, they also improve braking in off-highway conditions of wet, mud, and sand, so they’re a great choice for four-wheel-drive vehicles. The ultra-high friction Yellowstuff pads are made of aramid fiber, they’re totally resistant to brake rotor vibration, and they’re easy on rotors.

We started up front on the passenger-side. With the wheel removed, the damage to the rotor was clearly visible. Both front rotors bore damage like this on the outboard side.

We started up front on the passenger-side. With the wheel removed, the damage to the rotor

Installing the new rotors and pads was easy. We wheeled out our floor jack and four jackstands and completed the install in our garage in a little over an hour. We say “relatively easy” because we had to deal with corrosion, which is typical in the Rust Belt, but may not be a problem where you live. Here’s how we did it, and the results.

The first thing we did was to place a screwdriver between the inboard brake pad and the rotor to push the brake caliper pistons in. This makes the removal of the brake caliper easier, especially when the pads and rotors have been on the vehicle as long as ours.
The first thing we did was to place a screwdriver between the inboard brake pad and the ro
A pair of Torx Plus bolts mount the caliper. With the bolts removed the caliper can be taken off.
A pair of Torx Plus bolts mount the caliper. With the bolts removed the caliper can be tak
Corrosion forced us to use a breaker bar to loosen up the two 18mm bolts that hold the caliper bracket. With the bolts loose we ran them the rest of the way out with an impact. We then removed the bracket and the old brake pads. With this bracket off, the old rotor could be removed from the spindle. Surprisingly, the old rotor came off relatively easily.
Corrosion forced us to use a breaker bar to loosen up the two 18mm bolts that hold the cal

Here’s one of the new 3GD rotors next to one of our old rotors. Check out how little of the brake pad was contacting the inside of our cracked and corroded rotor.
Here’s one of the new 3GD rotors next to one of our old rotors. Check out how little of th
Next, we cleaned all of the rotors with brake cleaner to remove the protective film EBC applies to each rotor.
Next, we cleaned all of the rotors with brake cleaner to remove the protective film EBC ap
After cleaning the spindle mounting surface to ensure that the new rotor sits flat, the rotor is installed. We used a lug nut to hold the rotor in place during the rest of the assembly.
After cleaning the spindle mounting surface to ensure that the new rotor sits flat, the ro

The caliper bracket is reinstalled over the new rotor and fastened with the factory hardware. If you want to help out the next guy (which may be you), it’s a good idea to use anti-seize on all of the bolts during reassembly.
The caliper bracket is reinstalled over the new rotor and fastened with the factory hardwa
Next, we installed the new Yellowstuff pads into the caliper bracket.
We used an old brake pad and a C-clamp to push the brake pistons into the caliper in preparation for reinstalling the caliper.
We used an old brake pad and a C-clamp to push the brake pistons into the caliper in prepa

With the caliper re-installed on the caliper bracket, we fastened it in place using the factory Torx Plus bolts.
With the caliper re-installed on the caliper bracket, we fastened it in place using the fa
Here’s the finished passenger-side brake assembly. During initial use the black anodized finish wears off the rotor on the brake pad contact area.
Here’s the finished passenger-side brake assembly. During initial use the black anodized f
Moving to the rear, we began disassembly on the passenger-side by using a screwdriver to push the brake pistons in like we did on the front. We then removed the two 10mm caliper mounting bolts and lifted the caliper free. With the caliper out of the way we could remove the rear rotor.
Moving to the rear, we began disassembly on the passenger-side by using a screwdriver to p

Reassembly began by snapping the inboard brake pad into the caliper piston.
The outboard brake pad is designed to slide onto the caliper. It is held in place by a clip.
The outboard brake pad is designed to slide onto the caliper. It is held in place by a cli
With the pads in place on the caliper, the new rotor is slid onto the hub after the mounting surface is cleaned to ensure it lays flat. The caliper is then bolted back onto the axle with the factory 10mm bolts. The pads and rotors must “bed” in order to get the best life and performance, so EBC recommends avoiding harsh braking (except in emergency, of course) for the first 300 miles.
With the pads in place on the caliper, the new rotor is slid onto the hub after the mounti

Bottom Line
Before we installed the EBC pads and rotors, our Navigator averaged 129 feet 6 inches to decelerate from 50-0 mph. After the install, that distance decreased to an average of 85 feet 5 inches. This is an impressive improvement of 44 feet 11 inches or 52 percent. We were utterly stunned at how well the new EBC pads and rotors stopped our big Nav. Even if you factor out that the old rotors were shot, 85 feet 5 inches is a very respectable 50-0 stopping distance for a vehicle this heavy. And even at the end of three hard decelerations with only a two-minute cool-down between each, the EBC pads and rotors showed no signs of fade. Day-to-day driving with the new EBC brakes has been awesome and their performance is superior. EBC offers brakes for nearly all 4x4s and not only would we recommend them for replacement of worn out brakes, we’d highly recommend them for rigs equipped with larger-than-stock tires and/or heavy aftermarket bolt-ons. Quite simply, they work great.