Let's talk brakes.

I tow or will be with my New to Me 2007 1500. It was 4wheel disc brakes.

Pad and rotors for towing...what is the best and where do I get them?

 

The factory brakes ought to do the job. How much weight are you towing? If it's class 3 or above, you ought to have trailer brakes.

 

I have electric trailer brakes but I've have to reach down and squeeze that controller (with my '98 Dodge w/rear drums). I know I'm in better shape already, but I don't want to mess around.

When I wanna stop...I wanna stop!

 

Understand that!

My truck, prior to me buying it, was used to tow. He occasionally pulled about 8000 pounds on a dual-axle flat trailer with electric trailer brakes. He was happy with the way it stopped.

I suppose that if you're going to upgrade, some nice slotted rotors and ceramic pads would help to keep things cool. Cool brakes might come in handy if you're towing in very hilly country.

Way back when I towed a boat with an old D20, our trailer had "surge" brakes which worked fairly well. That sorry old truck did very well pulling that load.

 

Ceramic...

I've been mulling them over for a while, but they always boast their temp and lack of dust but not their braking power...

 

search brakemotive on here or ebay I got 4 disc slotted and drilled with 8 ceramic pads for $280,
lots of testimonial on on the forums

 

I have been looking into replace my rotors and pads and the according to the manufactor of the crossed drilled rotors and pads i'm looking at they are saying 35% more stopping power with these over stock.

 

I put slotted rotors on my 99 Explorer after I put 32's on. The brakes were a little undersized on that car with the stock 30 inch tires, and were even worse with the larger diameter rubber. Slotted rotors did help a bit. Strange thing is, they upgraded the brakes the next model year.

The brakes on this truck seem to be pretty stout. Maybe when they wear down, I'll replace the rotors with some aftermarket rotors.

 

My only concern is when you get slotted or cross drilled rotors,you cannot turn them, so when they warp you throw them away. I know they are supposed to not warp, but is that really true?

 

Fellas, cross-drilling is for looks only, and reduces the amount of friction surface (you know, because they are holes) and therefore braking power. Slots are pretty much in the same category. That is a race car on my trailer so I have some experience in this area. Don't waste your money reducing your braking power.

Ceramic pads are excellent and don't cost much more. Your 98 had significantly smaller brakes than the 3rd gens. I've towed a lot with my 2002 QC 1500 and my new 2500 and the stock brakes are more than up to the task. I've had two panic stops with my 5000 lb trailer rig plus loaded truck and was able to stop in a hurry straight-and-true both times just using stock rotors and decent pads.

Key is to make sure your trailer brakes are working, in good repair, and properly adjusted, and your controller is properly adjusted. You should never have to use the manual control on your trailer brake controller in ordinary towing.