'08 Ford Edge: Braking Changes

[akirby]

I've got one being built for me next week, do I cancel it till they get the brakes fixed or change to Michelins? If they know that they can decrease the stopping distance 15'-20' by changing tires (I would settle for that)why not make the changes with the tire now instead of asking the consumer to spend another $800-$1000 to change to Michelins? That would seem to be good for business. Also I had expected to get around the stickers MPG's, but from what I read on some sites is that most people are not getting close to that, is that true?

 

I would also hope that they would follow Microsoft's example of upgrades, like if there is a different setting to increase the gas mileage or changing the brake pads for better stopping. Ford should be continually looking to upgrade their vehicles and passing the upgrades free to at least the recently purchased vehicles. If you make a mistake (everybody does) tell us, fix it quickly and learn from it. Good quality products sell.

 

We wanted this Edge, love the looks & ride, but all this makes me wonder.

 

Because it's expensive to change tire suppliers in the middle of a model year, and most potential buyers don't compare braking distances - if it feels good then it's fine.

 

If it bothers you try a set of Porterfield R4S pads and get the dealer to swap you some Michelins.

[Guest Aggie79]

How willing would the dealer be to switch the tires?

And how much does the Michelins change the drive of the Edge (positive or negative)?

[NLPRacing]

What does everyone think about a 320 HP 3.7 Cyclone for the F-150, normally aspirated?

 

Will the 3.7 be the base engine? If so, and if it makes 320 HP, what will the 3.5 TwinForce , 4.4 Diesel, 5.8 Boss & 6.2 Boss make?

Edited March 3, 2007 by NLPRacing

[sranger]

After driving the Edge a few times, I believe that the braking problem is due to a couple of things:

 

1) The Brake rotors and calipers cannot get rid of the heat fast enough and get really mushy after a two ro three long stops. Basically they seem under sized for the weight. The soft brake lines expand and makes the mushy brake pedal feelling worst.

 

2) The front suspension seems quite soft and dives very sharply during hard braking. This shifts most of the weight to the front tires. The ABS system makes the rear brakes almost usless at this point. About all they do is keep the rear from coming around.

 

I did a couple a hard stops on my last test drive. The salesperson let me do a panic stop from 45mph on the last straight part of teh road in front of the dealership. It took about 125ft from ONLY 45mph. After this ( completely unscientific) test I noticed that the rear brakes were barly warm to the touch. This shows that they are not effective in hard braking. The Front rotors were obviously quite hot..

 

I suspect that it would require replacing the front shocks with a stiffer progressive dampening rate to really make this pig stop well. I also suspect that you would need to add larger vented rotors, carbon fiber pads and stainless brake lines. In other words it will take about $2,000 to get this thing to haul down from 60mph in under 130ft.

 

After my test, I suspect that Ford realised the flaw, but knew it would be way to expensive to fix this year...

 

P.S. Better tires would most likely help, but I do not think they are the main problem. I believe that the the main problem is weight transfer...

[Jamers]

Hi Swizco,

 

It's been some time since you've updated us on the expected changes for '08. Any word on what specifically will be improved for the braking? i.e. tires, brake lines, pad, rotors, shocks/struts, ABS tuning. Plus some have speculated that maybe minor mid-production changes have taken place. Any confirmation on that? I had been entertaining the idea of putting in an order in May which means it would be built in June. I'm guessing June will be the last month Edges are produced before it shuts down for retooling.

 

I've read so many negative comments I'm almost surely gonna wait for the '08 at this point but I still need to know.

 

Any by the way, if you know of any other non-brake related changes planned for the '08, please share. Thanks.

[Radius]

Hi Swizco,

 

It's been some time since you've updated us on the expected changes for '08. Any word on what specifically will be improved for the braking? i.e. tires, brake lines, pad, rotors, shocks/struts, ABS tuning. Plus some have speculated that maybe minor mid-production changes have taken place. Any confirmation on that? I had been entertaining the idea of putting in an order in May which means it would be built in June. I'm guessing June will be the last month Edges are produced before it shuts down for retooling.

 

I've read so many negative comments I'm almost surely gonna wait for the '08 at this point but I still need to know.

 

:shades:

[dwg]

Here is a link to a ford fleet web site. It had some (but not all) information about the 2008 edge.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/2008fle...m/2008-Edge.asp

[td284]

I don't see why the Edge is so much heavier than the competition, which has to affect the braking:

 

Ford Edge 4282

Mazda CX-7 3710

Nissan Murano 3983

Lexus RX350 4090

Toyota Highlander 3935

Toyota RAV4 3655

 

Honda Pilot (3 rows) 4453

Acura MDX (3 rows) 4539

 

(all are base model V6 AWD, except 4cl CX7)

[Blueblood]

Tires, people. Its all (mainly) tires that drive long or short braking distances. The brakes have plenty of power - its just an issue of grip. Secondary ride, fuel economy, cornering, steering feel, road noise, braking distances, top speed... all of these factors are driven in large part by tire tuning. Do-it-all tires are available, but they're fantastically expensive. Therefor, like everything else, it comes down to setting the right balance, with cost a large part of that equation.

 

We got most of that balance right. We'll make adjustments in the future to further improve our product.

 

Swizco

 

I fully understand that the ultimate grip of the tires determines how fast a car will stop, but I just can't believe that the tires on the Edge are so crappy , and the tires on every other CUV are that much better.

 

From reports we've had from people who have driven or own the Edge it seems like it's much more than just the tires. It seems like the front suspension compresses way too much on hard braking, the brakes themselves may be undersizedand the pad material might be junk. It's ashame too because I see more and more Edge's around here everyday, I'd hate them to get a bad rap because of the brakes. It's odd too considering how great the brakes are on cars like my Focus, which has tiny little brakes..

[NickF1011]

I don't see why the Edge is so much heavier than the competition, which has to affect the braking:

 

Ford Edge 4282

Mazda CX-7 3710

Nissan Murano 3983

Lexus RX350 4090

Toyota Highlander 3935

Toyota RAV4 3655

 

Honda Pilot (3 rows) 4453

Acura MDX (3 rows) 4539

 

(all are base model V6 AWD, except 4cl CX7)

 

The Edge is right in between the Pilot/MDX and Murano/Highlander in weight. For its size and intended market, that seems about right to me. Based on its recent crash test results, it seems like the extra weight was put to good use.