2021 Roush/Alcon Brake Kit Install Experience on 2020 gen 2

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Zeusmotorworks

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The search for more brake

Sooooo after cooking my OE brakes (street fade) here in the land of 75-85mph speed limits and short off ramps, I started looking around for upgrade options.

The F150/Raptor Alcon kit seemed to be the early go to, but I just found it WAY too expensive at $3200-$3900 per axle set. I have a history in aerospace manufacturing/automotive community and although the kit's features preclude it from being "cheap", the price was still hard to stomach for me knowing a lot of what it takes to produce it.

In my Toyota experience, I found the OE brakes to be above most OEMs but still a little lacking for my uses. However, Stoptechs Z36 kits took care of any shortfalls for my Toyota exploits. After talking to a few Raptor users of this kit and others like it, just didn't seem like it would be enough for me.

While researching possibly cobbling together my own kit with custom mounting brackets as I'd done with other platforms in the past, someone was selling a number of new Roush (Alcon) loaded caliper and disc kits on Ebay for $999.99. Less mounting brackets. This was stumbled upon in the Alcon review thread and I forget who to give credit for that find.

Pics via for sale post
s-l1600.jpgs-l1600.jpgs-l1600.jpg

I was skeptical at first, but after a few members purchased them it seemed to be the real deal. They were purported to be new 2021+ F150 components that would fit the Gen 2 Raptors. The kit used 4 bolt radial caliper to bracket mounting bolts vs the older 2 axial bolts. The only downside I could find was wait time for the brackets to be manufactured by Alcon (European company) and shipped over. Wait times seemed to be 2-3 months on average.

bkf1559be65_028.jpg
Cost to my door for the two steel 4 bolt Alcon brackets was $466.40.

Here is some info provided by Alcon about the full kit:

Key Features & Benefits
  • Gains in performance over stock braking systems:
    • 10% reduction in disc temperature rise
    • 33% reduction in pad work rate
    • Up to 15% reduction in pedal effort
  • Ductile Iron caliper housing providing maximum strength and stiffness as well as high resistance to impact and fatigue.
  • Epoxy acrylic paint over acid zinc finish for maximum corrosion protection.
  • High friction pads increase stopping power.
  • Larger rotors increase brake torque and thermal capacity, reducting potential for brake fade.
  • Increased pad area reduces temperatures and increases pad life.
***It is important to note***
It is my understanding that the kit was originally designed for DOD contracts for up-armored vehicles. Hence durability taking front seat to light weight in building materials in calipers and brackets.

Here is a little info gleaned from Apollo Optics test of the Alcon kit. Nick is great to work with and I'll continue to do business with him in the future. Their video can easily be found in the other threads or a quick search of youtube.

Apollo Optics test on Gen 2 2018 with 20 inch wheels (don't remember what they used to measure this information):

***It is also important to note***
Unlike the the 2018 used in this test, the 2019 and up have an electric ebrake that is not compatible with the Alcon 4 piston kit. For these later models Alcon only offers pads and discs. I do not know if the Alcon 4 piston rear pads have more surface area than the Alcon pads for the OE electric ebrakes. ***interesting tidbit later about OE pad surface area***

OE 0-60 distances 144ft/145ft/151ft (expect due to fade).
Alcon 0-60 distances 105ft/108/ft/110ft.
 
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Zeusmotorworks

Zeusmotorworks

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Weight Differences

I figured some weights were in order so broke out my old USPS scale. I'll let you do the math for now and may come back and fill in the blanks later.

My 2020 had about 36k on the original brakes. Calipers were weighed loaded just as the Alcons arrived with the same plastic spacer to keep the pads in. I find it interesting how close the worn OE discs are to the Alcon. If you can't see, it is 28lbs 14.4oz for the OE vs. 28lbs 14.8oz for the Alcons.

Calipers are 20lbs 1oz OE vs 24lbs 4.4oz for Alcon and bracket. So since I used OE brake lines it looks like a 4lb 3.4oz gain for each front corner with this setup?
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Zeusmotorworks

Zeusmotorworks

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Quick Look at OE Rotors

Wish I'd have taken pics of both sides of both OE rotors. However, I'm tired and not interested in unpacking the OE parts I put away. In this pic you can see some of the hot spots acquired with the OE setup. I believe the other driver's side was worse. Seriously this was a couple cases of coming off the tollway and someone suddenly "NEEDING" to be in front of me.

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Install and notes

According to Alcon, you will need the following tools:

• 10mm allen wrench
• 8mm allen wrench
• 13/16 socket
• 13mm socket
• 10mm wrench
• 8mm wrench

Torque specs are:
Front
184 lb ft for bracket to spindle/knuckle
81 lb ft for bracket to caliper
26 lb ft for brake line banjo bolt

Rear
(pending)

I didn't use the 8mm allen to my recollection, but I did add a couple torque wrenches, Motive pressure bleeder, pry bar, rubber mallet and brake piston spreader.

As you can see the supplied caliper mount bracket bolts thread from the inside. They are not side specific but do only bolt on one way. "Disc" is engraved in the side that should be facing out.
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On one side I had to pull the ABS sensor line up tighter in the grommet you can see at the top of the next picture. This was to keep the disc from chaffing the line.
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I didn't use the tie rod kit. as you can see it is real tight. Only a few mm of clearance. However, even after testing in the Texas hill country with winding roads up and down hill sides no contact has been made to date. I WILL be keeping a close eye out for heat damage to the tie rod end and boot.
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Zeusmotorworks

Zeusmotorworks

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The OE brake lines do not fit the Alcon calipers because of a locating bar on the end that curves into a hole on the back of it. I simply cut this off with a dremel prior to unbolting.
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Front looks completed, but I actually didn't break open the system until the rears were done. Then I came back, quickly swapped lines off the old calipers to the mounted new and bled the system.
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Rears were pretty straight forward as well. You simply had to put the ebrake system in service mode (purposely not here so as you look it up), pull off the calipers, crack open the bleeder valves and compress the pistons. I HIGHLY recommend you do not compress the pistons without opening the valves. These systems are getting more and more delicate by the day and you do not want to damage your ABS system. Then replace new pads and bolt it all back up. I forget the torque spec for the caliper bolts, but believe they are about 24 lb ft.
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Here is pic of it all buttoned up with the Alcon brake pads peeking through the calipers. I opted not to get the Alcon discs as although it may have looked better asthetically, I doubt there are any measurable gains in performance.
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Very interesting note, I didn't take pictures of them, but the Alcon rear pads were full length friction material and not milled away like the OEs pictured below. I find it very strange Ford would do this and must definitely be some cost cutting measure to obtain the brake bias they were looking for. Seems a strange way to do it though.
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Zeusmotorworks

Zeusmotorworks

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Thoughts of Finished Product


6025A985-0524-41CA-B905-7133C4F05BF3.jpeg

Looks good all bolted together and properly torqued. Used the Motive pressure bleeder to bleed the system. It is very simple. Screw off OE master cylinder reservoir cap extract old fluid from reservoir with device of your choosing. Then replace cap with Motive unit. Attach cap hose to Motive pressure bottle, add fluid, pump up unit to 15psi, attach tube and collection container to top bleeder screw, crack open and close when you get no more bubbles.

I use a rubber mallet to beat on the caliper a little to expedite the air moving to the top bleeder screw and it works pretty well.

As pictured. I used OEM Ford brake fluid. In the past I’d have used ATE, Motul, or some other high speed stuff but didn’t see the need here. Not pushing it hard on tarmac smokin‘em up in the corners.
2BA94467-ED54-47E3-ACE0-243D0B0807FA.jpeg
 
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2020FordRaptor

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The search for more brake

Sooooo after cooking my OE brakes (street fade) here in the land of 75-85mph speed limits and short off ramps, I started looking around for upgrade options.

The F150/Raptor Alcon kit seemed to be the early go to, but I just found it WAY too expensive at $3200-$3900 per axle set. I have a history in aerospace manufacturing/automotive community and although the kit's features preclude it from being "cheap", the price was still hard to stomach for me knowing a lot of what it takes to produce it.

In my Toyota experience, I found the OE brakes to be above most OEMs but still a little lacking for my uses. However, Stoptechs Z36 kits took care of any shortfalls for my Toyota exploits. After talking to a few Raptor users of this kit and others like it, just didn't seem like it would be enough for me.

While researching possibly cobbling together my own kit with custom mounting brackets as I'd done with other platforms in the past, someone was selling a number of new Roush (Alcon) loaded caliper and disc kits on Ebay for $999.99. Less mounting brackets. This was stumbled upon in the Alcon review thread and I forget who to give credit for that find.

Pics via for sale post
View attachment 375977View attachment 375978View attachment 375979

I was skeptical at first, but after a few members purchased them it seemed to be the real deal. They were purported to be new 2021+ F150 components that would fit the Gen 2 Raptors. The kit used 4 bolt radial caliper to bracket mounting bolts vs the older 2 axial bolts. The only downside I could find was wait time for the brackets to be manufactured by Alcon (European company) and shipped over. Wait times seemed to be 2-3 months on average.

View attachment 375980
Cost to my door for the two steel 4 bolt Alcon brackets was $466.40.

Here is some info provided by Alcon about the kit:

Key Features & Benefits
  • Gains in performance over stock braking systems:
    • 10% reduction in disc temperature rise
    • 33% reduction in pad work rate
    • Up to 15% reduction in pedal effort
  • Ductile Iron caliper housing providing maximum strength and stiffness as well as high resistance to impact and fatigue.
  • Epoxy acrylic paint over acid zinc finish for maximum corrosion protection.
  • High friction pads increase stopping power.
  • Larger rotors increase brake torque and thermal capacity, reducting potential for brake fade.
  • Increased pad area reduces temperatures and increases pad life.
***It is important to note***
It is my understanding that the kit was originally designed for DOD contracts for up-armored vehicles. Hence durability taking front seat to light weight in building materials in calipers and brackets.

Here is a little info gleaned from Apollo Optics test of the Alcon kit. Nick is great to work with and I'll continue to do business with him in the future. Their video can easily be found in the other threads or a quick search of youtube.

Apollo Optics test on Gen 2 2018 with 20 inch wheels (don't remember what they used to measure this information):

***It is also important to note***
Unlike the the 2018 used in this test, the 2019 and up have an electric ebrake that is not compatible with the Alcon 4 piston kit. For these later models Alcon only offers pads and discs. I do not know if the Alcon 4 piston rear pads have more surface area than the Alcon pads for the OE electric ebrakes.

OE 0-60 distances 144ft/145ft/151ft (expect due to fade).
Alcon 0-60 distances 105ft/108/ft/110ft.
This us very interesting since I couldn't justify the 6k for the Alcons but this is a nice option.
 
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