disk brake swap opinons need

[sweetk30]

i have a problem with my trailer hauler / dd truck. rear axle seals are out and oil all over stuff. so i will need all new stuff to do it correctly.

my question is on 2x4 1 ton trailer puller/dd truck would you do disk swap in rear.

i have done the swap on my mud/trail trucks and loved it. but the fact it hauls trailer is whats got me thinking. i have heard drum is better and also disk is better. thanks for any info guys.

truck spec is 1ton 2x4 with 350 vortec 4l80-e and is 6100 lbs .
trailer is 10k equipment and torsion axles with brakes on both axles and is 2800 lbs.

 

[sandawgk5]

I say go disc/disc. The BIG 3 have disc/disc on all of there trucks factory now. Plus it is cake to change pads rather than shoes. You dont have to pull the rotor to change pads no springs to **** with just easier 4wheel discs are kewl

 

[big_truxx]

disc/disc is better since you are able to grab more brakage and stop better i know i loved the rear discs on my old 4x4

 

[camiswelding]

Blackbirds Custom Trucks... Washington...
Randy owns the place...

good dually disc brake conversions kits...
I already did one dually C&C 89 truck... now Im going to do my 89 crew...
dropping 70 pounds in one fell swoop is almost reason enough to do it... although the dually axles are way more spendy because the kits use the late chevy rotors... so its not just a set of cheapy adapters
You can also use a later model k3500 4wdb proportioning valve... and that along with hydroboost takes care of the proportioning issues
kits are about 5-600 bucks

cam

 

[BigOrange90Jimmy]

I would keep the drums you have now. Sure, everyone knows disc brakes are easier to work on and look cool, but when it actually comes to stopping, drums are the way to go in the rear.

I say this because drums have more pad surface area than a disc setup does. This translates into more stopping power, provided everything in the system is in good working order.

Why do you think transfer trucks don't have disc brakes? They just plain work better.

 

[perp]

Most class 8 truck run drum brakes beacuse the way air brakes function lends itself to work well with drums and not with disks. has nothing to do with stopping power. Some big rigs do have disks, i think its called an "s"screw disk assy. much more complicated and in my opinion less serviceable than a drum. i am sure there has to be at least one heavy truck tech on here who can explain this better.

also My 01 2500 HD has4 wheel disks, as does my 05 Ram 3500 cummins dually. we all know disks are more expensive to manufacture, so i doubt Gm / Dodge would spend extra money on parts if it was less effective. these two trucks srop WAY better than my last several disk/drum trucks. Even my 1985 C70 flatbed has 4 wheel hydraulic disks and it is rated for 28,000 lbs. stops on a dime (getting it going is much slower story).

I say Disk/Disk all the way

 

[tRustyK5]

The big 13 x 3.5" rear drums do offer a lot of stopping power, however they are a lot more prone to problems than disc's are and can be very tempermental when the truck is unloaded.

I'd go disc/disc myself. The application the rear disc's are 'stolen' from are 3/4 ton fronts. We all know that front brakes do approx 70% of the work, maybe even more in an unloaded pick-up. This is enough to tell me those same discs/rotors/pads are more than enough braking for a rear application (especially with more modest tire sizes a tow rig would normally see)

Rene

 

[ntsqd]

Discs for service brakes.
Drums for parking brakes.

 

[gambit420s]

not to start **** with ya but...

Sure, everyone knows disc brakes are easier to work on and look cool,

if easy and looking cool were the only reason wouldn't everybody be running 24's that you could change your brakes through, w/o removing the wheel?

I say this because drums have more pad surface area than a disc setup does. This translates into more stopping power.

drum shoes work on a different/less efficient principle(more pad doing less work) and are much more prone to overheating, giving you less stopping power... Brakes simply transfer rotational kinetic energy into heat through friction, one of the best traits of discs is that they more quickly transfer heat to passing air, thus making them better at shedding energy quickly...

Why do you think transfer trucks don't have disc brakes? They just plain work better.

umm.. because to get more brake force out of a disc you have to increase the diameter of the rotor, which you cant do without bigger wheels(not easy on a semi), but drums you can just go wider...

i'm going disc on my dually/tow/hualing truck as my drums/shoes are shot, but i figured if i replace everything(drums, shoes, wheel cyls,) i'm only a few bucks or so from a disc conversion... not to mention the weight, hell thats 2-3% you dont have to stop...

PS:"We can end the speculation cuz today we gonna see" that "YOU DON'T KNOW"
and you didnt even vote for drums...

 

[ntsqd]

umm.. because to get more brake force out of a disc you have to increase the diameter of the rotor, which you cant do without bigger wheels(not easy on a semi), but drums you can just go wider...

Not quite right. Width of a drum is much more a wear item than a braking force item. Diameter is still your friend, even in drums. Have a look at old drum braked race cars, those used large OD, narrow width drums.

One could, if inclined, argue that a wider drum decreases braking effectiveness due to the same force over a larger area. Not being well versed in drum brake design, I don't know if this is significant or not.

EDIT: If you are considering using the Cad calipers to get a parking brake. Don't, you'll save yourself a lot of headache and $$$ Find some other method. At their very best, nurtured by someone anal-retentive about such things, Cad caliper p-bakes are still just a mediocre p-brake.
For a p-brake you want a drum, low to no speed is where they out perform a disc.

 

[zhgrou6]

If you are pulling a trailer around those big hills near Horseheads and need to ride the brakes on a downhill section, you won't get the brake fade with discs you might get with drums. Drums have all the stopping power you need in the rear. Plus the parking brake is better (important for inspection). But the problem with drums I think about most is brake fade. As the drums get hot they expand and more travel in the pedal is needed. Can be scary. However I pull my 750 pound utility trailer around the hills near Branchport and never felt the fade. With disks in the front and most of the stopping power occuring in the front, whatever brake fade might be occuring in the rear is insignificant and not felt in the pedal. Also, I don't suppose your trailer has brakes does it?

 

[BigOrange90Jimmy]

not to start **** with ya but...


PS:"We can end the speculation cuz today we gonna see" that "YOU DON'T KNOW"
and you didnt even vote for drums...

Aight, "tim". Break me down on the spot, why don't ya?

He asked for an opinion, so I gave him mine.

I'm going to stick to my guns on this one. I would keep the drums.

After the conversion to disc, yes, he may be out cheaper, but where did his parking brake go? The park pins in an automatic are strong, but I'd rather have something out back to lock down on.

Have you priced, or heck, even found a set of Caddy calipers? I couldn't find any around here in the j/y, and I'm not paying the core charge from a parts house just to have a caliper with no linkages or springs. That's why I bought my calipers from a guy on here, who got them from TSM, for $250.

Yes, I have discs on my 87 K5 daily driver because I don't plan to tow with it, the drums were shot, and I want it to look cool and be serviceable, plus it's my baby and I'll do with it what I please.


So, in other words,

"Contrary to yo believes, im as real as you can be
Screw yo thoughts and yo feelings partna you don't know me."

 

[gambit420s]

After the conversion to disc, yes, he may be out cheaper, but where did his parking brake go? The park pins in an automatic are strong, but I'd rather have something out back to lock down on.

true true, i've seen a mercedes trans(in a porsche) that's pawl was sheered but i've got a std in my tow rig and learned awhile ago to use two chocks always so on it i'm using calipers off my burb

Have you priced, or heck, even found a set of Caddy calipers? I couldn't find any around here in the j/y, and I'm not paying the core charge from a parts house just to have a caliper with no linkages or springs.

but i'll be getting caddy calipers for the burb, and i'm going to try using audi levers. from pics ive seen i think with a little dremel work they'll fit and function correctly and they're still available from the dealer...

"Contrary to yo believes, im as real as you can be
Screw yo thoughts and yo feelings partna you don't know me."

"If you knew half of what I knew then you'll be hittin the deck
I got a tool and a (lift) I can get some respect"....

 

[sweetk30]

HAY NOW ! dont be pissing in my thread. i dont come to yours and do that. play nice all. thanks for the info and opinons from all.

 

[Chaddy]

I have disk's on all 4 and Im a tile setter alway's hauling pallets of tile which are very heavy and since I put the disk's on my 14 bolt I have to say it does stop better than before. As for the E-break I got a set of line lock cutter breaks for $200 and they work great but I dont think they are legal.??

 

[BigOrange90Jimmy]

We're cool man. Just some friendly arguing going on. I respect what he's saying, because he is correct.

Crapola my membership is DEAD!

 

[gambit420s]

if everyone always agreed nothing would change

the benefit of heated arguments if now you have two people who can see both sides of the coin.

i even agree with BO about keeping the drums for now, mine are shot so i'm leaving them alone til i swap the whole axle(for gears and new bearings) but i'm going to put disks on it while its on the floor because of what i (think I) know about braking systems and how i'm going to use them and where i think a functional e-brake is going to suit my purpose. is this not the question you (sweetK30) were asking?

if i wanted the answer to something; i would want heated argument about it, that means atleast two other people in the world care about the topic and are interested in arguing their view. take opposing views to things, it makes you a better person. i have had my view changed by the process of arguing a view i didn't have. you will always learn something. atleast you had one person dissent, and he stood to it; with arguments that were valid.

i dont even know BO but since he's within a few mi's of me, i'm sure i'll see him around. Hell, i'll probaby buy him a beer and continue this path of thought. anyone that uses the slurred speach of a rapper to verbally fence has to have a few other redeeming qualities, and could be a good acquaintance to make.

and... hay is for horses; i'm a jackass, i like spinach