OBS Ford brake upgrades
- Thread starter Seabass
- Start date
bfdiesel
Explorer
That is apples and oranges. See a lot of discs on long haul trucks?
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
I think that has more to do with surface area and packaging.
I completely agree about mud/water and older vehicles with 4 corner drums, both can be scary, been there done that. I've daily driven and wheeled a good chunk of vehicles with manual 4 corner drums. My daily for a long time was a 56 Studebaker truck, manual drums, Armstrong steering, etc. And my first wheeling rig was a M38A1 that I put a powerful V8 and overdrive in, 100MPH, 81" wheelbase, 36" tires, and 4" of lift don't go well with front drum brakes.
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Disc air brakes have been an option on heavy truck for a long time but very few use disc brakes. For them it's a money calculation more then anything else, while disc do stop better and are less hassle they also cost more initially and more important are actually heavier then drums. For OTR truckers weight is HUGE, every pound adds up, it's not uncommon for the weight of fuel to put you over. Also like us discs have a parking/emergency brake issue, for us it's manageable, for a 80,000lb semi less so. Discs do stop better, last longer, and fail inspections less though, so they are become more popular on rigs that see a lot of stop and go, where a few hundred pounds matters less, and where it's someone else's money, like government utility and refuse trucks.
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Disc air brakes have been an option on heavy truck for a long time but very few use disc brakes. For them it's a money calculation more then anything else, while disc do stop better and are less hassle they also cost more initially and more important are actually heavier then drums. For OTR truckers weight is HUGE, every pound adds up, it's not uncommon for the weight of fuel to put you over. Also like us discs have a parking/emergency brake issue, for us it's manageable, for a 80,000lb semi less so. Discs do stop better, last longer, and fail inspections less though, so they are become more popular on rigs that see a lot of stop and go, where a few hundred pounds matters less, and where it's someone else's money, like government utility and refuse trucks.
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IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
Best tip I can offer for the brakes on these trucks is to make 100% sure the rear is in order, and the adjusters are working properly, and to run the HOTTEST pads you can find for the front.
The rears do more than you think. If they are not up to par it will feel like you need to toss an anchor overboard to stop :snorkel:
Im dialed in on the rear, and am running aggressive pads up front.
Mine has no problem stopping at speed, even weighing 10,000 lbs loaded.
The rears do more than you think. If they are not up to par it will feel like you need to toss an anchor overboard to stop :snorkel:
Im dialed in on the rear, and am running aggressive pads up front.
Mine has no problem stopping at speed, even weighing 10,000 lbs loaded.