Brake wear expectations? Upgrades?

[gait]

... Some official has decided that if you fit SS then the vehicle should be required to meet a different standard. Posssibly related to when this was first done for mining and tourist busses?......

probably right.
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/motor/design/adr_online.aspx

ADR 35—Commercial Vehicle Brake Systems

The function of this Australian Design Rule is to specify braking requirements on commercial motor vehicles and large passenger vehicles to ensure safe braking under normal and emergency conditions.

I don't know if my vehicle had to comply with ADR 35 when new and original.

 

[SkiFreak]

Less leverage=more pressure required to make same stop-therefore more vacuum?

By putting in a larger vacuum tank you will get a greater vacuum reserve, but it will not give you a deeper vacuum, hence, this will not actually improve the braking effort.
It was mentioned previously... if you want "better braking", a bigger vacuum booster will help.
A brake vacuum booster works by using vacuum over a diaphragm, which in turn increases the pressure applied to brake fluid in the master cylinder when the brake pedal is depressed. If you increase the size of the diaphragm then you increase the pressure effect it has.

However... like with increasing horsepower in an engine, using a larger vacuum booster will add additional stresses which can lead to a reduced lifespan, or at worst, a component failure.
If you were to increase the vacuum booster size you should also ensure that all of the other components in the braking system, like the seals and brake lines, are in very good condition, as these will be under more stress if the pressure in the brake lines is increased.

I have heard that some brake shoes work better than others, which is another option for improving braking efficiency.

At the end of the day, I agree with Julian... drum brakes suck!

 

[whatcharterboat]

........ Some official has decided that if you fit SS then the vehicle should be required to meet a different standard. Posssibly related to when this was first done for mining and tourist busses?

I don't think so. Again it is because the original rolling diameter of the wheels has changed hence the braking performance has decreased from when the Canter originally passed it's Australian compliance....and it makes sense to me that if the braking performance has been decreased then any modified vehicle should still remain compliant for our roads and meet some form of standard...in this case ADR 35.

By the way, ADR 35 is for both trucks and buses. The difference being that buses have higher performance criteria within ADR35. (eg. they need to achieve higher decal rates / shorter braking distances) which is understandable given their passenger carrying capacity. The expectation for braking performance of a truck is not quite to the same level.

 

[whatcharterboat]

At the end of the day, I agree with Julian... drum brakes suck!

Haha...remember when you helped me fix the disc brakes on my Honda? Disc brakes sucked that night!! :Mechanic:

 

[gait]

we could spend days on the regs .....

ADR 35/00 that was the standard in 2005 when my vehicle was built is of course less stringent than AD 25/04 in force since 2013 and probably less stringent than the 8 pedal presses,

what is intellectually interesting (to me) is that the NB category within ADR starts at GVM 3500kg, which is consistent with international driving licence categories but inconsistent with the Aus driving licence categories where up to 4500kg can be driven on a car licence.

welcome to Aus!

 

[dlh62c]

Aren't rear axles on these trucks full floating?

Is so, the rear axles must be pulled to remove the drums. Is there a retailing clip inside the differential that needs to be removed to pull the axles out?

 

[alan]

Aren't rear axles on these trucks full floating?

Is so, the rear axles must be pulled to remove the drums. Is there a retailing clip inside the differential that needs to be removed to pull the axles out?

No clip on the axles, just remove axles which them gives you access to the wheel bearings, remove outer wheel bearing and the drum should come off, you may have to back off the brake adjustment if you have a worn drum.

 

[alan]

The brake booster on my canter is actually off a 2wd canter as this was a larger diameter than the 4wd booster by approx 30mm.

 

[SkiFreak]

Does the 2wd Canter of your year model have disk brakes?
If it does, that would probably explain the bigger booster.

 

[pugslyyy]

Aren't rear axles on these trucks full floating?

Is so, the rear axles must be pulled to remove the drums. Is there a retailing clip inside the differential that needs to be removed to pull the axles out?

If it were semi-floating you might have to do this. Full-floating no.

 

[yabanja]

The brake booster on my canter is actually off a 2wd canter as this was a larger diameter than the 4wd booster by approx 30mm.

Excellent! Thank you for the tip!

Anyone have experience with different shoe compounds?

Allan

 

[alan]

Does the 2wd Canter of your year model have disk brakes?
If it does, that would probably explain the bigger booster.

Hi Owen, no disc brakes, same size drums and shoes as the 4x4 model.

 

[SkiFreak]

Does the slightly larger booster have a noticeable difference in performance?
This question assumes that you did a before and after assessment, obviously.

 

[unkamonkey]

Hmmmm, adjusted my brakes once in 66,000 miles on the Mitsu. Some people must wonder if my brake lights work since I only use them to slow from about 3 MPH, usually. Yes, I've had to stomp on them before and they work fine. I just try to anticipate what's coming up and use the gears and exhaust brake as they should be used. Yes, I used to drive big trucks for a living. I have over 130,000 miles on the brakes on my Volvo and dont think I have ever touched the shoes on either of my Jeeps other than to fix a seal. I've had one of them for 24 years. Ok, I did put the 11" brakes on the 3B about 20 years ago and had to adjust them once.

 

[SkiFreak]

I used to slow down by downshifting my gears, but was told by a mechanic once that it is easier and cheaper to change brake shoes/pads than it is to change a clutch, which seemed pretty logical to me.
However, I do get a lot of use out of my exhaust brake.

And yes... I did used to double clutch.