Disc brake conversion

[Rick]

now back to drums vs discs................... elevators and escalators still use a drum style brake with huge shoes just FYI more people travel in elevators and escalators every day then your trucks could ever imagine okay okay not a fair comparison, but disc brakes have not made their way into vertical transportation YET

One of the big pluses for disc over drum in automotive applications is the ability of discs to work well in all weather conditions. It was not at all uncommon for drum brake cars to lose all braking power after driving through deep puddles. Back in Illinois in drivers ed class they used to teach you to drag the brakes when driving through deep puddles to help displace the water. I don't think that the brakes of an elevator or escalator would ever be subject to such conditions.

I had a '70 LeMans which lost it's brakes when they got wet.... Anecdotal info



And on to the cut and paste...

Can Brakes Get Wet | Brake Experts

Drum brakes were commonly used in the front and back of older vehicles. They can still be found in less expensive modern vehicles, but typically only for the back wheels, while disc brakes will be used in the front.

Disc brakes have a rotor (or disc) that rotates with your wheel, and is stopped by two brake pads that squeeze the disc to slow down your car. These are the most common brakes, which you can see on the majority of modern cars – especially in the front.

These two types of brakes, unfortunately, respond differently to wet environments. When drum brakes get wet, water can sometimes get trapped on the inside of the drum. While the drum is spinning, the water will spin on the inside and work its way between the brake pads.

This will decrease the car’s braking ability for a few seconds, until the water is released. This is why anyone who had spent more of their time driving older cars may advise you to use your brakes for a few seconds after driving through a puddle.

When disc brakes get wet, the water isn’t trapped inside of a rotating container, and can easily fall away from the brakes. This is why braking for a few seconds after driving through a sizable puddle is less necessary with newer cars.

 

[BKennedy]

Another tidbit of information is be aware of aftermarket disc brake swap kits. I saw one I was going to order for my 2008 Silverado because it has rear drum brakes and they fade quickly while towing a maybe 4,000 pound while loaded horse trailer (truck is rated to tow 7,700 pounds). I realized the swap kit bolts the calipers directly to the mounting brackets. Since they were one-sided piston calipers and were not allowed to float, the braking force would only be applied to one side of the rotors. I asked the manufacture how they thought the brakes were supposed to function like that and they responded I could upgrade the kit to Wilwood 6 piston calipers. They basically admitted their swap kit was flawed as they were selling it.

 

[massacre]

Anecdotal evidence.

Here's another "cut and paste"

Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes: evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony.

You sound triggered

 

[MrQ]

Can somebody apply brakes of either kind to this merry-go-round we're on?

 

[massacre]

Sorry for my part in this

I would like to upgrade my 1st gen to rear disc.
I even priced everything out but since I recently replaced my rear drums, the truck stops fine with no issues. I think what happens is the drums often get neglected since they are a PITA to work on.
no doubt discs perform better in most instances, given that they are properly sized and well maintained. But discs also have their own issues, slide pins, caliper pistons stick, etc.

OEM rear disc parking brake is still a “drum” and shoes on these so I guess you’re using both disc and drum? Lol

 

[Rick]

You sound triggered

Not as triggered as you were when you joined this thread