Do you have any test data on the material? Coefficient of friction vs temperature?
Not really, all I have are the edge codes and those are pretty useless.
Do you have any test data on the material? Coefficient of friction vs temperature?
Do you make them yourself?
Except the bracket...
You are not going to break the bracket, it’s 3/8th steel plate and some round spacers, I tack welded the spacers. Now I did lose 3 out of the 4 bolts (No Fun). I was able to find the bolts in a local hardware store.
Make sure to use lock washers and loctite, my kit did not come with lock washers.
If you lost 3 of the bolts, then you did not use Red Liquid Loctite on the caliper saddle bolts upon the initial install.
If they were supposed to have lock washers, they would have been included. Lock washers for the most part are a waste of time and money and haven't been a viable solution for keeping fasteners tight for a very long time.
If you pay attention to what the OEM does, they've been moving away from lock washers on fasteners for a long time in favor of upset lock nuts, serrated flange heads on bolts and serrated flange nuts, tri-lobe threads, and deformed lock nuts.
To clarify further, it's been awhile since the caliper adapters have been steel, at least 200 kits ago. All the new ones are 6061 T-6.
Mine are Vanco and they maybe 3 years old. Instructions said the Calibers & Rotors are “98" Ford Explorer. I had a special application, “88” D30 with Warn conversion, I had to go to the newer knuckles.
Yes I believe I used red Loctite and used a torque wrench, maybe I was too excided to try out my new brakes and forgot to torque. Who knows old age is setting in. I set up the brakes and drove to Fordyce. They came loose on the way out of the trail. I’m a firm believer in gluing thread.
I also run Vanco Hydro Boost & TSM disc kit in the rear, I love my Vanco brakes, I have no reason to carry clean underwear!
You are not going to break the bracket, it’s 3/8th steel plate and some round spacers, I tack welded the spacers.
Not really, all I have are the edge codes and those are pretty useless.
So can't you contact the manufacturer and ask them for the data? Any reputable performance brake manufacturer will have those details handy.
At the end of the day, I want to just test out running a good set of pads. If that doesn't do the trick, then it will be time to upgrade the hardware. I do really appreciate your sponsorship offer, as I can always use all the help I can get.
BTW - the Comanche had Hawk HP+ pads front and rear, and it worked great for 2 seasons. This is the main reason I'm just looking for a good pad and not worrying about upgrading the hardware.
EBC's Green and Red are both garbage. They sent me some prototype new Yellows for my other race car and they were much better than the previous time I tried the Yellows. Hawk HP+ is good for short periods, but they do fade after 5-10 minutes of aggressive use on tarmac.
However, I'm running 25" tires on dirt and gravel, so I'm not looking for a ton of clamping force, which is why I didn't opt for a brake swap. I was really interested in finding something for the rear 9" drums, as it seems that no one makes anything off the shelf for them.
We continually test for the best stopping you can get with the Vanco stuff. I personally hand build every Vanco kit that ships and we do our best to stay at the top in outright performance.
So, when we found a better pad than the EBC Yellows that we tested several years ago, it became the standard offering in the kits and the only kit that we don't have them for is the one that uses the Dodge 1500 54mm caliper and that's only for a short while longer because the BMB pads are on the way for them.
I don't know if Van's website reflects this or not, but the only pad available is the Black Magic unless we don't have the app yet.
When the point in time comes that we find a better pad, it will become the standard.
I have never heard of anyone having problem with the Porterfield road race compounds. And I even asked around at my monthly SCCA meeting. Maybe the "cold bite" stuff you had was a step under? In any event, I appreciate your input.
The Vanco website doesn't really mention the type of pads included in the kit. It was actually the parts list in the install instructions for the "Updated 15" Vanco Big Brake Kit" where I found the listing for the pads. It can be found on the FAQ page on Van's website:
1 - Set Brake pads, Optional compounds include Black Magic or EBC Yellowstuff
Black Magic Brake pads will be Industry pad number 833 for 48mm and 652 for 46mm
Thanks for all the great info you've contributed to this thread. Advice from someone with in-depth knowledge of what is being discussed is always appreciated. I think I'll have to try out some of those Black Magic pads when I wear out my EBC YellowStuff's. Maybe I'll even be ready to spend the extra $'s on a Big Brake kit by then. My factory pads lasted me almost 90K so it may be awhile. Maybe you'll have found an even better pad by then...