Honest opinion's wanted

[Andy4639]

I want your honest opinions on the 13" are 14" brakes for the front of our truck's. Are they worth the money and do you really feel they stop the truck faster and safer?

I'm thinking really hard about them but after the rear disc system I put on my 71 from CPP and not really seeing any noticeable difference in the stopping effect I'm sorta wondering are they worth it. You hear all the hype but I want honest opinion's from those of you that have them installed and driving your vehicles with them.
I'm looking at the McGaughys 71-72 Chevy GMC C10 Big Brake Kit Drilled Drop Spindles 63155 kit.

[Mike C]

No. And No.

What big brakes do best is dissipate heat. If you are road racing or even towing heavy on long downhills, big brakes might be the answer. If you want your brakes to look not ridiculous behind 20" rims then they may be an answer.

But the stock disc brake setup with good pads and shoes will be limited more by the tires the truck is equipped with than the brake system itself.

The C3 Corvette brakes are compareable to the truck brakes and for all of it's short comings, effective braking was not it. Interesting to read just how effective those brakes were on the Trans Am Camaros of the 60's.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140111...es/rpo_jl8.htm

[jocko]

My 2 cents only - probably only a noticeable change if you are doing some aggressive racing/stop/go, etc. Bigger disk equals a bit more bite, but really means better heat dissipation to provide sustained level of braking over a longer period (like road racing, etc). So, unless you're really hitting the race circuit, I don't think it would be worth it from a performance perspective. On the other hand - there's looks. If you have large dia open wheels, stock size disk looks kinda small behind the wheel.. If hidden, I wouldn't bother. If you think it's worth it from a show perspective (and there's nothing wrong with that, lots of folks build em to look good too - and I know your truck already has lots of custom touches) then it might be worth the cost to you.

[Andy4639]

Not going to lie about the Cosmetics of them but in all honesty I want the performance more than the looks. The factory front disc look fine behind the 20" wheels now. I was just wondering if it would stop any better with the 13" are 14" brakes up front.

Not going to be racing it in any kind of real race but we do have a club track day now for our truck club!
I just not really happy with it after the rear disc swap and was thinking that the bigger fronts would help more.
Wishful thinking on my part I guess.

[tdangle]

the front brakes are apron 70% of your stopping power. I did the same thing a few years ago on a 91 Mustang GT. I changed out the rear drum brakes to a disc brake setup. After all the money and time, I really didn't notice much difference. I do think a bigger diameter rotor in the front will give you more stopping power, with the same amount of pedal pressure. Any time you can grab further out from the center of a disc it will take less effort and thereby create less heat.

Good luck on making your decision.

[swamp rat]

A larger disk gives a larger mechanicle advantage over a smaller disk, and dissapates heat better, will you feel the diference?? Maybe not.

http://www.carbibles.com/brake_bible.html

[special-K]

In my opinion your truck would look better green. I think you should build it into a crew cab with a 4' bed, take out that LS motor, and put a Wankle rotary engine in. Still on the fence with wheels, maybe a set of 22" saw blades. And I think an all stock interior would be cool because no one would expect that.

EDIT: I read over the thread again and see it's larger brakes you are asking opinions on. Ok, gotcha. My opinion is do what you like, but you really should do all that other stuff

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by tdangle

the front brakes are apron 70% of your stopping power. I did the same thing a few years ago on a 91 Mustang GT. I changed out the rear drum brakes to a disc brake setup. After all the money and time, I really didn't notice much difference. I do think a bigger diameter rotor in the front will give you more stopping power, with the same amount of pedal pressure. Any time you can grab further out from the center of a disc it will take less effort and thereby create less heat.

Good luck on making your decision.

Granted the bigger the disc the better! I plan on bagging the truck later to, so the kit I posted will serve two purposes. It will give me the dropped spindles and bigger brakes and when I bag the truck it will be easier to do. I scored a set of used factory springs last night off of Jesse who is a member here and local to me.
The LS oil pan is below the a frame now so that's why I'm going back to stock springs.

[cooperhw]

No. But Man they look cool. And they really do help a bunch if you are going to autocross it. If not, probably not.
If you are looking to upgrade and have the spare coin, why not. I will when I do my next 63 project.
Up to you.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by special-K

In my opinion your truck would look better green. I think you should build it into a crew cab with a 4' bed, take out that LS motor, and put a Wankle rotary engine in. Still on the fence with wheels, maybe a set of 22" saw blades. And I think an all stock interior would be cool because no one would expect that.

EDIT: I read over the thread again and see it's larger brakes you are asking opinions on. Ok, gotcha. My opinion is do what you like, but you really should do all that other stuff

You funny guy Tim!

Ha the truck was green at one time and I know you know this.

[special-K]

You think I'm kidding? Nah, don't change a thing, unless you want to. But, run it by me first for approval < I'm serious!

[Barba Negro]

Braided stainless line will feel better and cost pennies compared to the full swap. I usually swap lines in first. ymmv

[leftybass209]

I have never been able to differentiate 1 inch of braking surface difference. On paper, it's hardly debatable that an extra inch of clamping surface area will have a positive effect when compared to less surface area.

In reality, the braking distance between 1 inch of braking surface isn't accurately measurable by a human in realistic conditions. This is especially true when comparing an unexpected emergency stop, to a magazine shootout of brakes where slamming on the pedal is expected and repeated purposefully to generate a number.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by Barba Negro

Braided stainless line will feel better and cost pennies compared to the full swap. I usually swap lines in first. ymmv

I installed all S/S hoses when I did the swap over last year. There is no rubber hoses at all on my truck.

[mcmlxix]

Doesn't more caliper pistons (piston surface area) mean more clamping force?
Also, there are formulas to figure out master cylinder diameter (1" vs. 7/8" vs. something else) to match the brakes on all 4 corners.

[knomadd]

Let me first say that I'm no expert, and I am not running larger rotors up front. However, I did just switch out my factory calipers for Wilwood's D52 replacements, with dual pistons. I also added rear 4 piston 12" disc swap (I plan on going bigger up front later - for looks mainly). I can honestly say that I notice a difference. It's not a lot, but I can tell it stops in a hurry with less effort on my part. Normal braking in traffic isn't going be noticeably different with larger brakes or more pistons, but harder stops will be done in shorter distance.

If you're just looking for more braking force, look into a hydroboost system. I have them on both my classics and they stop comparably to a newer vehicle.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by knomadd

Let me first say that I'm no expert, and I am not running larger rotors up front. However, I did just switch out my factory calipers for Wilwood's D52 replacements, with dual pistons. I also added rear 4 piston 12" disc swap (I plan on going bigger up front later - for looks mainly). I can honestly say that I notice a difference. It's not a lot, but I can tell it stops in a hurry with less effort on my part. Normal braking in traffic isn't going be noticeably different with larger brakes or more pistons, but harder stops will be done in shorter distance.

If you're just looking for more braking force, look into a hydroboost system. I have them on both my classics and they stop comparably to a newer vehicle.

I've thought about the Hydroboost also. That's why I'm asking questions to figure which way is the best way to go for my use.Price wise they are about the same.

[Fatherflash]

Ok, here is something to think about when installing larger rims. Your rim basically sits on a joint along an axis. Since you are increasing the distance between the two, you are increasing the "moment" and also the "arm". If you increase the moment and/or the arm, you are increasing the force on that joint. The moment may for the most part be offset due to a lighter rim being installed however, the arm is still increasing which can or may increase force on that joint axis.

Attempted simple explanation here: (Moment: is a combination of a physical quantity and a distance) (Arm: simply the length between a joint axis and the line of force acting on that joint).

A moment arm is simply the length between a joint axis and the line of force acting on that joint. Every joint that is involved in an exercise has a moment arm. The longer the moment arm is the more load will be applied to the joint axis through leverage.

That being said, it is arguable that 1 inch braking surface is not measurable however the force along the axis increases exponentially while correlating to the increase in diameter of the rim. In other words, greater rim size along the outer aspect of the diameter increases the force on the axis. I believe to offset this, larger diameter brakes should be considered. This is my opinion and mine alone.

I increased my brake size and upgraded my brake system simply due to my view that this is "cheap insurance" when I really need the stopping power during those one or two "Oh Hits" events that seem to happen every year.

As a person who has in the past worked with large diameter spinning systems, (see picture under name) I felt the investment was worthwhile based on my experience and knowledge. It is your investment and instinct so it is your decision to make.

[my67c20]

Do you want to be one of the cool kids, or just another one of those other guys? Personally, i did notice a difference when i went to disk / disk. I learned that my seat adjuster was broke, and the steering wheel hurts. Disk brakes, from what i have been told, does not like variable load conditions. This is why 18 wheeler's still run drums. However, i suspect that the load variations in most pick-ups is not really enough to be concerned with. I say, if you got the cash, spend it on stuff that you want, if you want to be one of the cool kids.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by my67c20

Do you want to be one of the cool kids, or just another one of those other guys? Personally, i did notice a difference when i went to disk / disk. I learned that my seat adjuster was broke, and the steering wheel hurts. Disk brakes, from what i have been told, does not like variable load conditions. This is why 18 wheeler's still run drums. However, i suspect that the load variations in most pick-ups is not really enough to be concerned with. I say, if you got the cash, spend it on stuff that you want, if you want to be one of the cool kids.

Look at the above post's!

I want the truck to stop! I have disc all the way around it now. Yes the look is part of it no doubt but I want brakes that stop my truck when I hit them.

[skylerlt]

Have you tried different pad materials? I'm betting that the pads and your tire compound will have a greater effect on braking distance than adding the larger rotors.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by skylerlt

Have you tried different pad materials? I'm betting that the pads and your tire compound will have a greater effect on braking distance than adding the larger rotors.

Just installed new pads all around. Backs are less than a year old. New ceramic's as the fronts.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Fatherflash

Ok, here is something to think about when installing larger rims. Your rim basically sits on a joint along an axis. Since you are increasing the distance between the two, you are increasing the "moment" and also the "arm". If you increase the moment and/or the arm, you are increasing the force on that joint. The moment may for the most part be offset due to a lighter rim being installed however, the arm is still increasing which can or may increase force on that joint axis.

Attempted simple explanation here: (Moment: is a combination of a physical quantity and a distance) (Arm: simply the length between a joint axis and the line of force acting on that joint).

A moment arm is simply the length between a joint axis and the line of force acting on that joint. Every joint that is involved in an exercise has a moment arm. The longer the moment arm is the more load will be applied to the joint axis through leverage.

That being said, it is arguable that 1 inch braking surface is not measurable however the force along the axis increases exponentially while correlating to the increase in diameter of the rim. In other words, greater rim size along the outer aspect of the diameter increases the force on the axis. I believe to offset this, larger diameter brakes should be considered. This is my opinion and mine alone.

I increased my brake size and upgraded my brake system simply due to my view that this is "cheap insurance" when I really need the stopping power during those one or two "Oh Hits" events that seem to happen every year.

As a person who has in the past worked with large diameter spinning systems, (see picture under name) I felt the investment was worthwhile based on my experience and knowledge. It is your investment and instinct so it is your decision to make.

Isn't the overall diameter of the tire what matters? While the rims are getting larger diameter, the tire diameter isn't. The sidewalls are making up the difference.

[Andy4639]

Over all height of tires is 29" tall. That's from the ground to top of tire.

[CC69Rat]

I have personal experience with the McGaughys big brake kit and honestly I'd suggest Wilwood if you decide to do it.

The McGaughys kit is just Corvette C4 rotors redrilled and Silverado calipers. The brake pad vs contact surface on the rotor is a bit awkward too. There is about 3/4 " on the lower part ( near the hat ) that the brake pad doesn't even touch.

It installed fairly easily .. but I just wasn't that impressed with it. I did all 4 wheels at the same time vs. 4 wheel drum so as far as overall difference my opinion is a bit one sided ( huge difference over drums ) but take a look at Wilwood or Baer before you decide.

Big brakes and the right big brake kit ? I say yes there's a difference over stock. Would I do McGaughys again? Probably not.