View Single Post
  #47  
Old January 10th 18, 04:34 AM posted to alt.home.repair,rec.autos.tech
Mad Roger
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 61
Default Drum brakes - do you disconnect the parking brake cable?

On Tue, 09 Jan 2018 22:04:15 -0500,
Clare Snyder wrote:

> You do NOT need to know the ratings.


I respectfully disagree with you - but I agree with you that if you buy
from someone you *trust* (e.g., the dealership or your best friend who
works at an auto parts store), then you don't need to worry about friction
ratings because *they* worry about the friction rating for you.

But let's face it.
A brake shoe has one and only one primary job.
And that's friction.

If the friction rating of the shoe is, say, EF, and you buy FF, you're
fine, but if you buy EE, then you're getting a shoe that has lower friction
coefficients than the OEM manufacturer stated.

Now, *after* you get the right friction rating, there's more to the story
(e.g., dust, noise, warranty, price, etc.), but if you don't know the OEM
friction rating, then it's impossible to correctly buy brake shoes.

You can get *lucky*.
But you are just guessing.

> Buy their OEM quality shoes and
> the manufacturer has done the homework for you. it will meet or excede
> OEM spec - which is all you need or want.


We're both saying the same thing, which is that the friction rating (which,
by law, is printed on *every* USA pad) will meet or exceed the OEM spec if
you buy from a reliable source who would, we hope, refuse to sell you a
brake pad *lower* than the OEM spec.

Let's hope that's the case for mom and pop - but for me - I trust in the
friction rating, since it's printed on *every* shoe, it isn't hard to find
(if the shoe is in your hands).

> They are virtually ALWAYS sourced as a set of 4 - I've never seen
> shoes sold individually.


I did some more homework by calling the local parts stores (I had called
the dealer first) who tell me that they sell them for less than twenty
bucks for a set of four.

The wheel cylinders are cheap also, at about 16 bucks per cylinder and at
about 7 bucks for the repair kit so I'll get a couple of those too.

>>2. What's the cold/hot friction rating?

>
> You REALLY don't need that - it's not a race car.


Let's just respectfully disagree on whether I should match or exceed the
friction rating of the OEM brake shoe.

In all my years with disc brakes, I've never bought a pad without knowing
the friction rating ahead of time (usually FF or GG - but mostly FF) and I
would never put on a pad that doesn't meet or exceed the OEM friction
rating.

> That's because it is generally not required for them (or you) to know
> the rating.


I agree that if I buy Toyota shoes from the Toyota dealership, that the
friction rating will be correct as it will be the OEM friction rating,
whatever that is.

So if I buy from the dealer, I don't need to know anything because I would
be trusting the dealer to give me the correct shoes.

If I buy from Rock Auto, then I have to make the choice based on the
friction rating first and foremost.

It's not like friction isn't an important thing for a brake shoe.

> If they are OEM quality they WILL beright.


That is true. If that is true that is true.
It's not always true even if they say it's true.
I'll trust the two letters printed on the shoe itself.

> They never do. Every one of those manufacturers produce oem quality
> shoes, as wellas "economy" parts. You want OEM from Wagner, Centric,
> Raybestos, or Bendix - not familiar with BeckArnley - but have heard
> good things about their clutches - don't know PowerStop or Monroe -
> and AC Delco was good when they were a part of GM - but I think it's
> just a "brand" now - so no idea. No faith in anything Bosch myself -
> but they MAY make a perfectly adequate product.


You seem to be cognizant of "branding" (e.g., AT&T is just a brand name,
it's no longer the same company as it was). Brands have value, but you
know, from oil filters and batteries and tires, etc., that they brand all
sorts of **** just to get more money for the same thing.

Oil filters are notorious for that. You have to dig deeply to figure out
who *really* makes that oil filter and what it looks like inside (e.g.,
paper backflow valves, glued pleats, rubber versus paper stops, etc.).

Branding is bull**** for the most part.

What I care about are friction ratings.

After that, I care about stuff that I will never get the truth on, such as
dusting, and noise, but that's just a fact of life that you can't get that
information except from enthusiasts (e.g., Jurid FF pads dust like crazy
but PBR FF pads don't ... go figure).

The *first* spec on friction material is *always* friction.

After that, you generally don't get the truth even though plenty of other
stuff matters - but the friction rating is *printed* on ever shoe so it's
unconscionable not to take it into account when purchasing shoes.

Otherwise you're just guessing.

> Every day of the year - I've NEVER , other than on these newsgroups
> where "armchair experts" abound, heard of checking the friction rating
> of replacement friction material for standard street vehicles - and
> never did for navigational rallye vehicles either. That's a "track"
> thing. Don't worry about it - just buy the "oem quality" or better
> shoes.


I've seen people put Wagner EE pads on a car spec'd for FF OEM pads, and
they didn't even know it.

They showed a picture of the pads and I had to tell them that the pads
didn't even meet OEM specs.

The sad thing is that they could have had Textar or Axxis pads for about
the same price that were FF or even GG.

I'll repeat that the PRIMARY job of friction material is friction.
Hence the friction coefficient is printed on all USA pads and shoes.

There's a *reason* for that.
You can certainly *trust* to luck - but I prefer to read the shoe.

Ads