Brake shoes

On or around Sun, 26 Mar 2006 14:12:18 +0100, "Richard Brookman" enlightened us thusly:

Have to say that brake friction parts (shoes and pads) are the one bit of the motor that I don't compromise and buy the cheapest available. Ferodo or Lockheed or other branded and well-known parts. Cheap ones, IME, neither work nor last as well as the good ones. Although sometimes it's tricky knowing which of the "good" ones are best.

EBC green pads on the minibus now - the only thing I have against them is that they're if anything more pathetic than standard ones when cold and wet. Once you get 'em warm and dry they're good, and the braking performance seems to increase the hotter they get...

Meanwhile, the rear drums snatch like a starving dog offered a bonio when cold and wet, to the extant of locking all 4 back wheels under light pedal pressure, but once they've been used they settle down. Only an issue in wet weather - when it's dry they work normally.

I noticed a slight snatch on the SIII the other day (which has been standing around for a week or so).

Maybe had them adjusted up to tight trying to bed them in? Though I would have thought they should stand getting hot. Inferior lining adhesive on cheap shoes?

As Austin says, only buy decent branded ones.

Martin.

Nothing you did could result in the linings coming loose if they were bonded properly. I have never even heard of this happening before. JD

...and Oily spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...

I wondered that, too. But if a bit of heat does that to the linings, how would they fare coming down a mountain pass? I don't recall anything in the LR literature (or any vehicle literature) that states that one should take care not to get the linings too hot, or the brakes might fall apart!

That's my guess, although they weren't exactly cheap. And Britpart is a well-recognised seller of this kind of stuff. It's not as if I went to Cost Cutter or anything. :-)

...and Austin Shackles spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...

Me too. I thought Britpart were well enough known.

...and JD spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...

Thanks for that reassurance! I've not heard of it either.

I have to say this is the first time I've come accross this with Britpart shoes, they may not be the longest lasting compared to Mintex etc but they do work. There's no way the lining should come adrift under any circumstances and I'll be taking this up with them so they are aware of it.

Richard

...and Austin Shackles spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...

Packing them up to send to Richard, I noticed they were branded Lucas shoes. Weren't they fitted as OE?

Not as I remember, Mintex with 22FF stamped riveted linings. But 30 years ago you could buy 2 axle sets of Mintex bonded shoes for £5.50 each and they were crap. I think they must have been inferior material and farmed out the relining jobs to someone who didn't give a shit; distorted shoes, broken adjuster pins etc., that was in the days when they surcharged you for the shoes if you didn't return the old ones, no good at all. I used to buy sets of original spec linings with rivets to reline the shoes that came off and one axle set cost £17.50, but the brakes were perfect, and no bedding in either! Customers would pay the extra and actually ask for these! Most of the shoes you buy today are worn out by the time they bed in, you get what you pay for, buy genuine parts!

Martin.

I'm pretty sure Lucas were OE supplier for a number if years, they may still be under the TRW/Lucas brand.

I agree with Martin that brake shoe's 'ain't what they used to be, but the big differenve between 30 years ago and now is that asbestos has been effectively banned.

Richard

I would imagine Girling ( Lucas Girling or just Lucas as I think it is now) would supply the linings for their own braking systems originally (seeing as they supplied the braking systems in the first place) and if you can't sell Lucas shoes without the linings falling off then where *can* you buy decent parts? I have relined brakes that have had Mintex linings on from new but these were probably the first Series 3s and they were exceptionally good but I have sold and used lots of Lucas branded ones more recently as well and not had any trouble. I have to agree with Richard when he implies that non asbestos shoes are not as good. Maybe the glue on bonded shoes is also inferior because of omitting some non environmentally friendly ingredient which may not be up to the job. The new non asbestos pads certainly seem very hard, definitely not as efficient until hot and also wear out the discs and drums very quickly, possibly a disc or drum to two sets of pads or linings. Such is progress.

Martin