Pad and rotor combos, for 16" wheel. What metal, coatings are you using?

[ROLL-GMC]

I have a 4 wheel disc combo. It was drum rears, but has been changed to " Little Shop" rear disc brake conv. I used original pads with conv. I have steel rotors with semi-metallics, front and back. Any experience with ceramic/carbon pads with carbon rotors. I running a 6.2 with around 500 rwhp. Any improvement in braking performance would be nice. What's your thoughts, pro's or con's.

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[Schurkey]

WHAT VEHICLE? What was the brake option code before the downgrade to cheap rear discs? JN5/JB5 would be common, JN3 would explain a lot of your desire for better brakes. JB6, 7, 8, would be pretty good brakes to begin with.

Iron rotors, not steel.

Carbon-fiber rotors are wildly expensive. You want more braking power, you need bigger brakes and/or bigger pistons in the calipers more than you need "wildly expensive" brakes. Of course, you could buy bigger AND wildly-expensive brakes.

I tried ceramic pads from NAPA about twenty years ago. I hated 'em. Piss-poor braking power, but they lasted forever. Maybe they're better by now.

I have several vehicles with Performance Friction "Carbon Metallic" pads. I like how they stop. Less enthused about how fast they're wearing out.

When was the last time you bled the ABS with a scan tool?





Don't get me started on Little Shop of Horrors.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Most rear disc brake conversions are boy-racer garbage. The big drums brake very well, but only when kept in proper adjustment, which is a pain in the butt.

Supposedly the 14-bolt JB6 brakes are the best factory combination, but I haven't stepped up to them on my truck yet. I spy five lugs, and unless you have a 454SS rear axle, you don't have them either. If you want to go that route, I'd get a later 14-bolt rear axle and get some five lug axles or have the six luggers redrilled.

Always check the friction code on your pads. You want GG or HH. A lot of "performance pad" companies recognize there's a huge market of people who don't know brakes, so they sell "performance" pads with an FF friction code. They'll last a long time, won't make too much brake dust, and won't stop worth a flip. Real performance pads wear out quick, make lots of dust, and threaten to kiss the pavement with your front bumper.

Raybestos Element3 brakes are dirt cheap and the guys who have them report an HH friction code. Guys I know who race heavier cars, Crown Vics etc., love Raybestos brakes because they're 1/3 the price of "performance" pads, brake hard, and work reliably lap after lap on track.

More Information for RAYBESTOS EHT369H

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

The little shop brakes work well, there's tons of threads on here about them so we don't need to re-hash the same pros vs cons.

How are you using the truck? Ceramic pads are not a performance upgrade but work well in daily driving conditions (in general, I don't know specifically about the ones available for this truck). Race pad compounds typically don't work well when cold and you can end up with worse brakes on the street.

 

[Schurkey]

Supposedly the 14-bolt JB6 brakes are the best factory combination

For 1500 trucks, yes. My '88 started with JN3, and now has the equivalent to JN/JB6.

The JN3s are pretty terrible, and JN/JB5 is just as bad at the rear, but significantly better up front, master, and booster. JB6 fixes the problems with JN3 and JN/JB5 at the rear, while staying the same as JN/JB5 everywhere else.

GM has bigger stuff on 2500s and 3500s.

Always check the friction code on your pads. You want GG or HH. A lot of "performance pad" companies recognize there's a huge market of people who don't know brakes, so they sell "performance" pads with an FF friction code...

...Raybestos Element3 brakes are dirt cheap and the guys who have them report an HH friction code. Guys I know who race heavier cars, Crown Vics etc., love Raybestos brakes because they're 1/3 the price of "performance" pads, brake hard, and work reliably lap after lap on track.

More Information for RAYBESTOS EHT369H

Those may be my next brake pads.

I like dealing with Performance Friction, but I'll maybe try the Raybestos and see what happens.

 

[Caman96]

I got the Raysbestos Element3 and they did have HH friction code, but somebody recently bought them and got a GG rating. Possible they had been on the shelf awhile. If I bought them and they arrived with GG, I’d return and maybe try another seller. FWIW, I ordered mine from Home Depot online.

 

[GoToGuy]

A racing pad has extreme heat braking capabilities, ever see the hot colored rotors on racers, red Nascar's, or road racing sedans. They get really hot and brake well. That tech doesn't work for street vehicles. When ceramics and carbon first came out it was " oh great no heat fading ". The problem was until they got really warmed up cold braking was " oh shxx, stop dammit " .
Larger braking surface, premium compound, will do more for you. You can pay for top end exotics but there is benefit payback, except warm fuzzies.
Wanna know about testing carbon fiber brakes? A few oops that wasn't supposed to happen.

 

[Caman96]

I recommend EBC rotors.

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EBC Brakes RK7013 - Ultimax OE Style Smooth Vented Front Disc Brake Rotors, 2-Wheel Set

Ultimax OE Style Disc Kit; Front; For FMSI Pad No. D369; Vented; 6 Bolt Holes; 295mm Dia.; 67mm Height; 33mm Thick; 78.7mm Center Hole Dia.;

www.buybrakes.com

Paired with Raybestos Element3 pads.

 

[df2x4]

I recommend EBC rotors.

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EBC Brakes RK7013 - Ultimax OE Style Smooth Vented Front Disc Brake Rotors, 2-Wheel Set

Ultimax OE Style Disc Kit; Front; For FMSI Pad No. D369; Vented; 6 Bolt Holes; 295mm Dia.; 67mm Height; 33mm Thick; 78.7mm Center Hole Dia.;

www.buybrakes.com

Paired with Raybestos Element3 pads.

X3 for the Raybestos Element3 pads, but I can't say the same for the EBC rotors unfortunately. The EBC GD7013 dimpled/slotted rotors I had put on my Suburban warped beyond repair with less than 7K miles on them. No idea why, but I was very disappointed.

 

[Caman96]

X3 for the Raybestos Element3 pads, but I can't say the same for the EBC rotors unfortunately. The EBC GD7013 dimpled/slotted rotors I had put on my Suburban warped beyond repair with less than 7K miles on them. No idea why, but I was very disappointed.

I got the non-dimpled OE style EBC

RK7013.​

After the TWO sets of Raysbestos rotors that were both out of round & out of balance, I’ll avoid be avoiding them.