Uneven Brake Pad Wear

[THEFERMANATOR]

Measure the piston diameter. Theres 3 different caliper sizes that look almost the same, but they all use different pads.

 

[Big T]

I'm advising Colby to get some reman calipers at NAPA.

Question: Which calipers? 7200 lb GVW or 8600 lb GVW. These are for a K2500 4wd Suburban.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

7200 are the smallest(half ton and light duty 6 lug 2500's), 8600 is in the middle(you can use the 8600 GVWR calipers and pads on a 6 lug truck as a braking improvement. GM did this for the TAHOES used for police use), and the DRW 9,200+ are the biggest. You also have to use the appropriate pads for which caliper you go with and correct rotors(the rotors used for duallys are a 1/4" thicker than those used on single rear wheel trucks). If you're doing all of it, you can use the DRW stuff, otherwise go with the replacement stuff for 8600.

 

[Big T]

Those crusty calipers came off the '94 (his driver) that we bought to replace the wrecked '95. The '94 came from Salt Lake City we swapped rotors, bearings and calipers from the '95 to the '94. I save the rusty crusty calipers for cores. We'll just get remains from NAPA.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

If you swapped in 2500 stuff, then stick with. Mine is due for rotors again(they're warped, and nobody around here has the fixture to turn them, and since I'm under half pad with origanal calipers, I'm upgrading to DRW stuff), so I'm doing the brakes while I rebuild my front end.

 

[Big T]

Best rotors I've used are the Raybestos Advanced Technology 3000 spotters. 20K miles to and from Big Bear Lake, sea level to high summit of 7,100' and no warping.

 

[cornemuse]

Inner pads is a caliper sticking issue, outer pads is an issue with the slides, , , ,

Would this be the same for '82 - 3 - 4, PU, Sub, Blazer, (6.2 diesels)??

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Would this be the same for '82 - 3 - 4, PU, Sub, Blazer, (6.2 diesels)??

Yes

 

[JayTheCPA]

7200 are the smallest(half ton and light duty 6 lug 2500's), 8600 is in the middle. . ., and the DRW 9,200+ are the biggest.

I'm upgrading to DRW stuff . . .

For an 8,600# setup, is there any modification necessary when going from 8,600# to 9,200# (aside from caliper and rotor)? Or put another way, aside from the caliper and rotor, what does a dummy like me need to get for the shop?

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

For an 8,600# setup, is there any modification necessary when going from 8,600# to 9,200# (aside from caliper and rotor)? Or put another way, aside from the caliper and rotor, what does a dummy like me need to get for the shop?

I ordered new rotors, pads, and calipers all for a 3500 dually of the same year truck. I'll know 100% certain next week, but I see no reason it won't work as all 8 lug trucks all use the same hub bearing and knuckle. Duallys got different brakes and 3.5" wheel spacers, thats the only differences I could find scouring the parts catalogs.

 

[JayTheCPA]

I'll know 100% certain next week . . .

Impatiently waiting

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

For an 8,600# setup, is there any modification necessary when going from 8,600# to 9,200# (aside from caliper and rotor)? Or put another way, aside from the caliper and rotor, what does a dummy like me need to get for the shop?

I got the DRW stuff on tonight, and I can comfirm that the DRW stuff WILL work provided you swap over to all DRW(9200) stuff. The calipers are roughly a 1/4" wider where they go down over the rotor, so you have to use the thicker rotors with them(and the thicker rotors will not work with the SRW/8600 stuff). But I swapped over to the bigger calipers, thicker rotors, and pads, and it all bolted right on. The DRW calipers actually have MORE clamping force than the newer 01-06 HD dual piston calipers do, but they have double the friction area with the massive pads they use. Will know more tommorrow about how well they work. Going to try and do a brake sticky on what swaps to what for others thinking of upgrading.

 

[JayTheCPA]

I got the DRW stuff on tonight, and I can comfirm that the DRW stuff WILL work provided you swap over to all DRW(9200) stuff.

The flex hoses attach? Or were they replaced with ones for the 9,200#?

What are your thoughts on cryo treating the rotor?

Going to try and do a brake sticky on what swaps to what for others thinking of upgrading.

Definitely looking forward to it!

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Used my russel braided brake lines, and they atatched just fine.

 

[WarWagon]

What are your thoughts on cryo treating the rotor?

Waste of money. Just buy new rotors now and then. It didn't help on a Chevy Lumina we put them on. Specifically if you "heat treat" the rotors by getting them red hot and hold the red hot pads over a spot it still grows that ultra hard spot that will pulse the pedal. You have to creep forward after a hard stop to evenly cool the rotors. Not easy/possible to do after a panic stop and you ruin them same as regular rotors.