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Who makes the best brake calipers and pads for our Suburbans?

J

jrsavoie

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Who makes the best brake calipers and pads for our Suburbans?

Who makes the best brake calipers and pads for our Suburbans?

Are AC Delco calipers the longest lasting?

Are ceramic pads worth the money?

Currently I've been using Napa premium rotors.

Are there better rotors for the money?

If I end up having to change the bearing assembly I will try the 2000 HD update.
 
I am not sure who has the best of everything.

I have just changed my caliper, I just got the reman from OReilly and it seems to be fine. Better than my old caliper which was sticking.
For the pad, I bought the AZ Ceramic Duralast Gold C-max. I am not sure if they are the best or not.
They seem to work fine.

I don't have any experience with rotor yet.

For the line, I had to replace one of them. The guy that I paid to do it (freelance mechanics), ended up bringing me to a hydraulic shop.
The part store don't have the one that is long enough (apparently the 4x4 lines is longer) in stock (they can ship it in but it will be too late).
The hydraulic shop charges about the same as the part store. I did not get the steel braided line though which I heard should be much better.
 
I just tossed in a set of Ultra-Premium Ceramix Napa Pads in my rig, and I couldn't be any happier. Stops with little effort (and I'm heavy pig). Feels fantastic.

I also don't turn rotors or drums. Just hit em with the wire wheel with my hand grinder, and slap the new pads on. Smooth as glass and stops like a champ.
 
ouch mine are original rotors. Unless you install hard lifetime pads rotors should last a long time 2 or 3 sets of pads easy I would say. What is wrong are they chattering from being warped? Warped from stopping too aggressive in stop and go driving and getting too hot??? Getting hot and splashing through puddles? Or were calipers sticking overheating rotors ???
 
I think the calipers were hanging some. The inside pad on the drivers side is wore to the steel. The passenger side is wore even but seemed tight.
I'll be replacing the flex lines and calipers.
 
I remember reading somewhere that a certain Ford dual piston caliper will bolt on in place of our single caliper. Since then I have not been able to find anything on the subject.

I recently replaced my calipers with rebuilt ones from AutoZone. I made sure the pin seals were properly installed, painted them with high-temp caliper paint, and threw them on with a set of Performance Friction Carbon Metallic brake pads. These were the premium lifetime warranty pads they offered 10 or so years ago when I originally got them and I usually swap them out before they get too bad or tear up the rotors, which has been about 3x now. They have been really good about honoring their warranty even on some half worn pads.

The brake pads work OK. The big upgrade I'm researching now is rear disk brakes and a master cylinder from a Savanah 2500 van. The larger primary bore of the Savanah MC will work the front calipers a lot better than the current MC in addition to providing proper pressure for the rear calipers.
 
SSBCs on mine now spendy but with loads I pull I want all I can get in stopping power

Have powerslot rotors and use either the SSBC pad or a good ceramic pad
 

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I was gonna Say SSBC too. I got the Rotor & Pad Upgrade on my Truck now. Gonna be doing the Calipers next.

Just the Rotors & Pads from SSBC were a good Upgrade from Stock. Especially since my Rotors were Warped when I got the Truck NEW.
 
I'd like to hear more about the SSBC brake parts. Where do you get them? Specs? how much better than stock are they? Any info you would be willing to share would be appreciated.

Don
 
Significantly better braking over stock, stopping distance was shortened I never did measure how much but much better than stock; multiple vendors sell SSBC when I got mine I bought from SSBC directly, but I think they sell through distributorships now. There is more a more even clamping force with the twin piston over the single piston, and force exerted from near the ends of the pad across whole length of the pad vs. center to outer as the OEM caliper does.

I ran that 1st with drilled rotors, and added stainless lines, then upgraded to EGR rear disc brakes after that, and slotted rotors replacing the drilled front rotors after Katrina flooding made the drilled ones rust bad.
 
Last edited:
Matt Bachand said:
I'm not a burb, but I have 143,000 on my original rotors. Perhaps its not too hard to put 3500 parts on the burb?
Click to expand...

Fancy that I was just talking to a guy from Centricparts.com that suggested that very thing.

86mm Centric caliper part number 141.66021 and 141.66022.
Could somebody cross those to AC or GM for me?

He also new about trying the 2000 HD bearing/hub assembly. The problem being with that is the lack of caliper clearance.

I'm kind of confused on how the parts match up.

It's hard to figure what parts work with what and why. Partly because the application page I used to use no longer comes up.

There is only about 1/8" clearance with our current rotors. Which are 12.5" diameter.

The Centric part number 12066042/ Wagner 126036 are about 12.8" diameter. They would crash. I checked Centric because that is the brand that came up with a part number on my search. The sizes should be good for reference.

Matt, what is the outside diameter of your 3500 rotors. I'm guessing 12.5" Let us know.

Would it be possible to order floating rotors from someplace turned 1/8" smaller diameter? Do Frozen rotors manufacture their own? Might they do customs?

Does anybody have crossable numbers for these rotors to AC, GM or another popular brand?

I don't think offset should be an issue, but i have not thoroughly investigated that yet.

No future unless I can find a working rotor/caliper combo.
 
I researched this a while back on the various GM truck forums and the recurring theme was Powerslot Rotors and Hawk LTS pads which is what I went with, with generic reman calipers. The result was very noticeable and the fronts are now braking much better than stock and I am very happy with the feel.

At this point I decided to concentrate on the rears which are now lacking in comparison so have a rear disc conversion from TSM in stock, just waiting to install it when I get a chance. Note they now make a double bracket caliper which is what I sourced just in case. The reason being that the caddy caliper with the e-brake has a smaller piston than the non e-brake and so for those that want all you can get and still keep the e-brake then you install 2 calipers one for the e-brake only and obviously a non e-brake for the hydraulic side of things.

Oh yea as I understand it EGR is supplied by TSM (The Streetrod Mftg Co).
Cheers
Nobby
 
You might try rockauto's web site to cross your part numbers. They sell centric brake parts. The also give the dimensions of the drums or rotors if you click on the part number.
Summit racing sells the ssbc brake parts and kits
 
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