Air disc brakes

[Volvo8873]

I wonder how they do during the winter with the salt and corrosion? Not unusual to replace the caliper a passenger car or truck when changing brake pads because of it.

[bossboy2]

(04-10-2018 )Chamberpains Wrote:  I looked at the cost of the Caliper because I'm sure they are as prone to malfunctions like a car Caliper with the tappets and glider pins seizing. $1300 a piece, No thank you and a wheel seal every time the rotor gets worn or gets surface groves in them or warps do to violent heat changes. Seems to me that alone would take away from the fabulous change time of the pads. Also with the Bendix air disc brake system you can't inspect the push rod assembly for the brake chamber without pulling the chamber off. How are you gonna know it's getting full travel = full braking force. There is nothing to lubricate moving parts except the dirt and grime they're exposed to. That can't be good on parts.

I'm sure I could come up with more down sides that far out weigh the plus side of stopping a little quicker with 40 some thousand lbs behind you. That would be another concern of mine. How does the freight react to such stopping forces? Will it stay where it's at or end up sitting in the cab with you? I guess the argument would be keep a safe following distance. With which my response would be if I maintain a safe following distance then why do I need the ability to slide my freight over top of myself in an emergency situation?

As far as DOT loving them.... I'm really confused as to why this is a good thing. I want my officer under there groaning and complaining about my dust covers and getting dirty trying to measure the stroke and pad thickness. Hopefully that eats in to his attention span and ruins his state issued coveralls and he doesn't care to look to closely at the rest of my truck any more. Or better yet, he's already tired from doing the same thing to the 5 other trucks in front of me and doesn't even want to do a level 1 inspection.

Again, Rotor systems are great at stopping vehicles for sure. But I believe in the trucking industry they are proven to be too complicated and expensive to maintain in the long run. They are exposed to and demanded to perform 10 as much as your car. To me, that equates 10 times the risk exposure. Drum systems in trucking are the simple serviceable solution that time has proven works and the maintenance cost is pretty stable.

Disc brakes seem like they fit perfectly in the disposable truck world. Just about 400,000 miles and the engine is designed to be junk, the brake components should be seizing and need replaced, plastic cab parts are rattling apart and chasing electrical nightmares becomes the new daily task. At over $150,000 currently to replace the truck, I don't know how the Owner Op's of the future are gonna make it. But we are already seeing the push back from over engineering with the use and demand of glider kits.

Today's truck rotor systems are not selling me. I can be easily swayed into a better braking system. The main reason I purchased a truck with an ISX is because of it's incredible Engine Brake. I went from changing brakes once a year to barely touching them every other year or longer.

There's just entirely too much negativity here. Almost 700k on my truck and all I've had to do is change the pads twice. Come on, they're far better than drums.

[Chamberpains]

[/quote]
There's just entirely too much negativity here. Almost 700k on my truck and all I've had to do is change the pads twice. Come on, they're far better than drums.
[/quote]

Maybe... But then again maybe it's just the right amount to help a guy make an informed decision.

Just to add another possible upside. I do like the fact that you don't have to use them as hard and they don't hold as much heat as a drum system. Which should in turn keep oil, bearing and seals in better shape longer. I'm just not sold on them yet. Maybe this time around They'll design them properly and address most of the problems I brought up. Time will tell that for me.

[Tanker]

If you do get them and get the WABCO system, be sure to NOT spec your gear with underslung calipers. The clips that hold the pads up break meaning the pads drop onto the fork and if it goes unchecked it'll then wear through that and onto your rim and begin eating that while your blissfully driving along listening to Alan Jackson or what ever it is you do. Sure, its just a matter of checking them alot more often but its a fkn pain in the ass when youve gotta pull a whole set of wheels just to change a pesky clip. Have them positioned upright and youll be fine. Like I said earlier though, we've got heaps of them and love them.