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tree98 · 03-17-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

Anyone have them? What's your opinion of them?

stevesparts · 03-17-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

Have them on the trailer.. they ROCK!!!! very ez to change the pads when you have to, and i love to see the disappointment on the dot officer's face when they see them:) but the down side is if you have to replace a wheel seal PITA!!! to take apart..but with all the bonus of disc i wouldn't get anything with out them... like not having to free up frozen brake's in the morning. :)

redbeard · 03-17-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

One thing to consider is parts availability. Being down a week or more for some back ordered part is no fun.

Chamberpains · 03-17-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

Warped disc's. That was the main reason they stopped using them back in the 90's shortly after they started using them. Drums are much more durable when it comes to violent heat changes. I see there is a trend of going back to them on some trucks because they do brake a lot better than drums. But I imagine they will be the new fad for awhile till they start getting problems when no one torques them down properly again. They show up every decade or so in the large commercial truck sector and soon after disappear for awhile til the lessons are forgotten again.

jti2015 · 03-23-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

(03-17-2018 )Chamberpains Wrote: Warped disc's. That was the main reason they stopped using them back in the 90's shortly after they started using them. Drums are much more durable when it comes to violent heat changes. I see there is a trend of going back to them on some trucks because they do brake a lot better than drums. But I imagine they will be the new fad for awhile till they start getting problems when no one torques them down properly again. They show up every decade or so in the large commercial truck sector and soon after disappear for awhile til the lessons are forgotten again.

Best invention made to slow down moving vehicles. Indy, NASCAR, and Formula 1 racers have them. Heavy jet planes use them. Yet the trucking industry is slow to accept them. I have them on my 2010 truck with 700,000 miles and the original pads are over 50%. I do a combo of short hauls and OTR hauls. No shoe brake has lasted that long for me.

tree98 · 03-23-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

Wonder how they hold up going off road?

dhirocz · 03-23-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

If I could swap my truck over to air discs in front, I wouldn't hesitate.

Pretty sure I could, anything is possible with enough time and money...

bossboy2 · 03-23-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

I have them on my Cascadia. I love them. But I haven't had any "mechanical issues" with them yet. Bendix pads are sold for the axle and cost appx $230.00/set. That does both sides of the axle. Don't let anyone charge you outrageous sums of money to replace them either...it takes about 30 minutes/wheel and the wheel doesn't have to be removed. If you blow a wheel seal, however, it's best to just bite the bullet and replace the pads because you'll smok'em on the downhill side. Another great advantage, it takes you from a level one inspection to a level three.

REWB · 03-24-2018, **(Subject: Air disc brakes )**

My trainers 2011 Freightliner Cascadia had a hybrid air/hydraulic disc brake system on the drives, this was back in 2015. We where out in California when the left rear axle started smoking on and off a bit, his annual inspection came up just a few days later, the shop found the whole system (after the air side) on that same axle was a mess and needed to be replaced.
I've been working on/around car's and light trucks since I was a teenager (30+ years) and even went to automotive tech school in the late 1980's but this was my first introduction to heavy truck repair. It did take 2 days just to get the part's and the final bill was well over 2K (US), it had +500K miles on it so I wasn't surprised buy the shape of the breaks and they put new pads on the rest of the drive's as well.
Improper toque and bad breaking techniques is the reason why you can get warped rotors, tighten those bolts right and at the right torque specs and if its hot outside when you come to a stop let your foot off the break and roll forward a bit to help disperse the heat.