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Matco brake pad issues.

Ivan Kristensen

Well Known Member
During a routine inspection and tire change I found the Matco brake pads deteriorating. There was still a fair bit of pad left before the rivets but the edges had deteriorated rather than worn thereby reducing the surface area contacting the rotor.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Here is a comparison shot showing a new one of the same type installed.
IMG_20170911_135154658-L.jpg


Here is the label of the Brake Lining Kit from Matco.
IMG_20170911_135243117-L.jpg
 
I have seen some minor nicks, chips, and small voids, but nothing like that. How do your rotors look?
 
Looks glazed

You said "Matco" but those are Rapco linings and I believe the part number is the same for Cleveland brakes. They sure look glazed like maybe they had some grease on them.

-Marc
 
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It looks like mice eating them. Joking, but I have never see that kind of erosion on disc pads in 50 yrs. I say erosion, because it is certainly not from rubbing contact with the friction surface. If it stuck to the disc, then why the erosion on the trailing edges?

Do you regularly use a parking brake after landing when all is hot? Wonder if it is sticking and ripping off chunks that are subsequently worn off. Let us know what the manufacturer has to say.
 
Perhaps they have absorbed water on cold days. The warm brakes will melt snow that then is absorbed when they cool the freezing water expands. It gets cold here in the northeast.
 
I stand corrected, I meant to say "Rapco" brake Pad.

I rarely use the parking brake and I don't do much winter flying as I take the plane to Florida for the winter months. I will contact the Mfg. to get their take on this issue as it surely can't be "normal"
 
Brake pads

Those look typical of rapco pads. We quit using them a few years ago as they didn't last very long. We switched to APS front aero in stock. They are made of a different material and last 3-4 times longer. I also talked to George at Matco at Oshkosh and the matco pads look similiar to the APS pads. Next time I need a set I'm gonna order them from Matco and give them a try. Larry v.
 
Brake Pads

While repairing a leaking brake caliper I found the Rapco pads of my left brake in a similar condition to yours after only 162 landings. I previously had Matcos but switched to Rapco due to a lack of longevity (212 landings). Looks like Matcos were better after all. Never had this issue in 20 years with a Maule.
 
My last two sets of Rapco pads looked like that and wore pre-maturely. I bought both sets at the same time. I suspect that there was a batch issue. After the first set, I paid attention to ensure that I wasn't riding the brakes.

After a couple incidents where the brakes faded when I attempted to stop, I upgraded to Matco brakes. With double the brake pad area, I now have no problems stopping as quick as I want. Only time will tell how these pads wear compared to the Rapcos.
 
Matco upgrade?

The RAPCOs were on Cleveland wheels. When you upgrade to Matco, you must use Matco wheels and brakes.

Bob, could you give a little more detail on this upgrade? Part numbers and cost would be helpful and also installation difficulties if any? Thx.
 
Bob, could you give a little more detail on this upgrade? Part numbers and cost would be helpful and also installation difficulties if any? Thx.

matcomfg.com

There is a box on the front page for the RV-10 wheels and brakes. If you have any questions, give them a call. George is more than willing to talk with folks and explain their offerings. Do allow some time to get them. They are built to order. It took about a month to get mine.

I don't recall the exact price, but I believe they were around $900 for the pair. Of course, since I upgraded during my condition inspection and my four year old tires were shot, so I also bought new tires and tubes. This bumped the total cost to about $1,500.

They are no big deal to install. You will have to drill new cotter pin holes in the axle. Also, I would purchase one size longer bolts than they specify in the manual. You also need to purchase their spacers, which are on their site, but they don't highlight that very well.

Your wheel pants will get shifted inward about 1/8" to clear the brake AN fitting. They do supply these washers. Otherwise you have to modify the wheel fairing bracket. I went with the washers.

BTW, Geoff installed them several years ago too.

I can tell you that they are much more effective than the Cleveland brakes.
 
Those look typical of rapco pads. We quit using them a few years ago as they didn't last very long. We switched to APS front aero in stock. They are made of a different material and last 3-4 times longer. I also talked to George at Matco at Oshkosh and the matco pads look similiar to the APS pads. Next time I need a set I'm gonna order them from Matco and give them a try. Larry v.

Is there a part number for aps pads to replace the rapco?
 
Brake pads

I'm sure I just told the sales guy in need 66-106 and he knew the APS number. Btw I've been using the APS and they wear 10 times better than the rapco.
 
Bob, can you clarify: Was this with Cleveland pads, Rapco pads, or both? Is the issue heat buildup (fading)?

I had Rapco pads on Cleveland wheels. The issue I encountered several times was brake fading. I don't know the root cause of the fading.

The Matco brakes have twice the pad surface area. Actually, the pads are about the same size, there are two sets on each wheel. I don't know who makes the pads for Matco.
 
Pads to thick?

I realize this thread is nearly 3 years old, but I?m having an issue replacing my brake pads on the wheel. I bought a replacement pads, Rapco RA66-105-4K brake lining kit, 4 pads each wheel. Now it seems that the pads are too thick. I cannot get the caliper housing to attach to the stationary brake plate, there isn?t enough clearance, bolts are now to short to thread into the plate. Are these the wrong replacement pads? I have the WI600XLT wheel & brake one each wheel. First time changing brakes since 2017.

John
 
Nope, problem solved.
Totally forgot about the pistons needing to be pushed back in. Thanks.
Easy to forget the simple things.

John
 
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