DanH said:
Gotta be an improvement. Do the kinetic energy calcs and you'll see that the stock brake size has only marginal heat capacity.
DanH
Dan,
There are several other options. One is Cleveland's "upgrade kit" (upgrade kit model 199-093) for the stock brakes. ACS and Wicks both carry this kit. However, at $300, I think it's over priced. You get 2 new, thicker (.300" versus .187") rotors (rotor model 064-09900), a pair of shims to install between the halves of the stock calipers, new pads and 4 longer bolts to hold the caliper halves together.
The thicker rotors give your more heat capacity. (155,000 pounds vs 117,500 pounds) RV-6A owner Ed Anderson converted to this setup after experiencing a brake fire on his Mazda 13B powered ship. You can simply purchase the thicker rotors from Rapco (less expensive than Cleveland), fabricate the shims yourself and buy 1/8" longer bolts.
The VariEzes came with the same wheels and calipers Vans supplies, but with the thicker rotors (complete kit model 199-156). Go on the Canard Aviators List and you can buy brand new complete Cleveland wheel/bearing/brake kits in new condition for less than Vans charges. I got my stock stuff that way. I paid $300, versus Vans $540. I got over a dozen replies to my request.
LongEzes came with the same wheels, but even thicker rotors (.375") and larger calipers, (2" pistons) & larger pads. This complete setup is model 199-151. The LongEze brakes are overkill for an RV. They are rated for gross weights up to 2200 pounds.
I found a pair of new Cleveland wheels, bearings and the LongEze rotors (.375") for sale on EBay. I managed to buy them cheap ($155) because the owner had left the parts sitting in their box on a concrete floor. The outer face of both rotors had started to rust. I resurfaced the outside of these rotors (model 40-08500 .375") down to .312", which is slightly thicker than the .300" thick rotors offered in the "upgrade" kit from Cleveland. I did this to make fabrication of the caliper shims easier. At .312", my rotors are exactly 1/8" (.125") thicker than the stock 3/16" rotors supplied by Vans. This allowed me to simply use 1/8" thick aluminum sheet (6061-T6) to fabricate the shims. For less than the cost of 2 Rapco upgrade rotors, I machined these rotors down to what I wanted AND got a spare pair of wheels/bearings to boot!
Please understand that if you do what I did, that you only remove the excess width off of the outboard side of the rotors. A light "clean up" cut can be made on the inboard side. This is needed to keep the caliper centered (side to side) in the same location of the stock setup.
FYI, the Cleveland wheels are all magnesium. Use of aluminum Matco wheels will add weight. If you decide to go with the Matco, take Walt's advice on getting the magnesium wheels.
Charlie Kuss
PS For reasons I can't figure out, I've never been able to add photos on this list. If anyone wants photos, send an email directly to my listed email address, NOT a private message. I don't check private messages very often.