1 ton calipers?

[laxman21]

IDK, I ordered 1/2ton rotors. I havn't seen or read anything about using 3/4ton rotors on our trucks, and I didn't want to be the first. hehe.




Yes, technically you are correct. The pedal will travel down more on 3/4ton calipers than 1/2ton calipers....when using cheap pads. You won't like it. However, when offset by the Hawks thicker pads, you will like it. That particular combo works for me. It feels better than when I started, which is what I was after.


Honestly, I didn't find much of a difference in price in calipers sizes. A few bucks at most. The 3/4ton calipers were one of the cheapest componants. And to answer your question, Yes. IMHO it's worth it. When those Hawk pads heat up and start to grab, you can really feel it, and I actually have to back off the brake pedal. That could be the pads, could be the calipers, rotors, who knows. But I really like this combo. Makes me wish I had done this earlier.


No need to apologize man. That's what this place is about. Helping someone until they are happy with the answers.

I think that much like shocks, braking is a personal experience. We can talk about it for some time, but eventually you'll have to take the plunge and try it. And let's say that for what ever reason, you don't like it. Your only out less than $80 for a set of calipers, and an afternoon to swap the 1/2ton back in. You can reuse all your other new parts, then sell your 3/4ton set here. That's the cool part of running these trucks. Most mods can be reversed easily and cheaply if you don't like em.

---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------



Hey, I was just curious, are you in a position to measure new OEM 1/2ton pads thickness?

It will take more pedal travel to move the pads the same distance using the 3/4t calipers. The additional volume due to a larger piston requires more brake fluid. Pad thickness makes no difference in the distance the pad moves to contact the rotor.

The 3/4t pads being used have a greater surface area increasing pad contact area probably had the largest impact here.


Think of it this way, does it take longer to inflate a larger balloon with the same amount of PSI air source?


Best bang for your buck: Pads, rotors, calipers. If your lines are old, replacing them is a great upgrade.

---------- Post added at 12:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 PM ----------

I can't find the link now, but someone mentioned the 3/4 discs were the same size as our 1/2 ton, but were "thicker"


Additional Info: The discs for the K2500 (i.e 3/4) are 8 lug and I believe our 1/2 ton are 6 lug

I guess you are talking about the rotors.

There are 6 lug 3/4t. The GVW is 7200lbs on them instead of 8600lbs.



As for the size of the rotors? The 6 lug 3/4t seems to be the same as the 1/2t

 

[sparg93]

good info on the 3/4t 7200lb discs. What is the GVM on our discs?

 

[steamroller]

99Yuk is using 1/2 ton pads, mine are Wagner or Raybestos and I'm using 3/4 ton calipers with 1/2 ton pads as well. From what I understand the 2wd guys don't have the pad clearance issue with this upgrade. The difference is the same force is applied over a larger area of the pad.

Front discs do most of the stopping yes, but for guys with the 10" rear brakes upgrading to the larger 11" brakes will improve braking too. You should only need the backing plates, drums and maybe a few odds and ends on the hardware from a donor vehicle (hardware kits are cheap, but may not include every piece you need). Everything else I would replace with new parts. It would be wiser IMO to spend money on upgrading the rears as apposed to throwing a bunch of blingy high dollar parts on the fronts and leaving the rears with stock replacements in this case.

 

[99Yuk]

99Yuk is using 1/2 ton pads, mine are Wagner or Raybestos and I'm using 3/4 ton calipers with 1/2 ton pads as well. From what I understand the 2wd guys don't have the pad clearance issue with this upgrade. The difference is the same force is applied over a larger area of the pad.

Front discs do most of the stopping yes, but for guys with the 10" rear brakes upgrading to the larger 11" brakes will improve braking too. You should only need the backing plates, drums and maybe a few odds and ends on the hardware from a donor vehicle (hardware kits are cheap, but may not include every piece you need). Everything else I would replace with new parts. It would be wiser IMO to spend money on upgrading the rears as apposed to throwing a bunch of blingy high dollar parts on the fronts and leaving the rears with stock replacements in this case.

Actually, I'm running 3/4ton pads ground to size to fit the 1/2ton rotors, but the surface area is still bigger than 1/2ton pads.

 

[sparg93]

Yuk - which part of the pad did you have to grind down to make it fit?

 

[99Yuk]

Yuk - which part of the pad did you have to grind down to make it fit?

Just the inside lip that hugs the rotor and sticked out as pictured here.

The bigger set is the 3/4ton Hawks, and the smaller set is the 1/2ton old pads.

I used the grinding wheel of a bench grinder.

 

[sparg93]

Got it.

What kind of material did you use to grind that pad down?

I "assumed" that 1999 K2500 (3/4 ton) calipers were the direct replacement to my 1999 1/2 ton...did you know if the years matched up for '99 for this swap?

---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------

Any idea if you could use the 3/4 ton pad on a 6-lug 3/4 ton rotor to negate shaving the pad?

My idea is that if the 3/4 pad is hitting the hat, would it also hit the hat on a 3/4 ton rotor? Any idea which vehicle utilized a 3/4 disc that was 6-lug? (i know the 2500 burb was an 8 lug)

 

[steamroller]

Actually, I'm running 3/4ton pads ground to size to fit the 1/2ton rotors, but the surface area is still bigger than 1/2ton pads.

I misunderstood you in your thread, I thought you pulled those off and switched to cheapie 1/2 ton pads temporarily until you recieved the correct Hawk pads.

It's hard to give a good comparison between brand new brakes and old brakes but I'm satisfied with just the 3/4 ton calipers and 1/2 ton pads. The new pads by themselves didn't work as well for me. The difference is only 7/32" unlike the 1/2" on the azrockcrawlers website. I just wonder what upgrading the master cylinder to one with a larger bore would do. SSBC sells a 'firm feel' master cylinder that is supposedly just from one of the newer body style trucks with an adapter fitting, along with an inflated price. I'm surprised no one has mentioned hydroboost with all the brake talk going on, it seems to have the best results but is probably the most work.

sparg93 I believe the 6 lug rotors between the 2 are the same. Cross referencing the part #'s would be the easiest way to compare them. I saw your thread and am looking forward to some definite proof on what works and what doesn't.

 

[laxman21]

Got it.

What kind of material did you use to grind that pad down?

I "assumed" that 1999 K2500 (3/4 ton) calipers were the direct replacement to my 1999 1/2 ton...did you know if the years matched up for '99 for this swap?

---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------

Any idea if you could use the 3/4 ton pad on a 6-lug 3/4 ton rotor to negate shaving the pad?

My idea is that if the 3/4 pad is hitting the hat, would it also hit the hat on a 3/4 ton rotor? Any idea which vehicle utilized a 3/4 disc that was 6-lug? (i know the 2500 burb was an 8 lug)

The 6 lug 3/4t rotor is the same as the 1/2t. I check part numbers at AA.

Just to throw a new wrinkle into the mix, there were also 8lug 1/2t suburbans.


---------- Post added at 11:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:54 PM ----------

Front discs do most of the stopping yes, but for guys with the 10" rear brakes upgrading to the larger 11" brakes will improve braking too. You should only need the backing plates, drums and maybe a few odds and ends on the hardware from a donor vehicle (hardware kits are cheap, but may not include every piece you need). Everything else I would replace with new parts. It would be wiser IMO to spend money on upgrading the rears as apposed to throwing a bunch of blingy high dollar parts on the fronts and leaving the rears with stock replacements in this case.

FYI, the 11" brake wheel cylinders are different too.

---------- Post added at 11:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------

I misunderstood you in your thread, I thought you pulled those off and switched to cheapie 1/2 ton pads temporarily until you recieved the correct Hawk pads.

It's hard to give a good comparison between brand new brakes and old brakes but I'm satisfied with just the 3/4 ton calipers and 1/2 ton pads. The new pads by themselves didn't work as well for me. The difference is only 7/32" unlike the 1/2" on the azrockcrawlers website. I just wonder what upgrading the master cylinder to one with a larger bore would do. SSBC sells a 'firm feel' master cylinder that is supposedly just from one of the newer body style trucks with an adapter fitting, along with an inflated price. I'm surprised no one has mentioned hydroboost with all the brake talk going on, it seems to have the best results but is probably the most work.

sparg93 I believe the 6 lug rotors between the 2 are the same. Cross referencing the part #'s would be the easiest way to compare them. I saw your thread and am looking forward to some definite proof on what works and what doesn't.

The 3/4t and 1/2t master cylinder have the same part# for gm parts direct.


what I don't know is if the brake pedals are different?




Funny, I was just about to mention hydroboost.

---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:26 PM ----------

good info on the 3/4t 7200lb discs. What is the GVM on our discs?

What ever the GVW on your door sticker is. They are stout enough for a 7200gvw pickup so they should handle a tahoe.

 

[sparg93]

The 6 lug 3/4t rotor is the same as the 1/2t. I check part numbers at AA.

Just to throw a new wrinkle into the mix, there were also 8lug 1/2t suburbans.



That makes sense!! The 3/4 ton pad on the 3/4 caliper hits the top hat of the rotor on the 6 lug...i bet the 8 lug has a slightly "skinnier" top hat therefore the 3/4 ton pad doesn't rub up against it!

Interesting on the master cylinder part #.....

 

[steamroller]

FYI, the 11" brake wheel cylinders are different too.

The 3/4t and 1/2t master cylinder have the same part# for gm parts direct.
what I don't know is if the brake pedals are different?

Funny, I was just about to mention hydroboost.

Yeah the wheel cylinders would fall under the category of replacing everything else with new parts, should use the same size brake fittings so no biggie there, chances are if it's a 4wd 4 door it will already have the 11" JB6 brakes.

Compnine's website would be the best bet to check on the brake pedal part #'s but it's hard to wade through some of their stuff since it doesn't seperate all the options out individually. I believe the pedals are different for the Hydroboost trucks where the pushrod connects to the stud on the pedal, something about the stud placement being different. I'm assuming the aftermarket kits address this with an adjustable or different length pushrod.

6 lug 14 bolts also use the same shoes and wheel cylinders as the JB6 10 bolt, found this out when I was checking prices for the 14 bolt I'll eventually get swapped in.

 

[laxman21]

The 6 lug 3/4t rotor is the same as the 1/2t. I check part numbers at AA.

Just to throw a new wrinkle into the mix, there were also 8lug 1/2t suburbans.



That makes sense!! The 3/4 ton pad on the 3/4 caliper hits the top hat of the rotor on the 6 lug...i bet the 8 lug has a slightly "skinnier" top hat therefore the 3/4 ton pad doesn't rub up against it!

Interesting on the master cylinder part #.....

Or the mounting points on the 3/4t knuckle are different.

 

[bass1775]

Ukay, I'm in. What truck do I order these larger calipers from; ie, make and model? My brakes suck and I like to drive fast!

 

[sparg93]

I ordered 1999 2500 (suburban) 3/4t calipers - there are a few places online to buy them.

I'm a personal fan of AC Delco and you can find remanufactured for ~$50 - $60 each...and then you get a few bucks back if you send them your old ones.

Side note - i haven't yet received them so i'm not sure on fit...but a few folks on here did and said they fit.

 

[bpodskalny]

update : new hawk pads installed

*it should be noted that i purchased my tahoe very recently, and the previous owner had both front and rear brake pads/shoes replaced right before they traded it in. also, the stock rubber lines have 12 yrs and 150k+ mi on them, and the truck has a brake controller installed (not a sign of an easy life) brake fluid has been changed twice already*

i installed a set of hawk lts pads yesterday. resurfaced rotors and performed the pad seat procedure as per the instructions with the hawk pads. also cleaned and lubed all sliders etc (again!).

front brake performance has increased. it is impossible to say how much exactly, bc i did not measure stopping distances.

i can actually lock the front brakes up now, albeit with a huge amount of effort. this was not possible with the generic pads that i took off.

overall i am happy with the performance of the pads. in my house we dont chew pads up very quickly with the type of driving we do, so 70 bucks for a set isnt a big deal concidering that they will last for years.

i still have a lower pedal than id like. also, the odd rocking/grabbing of the brakes has not changed at all, the old lady says it actually got worse!

stainless lines still havent arrived, but i really dont expect them to remedy the problem.

going to investigate the rear drums next time its up in the air. i had to fix some misplaced and backwards hardware from the previous owner, and im wondering if i overlooked something. i will prob end up doing a complete rear hardware replacement, maybe shoes too.

will update with ss lines and rear hardware replacement. any reccomendations on high quality brake shoes would be appreciated.

---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 PM ----------

ah yes, i almost forgot. i made friends with a gm tech the other day, and hes willing to help me out with a tech2 to try and mess with the abs actuator.

i described my problems to him, and he said that hes seen some real ***** stuff happen involving the abs modules before. hafta drive to see him in the next few weeks and will report what i find/learn.