Brake Rotor Suggestions for Mountain Living & Commuting in a Heavy 80 (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Nothing against anyone who buys into the 100 series pads up front of 80s, but I raise an eyebrow whenever there is any conjecture that 100 series pads improve braking performance.

I haven’t exhausted the research, and I won’t, but I have not read anything remotely scientific or empirical to prove or disprove the thought that the fractional increase in surface area of the 100 series pads improves braking performance by any discernible degree. Especially when using your butt as the barometer.

I’ll stick to 80 series pads on my 80 series cruiser. They happen to fit perfectly in conjunction with the shims.

It'd be hard to say they'd hurt either though. :meh:

I imagine, purely from a physics standpoint, that the larger surface area would improve the initial bite of normal braking. That said, the added area of the 100 pad over the 80 is closer to the interior of the brake disk where the affect of added contact area would be diminished. Secondarily added surface area would increase the amount of pressure needed to provide the same PSI on the disk rotor, so if the added surface area of the 100 pad isn't able to provide sufficient additional grip at the same PSI as the 80 pad then it would be a downgrade to run the 100 pad.

Kinda rambly but that's the way my engineering brain looks at it, and I would imagine that when its all on the table we'd probably find that the delta in stopping power between the two pads is within 5% +/- of each other, and I'm honestly not sure which way it'd fall.
 
Last edited:
Wouldn’t the 100 series pads heat the rotors beyond they’re designed temperature due to increased surface area/friction? That’s my thought on going back to 80 series pads.
 
Wouldn’t the 100 series pads heat the rotors beyond they’re designed temperature due to increased surface area/friction? That’s my thought on going back to 80 series pads.

No, not in a measurable way in this scenario. You are converting the speed (energy) of the vehicle into heat when using the brakes, the energy being shed in the equation is the same whether its 80s pads or 100's, assuming the rotors, calipers and all else was the same then the larger surface area would actually spread the heat over a larger area on the pads... so the pad would, theoretically, run a bit cooler to stop the same load but the amount of heat put in the rotor would be the same.. But again the increase in surface area of pads 100 vs 80 is so small I doubt it would make much of a measurable difference, if any.

I'm curious to try the 100 pads and see if there's anything in it but I'm not holding my breath. I also don't think I'd ever steer anyone one way or another, just personal preference. I'm guessing that since Mr.T made the 100 pads bigger the engineers figured it was an upgrade over the 80 so why not try em.
 
Last edited:
If you research 80 series 100 series pads conversion, you will find owners who experience fitment / function issues and had to go back to 80 series pads. You will also find success stories mostly with improved pad life longevity.
 
that makes sense.

Pad longevity is never a concern of mine, since I wheel so hard I usually have a hub seal or knuckle seal fail and ultimately contaminate the pads before they ever wear out. so I usually just replace them then anyway. Pads are cheap and once they get contaminated they are done so its just peace of mind.
 
There's also the inherent experience when going from worn gear to new gear (pads/rotors), regardless of series.
The new will always 'feel better', as it should.
Are the 100s better due to increased surface area?
Hard to tell without swapping in new 80 series pads too - at the same time - and getting an 'arse test result' as well.
 
How about 80 series on one side and 100 series on the other to tell which side works better?!?!?!?

Or......

80 series on the inside and 100 series on the outside and see which one wears out first?
 
How about 80 series on one side and 100 series on the other to tell which side works better?!?!?!?

Or......

80 series on the inside and 100 series on the outside and see which one wears out first?
This would confound the arse and results would be inconclusive.
 
Just thinking outside the box here… are you sure you don’t have another issue?

First thing that comes to mind is is the pin/pushrod inside the booster adjusted correctly? It may be possible that it’s very so slightly over extended, resulting in the front brakes dragging… causing excessive heat build up and warping.

Or maybe the pistons are stuck/gummed up and aren’t releasing correctly, again causing dragging.

Next time you do some work to the vehicle I’d suggest overhauling the calipers (not a hard or expensive job), and maybe next time you get a chance drive the car at highway speeds without using the brakes (do it carefully), pull over and see what temperature the rotors are at back and front. If you have heat without using the brakes, you might have the pads dragging.
 
Or maybe the pistons are stuck/gummed up and aren’t releasing correctly, again causing dragging.

This is a pretty common issue, I just replaced the calipers on my Camry for the same reason. The weather boot had broken loose from the caliper and was allowing the elements to get into the piston. Look how corroded it was! This resulted in a dragging brake

IMG_9616...jpg
 
DBA rotors and DBA Orange pads front and rear on my heavy 80. Work great; higher temp range than OEM, better cooling than OEM and slotted to allow the pads to degas and reduce debris build up.

EBC slotted rotors with EBC Blue Stuff pads on the wheeler. Significant increase in braking performance, though not as stout of a rotor as the DBAs (also a lot lighter). Dusty, but performs well when cooked (much less brake fade). Glad I have black wheels. Cheaper than the DBA set up.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom