Upgrade to Disc Brakes

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Please explain to me ....

hi bob i live next to the 'showmestate'...we don't think of the term as 'prove it' but...

i'm lost and confused so 'show me' how to do it, where to go and so on...

so...... first a/s hasn't used drums for 75 years....

they did use discs before the current crop, check a little...

and improved stopping by 50% or more isn't a new idea. there are many published works supporting this.

we no longer need to prove the earth isn't flat...
and for those that still believe it is.......there is not enough proof 2 convice them.


trailer life did a ford/trailer stopping test with discs 2-3 years ago...

go find it bob. there are many studies of discs that 'prove' modulation, fade and stopping distances improve.

otoh, no one is suggesting drums are junk or obsolete...so why go there?

and it is always very hard to 'justify' the incremental cost increases for lighter, faster, stronger, safer bits on most things mechanical...

going from good to better may double price and better to excellent 10x price...

while excellent to state of the art will cost even more....

but for anyone who has needed the added safety, during a panic event, of discs, abs, airbags, seatbelts, helmets, hitches or other modern safety features...

price is not an issue...

in the real world of upgrade considerations price does matter, and when one has to balance their needs vs wants or funds vs fun...

all folks are trying to do here is offer observations about the experience with a better technology...

and balance the issues for their personal needs...

cheers
2air'

[uwe]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I don't understand! Please explain to me how it is that Airstreams did quite well with drum brakes for 74 years and now all of a sudden in the 75th year drums are junk and your trailer manufactured by Airstream [with drum brakes] is not safe unless you convert a factory made trailer to disc brakes and even though you never towed with anything else, you are, or feel so much safer if you have a $3,000.00 hitch? And Prove to me and others the disc brakes stop 50% better than drums. I'm not from the Show Me state, but hear a lot of hot air! Please show me documented proof, or all said is hear-say.

Hear - say?
I am one of those that did tow with both type of braking systems. I promise that the statements are true.
You won't know until you try it. If you're happy with your drums and don't feel the need for the improved performance of the discs, then so be it. But there is no "proof" available, other than testimonials from those that have tried both, undere similar circumstances.
Perhaps Airstream has finally realized that trailer brake drums and their associated flaws ( such as inherent imbalance and tendency to fade) really have no place in what should be a world class vehicle.
Definitely no hot air, just cool brakes!

[GStephens]

Our trailer was fitted with disc brakes as an option back in 1982. I think I've seen a 1973 Excella fitted with factory discs, so the idea that discs are only a recent option for Airstream is a myth.

I agree that it is not the mountain driving where discs are needed, it is the emergency situation and in spite of what anyone says, discs do indeed stop an average of at least 40% faster, smoother and better than drum brakes. I pull some sort of trailer most every day as a rancher. Though they are different trailers with different loads, the discs are far superior to the drums in stopping ability. I can't give you the sites, but I've truthfully read various studies over the last 20 years that all indicated that in the tests cited by these studies, disc brakes stopped the trailer from 40% to almost 50% in some cases better than did the drum braking systems. If you choose to not believe those figures so be it.

Having said all that, I don't think it could have been said any better than Andy of Inland RV Center put it. Once in a while he can really put his words together. 2air's comments were also right on the money and then there are Pahaska's comments. For those of you who do not know John, he is one of the most knowledgable and unpretensious men I know. He's an engineer. He understands things from an engineering point of view as only a handful of people on this forum can. Whenever John offers advice, he's someone we all should listen to. We don't have to follow his or anyone else's advice, but we ought to recognize that here is a person with no dog in the hunt who speaks the truth and is not trying to use the information that he brings as any sort of bragging or selling point. He's only telling it like it is. For some folks, there will be nothing that anyone can ever say on this or most any other issue that will change the way they think. I'm not necessarily trying to flame anyone, it is just the way it is.
GStephens

[scottanlily]

Ok,guys

This thread has now started to take the death turn .I think we all can make
up our minds ,and yet benefit from all here on the debate .Im in favor of disc
brakes as Ive posted ,yet others don't need to feel that there rig is inferior
by reading this thread if they don't all run out tommorrow and refit their
brakes to discs .,further ,most of us have probably thought in the past that
our drum brakes were good .Andys post takes the tone that if your not doing disc ,its not safe enough ,however IM sure hes installed hundreds of drums
and loaded backing plates on airstreams for years ,don't you think ?So ,im
thinking that now the tone is going the way alot of these threads like this one ends up, us versus them .It was a good thread for awhile.

Scott

[axleman]

Originally Posted by uwe

Hear - say?
I am one of those that did tow with both type of braking systems. I promise that the statements are true.
You won't know until you try it. If you're happy with your drums and don't feel the need for the improved performance of the discs, then so be it. But there is no "proof" available, other than testimonials from those that have tried both, undere similar circumstances.
Perhaps Airstream has finally realized that trailer brake drums and their associated flaws ( such as inherent imbalance and tendency to fade) really have no place in what should be a world class vehicle.
Definitely no hot air, just cool brakes!

Actually there is proof. At Axis we did brake testing (frequently) as does Dexter and the others likely do also.

Additionally I know that Kodiak (the manufacturers of the Airstreams Disc's) have as well. The actual published number that I have seen is a 47% increase in stopping distance, with the disks outdoing the drums.

Several magazines (as mentioned by 2Air) have also done similar testing. With a little digging - or - one test drive - there will no longer be a debate.

Just two cents from a retired Axleman.

Facts are proof!

Regards,
Henry

Best Regards