Has anyone found a brand of brake shoes that is of decent quality (but not too expensive)? I'm finding that the shoe lining is cracking and breaking up well before the lining has worn down. At first I thought this might be due to drums out-of-round or excessive heat, but I've seen it on several well-maintained cars and now I think it's low-quality shoes.

I've just been getting them from Auto Zone/Kragen/Pep Boys. This is regarding drums only; I haven't had any problems with cheapo disc brake pads. Anyone have an opinion on this?

Cheers,

Steve

1966 Dodge Dart GT

What brand shoes have you been buying?

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

That's part of my problem, I haven't been keeping track of what brand of shoes I've been using, where I got them, and which ones are falling apart.

I've been working on friends' cars in various locales, and moving around myself, and can't remember what shoes I installed on what vehicles. Now that I've settled, I'll start keeping better records. I've got discs on my personal car.

I'm wondering if there is some sort of common knowledge similar to brands of oil filters, i.e. "use Wix, don't use Fram" that applies to brake shoes. For my friend's 68 Dart maybe I'll try a different brand on each side and see how they compare. I'll check the crappy old shoes and see if there's a brand stamped on 'em.

I expect to do a few brake jobs this summer, if I come to any conclusions I'll be sure to let y'all know!

Steve

1966 Dodge Dart GT

Don't use different brands on each side, that can lead to the car pulling in one direction then the other if each set of shoes exhibits different characteristics.

I usually stick to bendix for brake shoes/pads.

Bendix, Raybestos, EIS, United and (in a pinch) Wagner.

All other mass-market pads/shoes are on my permanent "No" list.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

How about NAPA?

_________________
82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

Excellent, thanks guys!

Steve

NAPA's first-line brake range is United. I don't know or care what their "Value" (cheap crap) line is called.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

i would recommend raybestos

i would recommend raybestos

and why the &#@% would anyone make &#@% cheap brake pads/shoes!!!!!!!!! thats what I &#@% call dangerous!!!

"Cheap" pads and shoes are not inherently dangerous. When it comes to stopping ababilityyou won't find a whole lot of difference. (Yes, if we start measuring, it might be a foot or two more stopping distance, but be rereasonable.) The main difference between pads is the wear you will get from them, the amount of dust the create, their tendency to squeal, and how well they last.
At work (O'Reilly Auto) we carry Standard Brake, Brake Best, Brake Best Select, and Wagner. While I usually try to get people to stay away from the Standard's (avg <$10 for pads), I have no qualms recomending the others. Many of the people that buy parts from us could not afford to plunk down the $40 to $70 dollars it costs to buy the Wagner's, but can afford the $13-$25 dollar Brake Best. Atleast that way, they have adequate pads, instead of simply running until they have chewed the rotor to a pulp. (Which I see on a fairly regular basis)

Chris

(Oh yeah... it's worth noting that the BB Select is actually a Wagner pad in a Brake Best box, in case anybody wondered.)

If you don't mind a trip across the bay, go to Common's Auto Parts in South San Francisco and get some Raybestos brake shoes. Those shoes are inexpensive, and I've had good luck with them. Commons stocks lots of other stuff for MoPars, including some things that people seem to think are hard to find.

Whatever brand you buy, I would suggest you examine them before you buy them. I got a relined set some years ago that had the lining only glued to the shoes.

Imagine my surprise when I found that the glue they used dissolved completely in DOT3 from a small leak - the lining fell off of both shoes simultaneously.

Now I always looked for both bonded and riveted linings. Also look to see if the linings are in the right place.