Slow Your Tow: SSBC Brake Upgrade

While the brakes on your truck are good from the factory, they often are not great for all of your driving needs. Like all components on a vehicle, your factory brake system is engineered with more than one goal in mind. Your brakes must stop your truck, last a given length of time in service, and not cost overly much for the manufacturer. Stock brakes are fine for stock trucks, working below the max load and/or tow capacity. However, if you plan to routinely use your rig to haul heavy loads, tow big trailers or just drive with a heavy foot from light to light, you’ve likely noticed a need for increased braking capability.

The V8 caliper from SSBC is seen here in bright red. The installation photos show it in black. You can order your calipers in several colors of powder coat; some colors are available through special order.

The answer to bigger and better brakes is found in the aftermarket parts realm. Aftermarket companies can and do offer better braking options for a wide variety of trucks and cars. Stainless Steel Brakes is one of the premier makers of aftermarket brake upgrades for a wide range of vehicles. We recently had the chance to follow along on the installation of an SSBC brake upgrade on a 2002 Ford F-350 Super Duty. This workhorse pickup has been used the world over and the owner of this particular truck uses his Super Duty for both work and play. The recent purchase of a large fifth-wheel travel trailer is what brought about the decision to upgrade to better brakes. Without them, he felt that this large trailer might be the tail that wagged the dog. We’ve been told that after the SSBC upgrade, he wishes the decision to upgrade was made sooner. Stopping in all conditions is now shorter, smoother and more controlled than with the old stock setup at the best of times.

1. As with most truck upgrades, the stock parts are removed first. Here you see the stock front caliper and pads coming off.

2. The OEM brake calipers are a two-piston floating design. This is a good setup for stock trucks, but braking can be vastly improved with the right aftermarket parts.

3. The new SSBC Big Bite rotors for this installation are drilled, slotted and plated. The plating helps keep rust at bay, providing a nice look through your open-spoke aftermarket wheels.

4. The stock OEM brake rotor is seen on the left and the new SSBC rotor is on the right.

5. Here you can see the four pistons on one side of the SSBC V8 brake caliper. The V8 name is due to the fact that his piston has eight pistons, four on each side. The fixed caliper provides more braking pressure, a more even pressure distribution, and it uses less pedal travel to do it.

6. The V8 caliper pistons are 40mm in diameter. Multiplied by eight, that’s 320mm of piston pushing on your brake pads for each caliper. Combined with the increase in pad size, you gain about 29 percent more clamping area and a more even distribution force. Simply put, better braking.

This installation was done at Domestic Diesel in Chino, California. While it’s quite simple to install the SSBC brake upgrade kit, the Domestic Diesel crew has a few tips for us to pass on, and if you’re not a DIY type, a good local specialty shop is your best option for a custom upgrade. You can bet the corner tire store isn’t used to much more than replacing worn-out brake pads.

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[divider]BRAKE TRAVEL AND ROTOR DESIGN 101[/divider]

Our SSBC brake upgrade consisted of a V8 Quick Change aluminum caliper kit for the front, along with Big Bite brake pads front and rear. The Quick Change calipers are the fixed-position type, as opposed to the stock floating caliper design. The advantage of the V8 Quick Change is that they have a 50/50 ratio of movement to pressure application versus the OEM caliper ratio of 60/40 or even 70/30. This is simply the amount of pedal travel that’s used for caliper and piston travel before engaging the pad and before the pad engages the rotor face, as well as the amount of pedal travel used to apply pad pressure to the rotors. Simply put, more of your pedal travel and foot pressure goes to braking rather than just getting the pads into position before braking begins. The result is a firmer pedal, better brake feel, improved stopping and longer pad life.

Here we see both slotted brake rotors (bottom) and slotted and cross-drilled (top). You’ll notice that the rotors are side specific. This is due to the rotation of the rotors being opposite depending on the mounting side. Don’t put them on the wrong side as it will degrade braking performance.

The brake rotors installed were Big Bite drilled and slotted units. SSBC also offers rotors that are just slotted. The difference is that the slotted and drilled rotors are better at moving road dirt and the gasses generated from braking friction off the rotor face. This helps with the braking, but the downside is that it removes mass from the rotor. The greater the mass of a rotor, the better it dissipates heat. Interestingly, the amount of carbon in the steel is also in the equation. More carbon means more heat dissipation as well as a longer-wearing rotor and better pad grip

Under very extreme braking conditions, a rotor with slots only offers better braking than a slotted and cross-drilled one. This is due to the slight reduction in mass and the added heat extreme braking imparts to the rotors. In dirt and muck, the slotted and cross-drilled rotor has the upper hand; as they clean better and, with this type of use, usually don’t encounter heavy brake action. They look cooler too. Note: SSBC is developing a new high-carbon brake rotor for their line. It should be available later this year. DW