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Old 03-07-2020, 11:00 AM   #1
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Brake upgrades

My van is a 2005 SMB conversion 4WD EB50. It will need tires (and pads) soon so I am thinking of upgrading the brakes to something larger at same time (since I could then do 17" wheels at same time as tires).


After doing a bunch of searching here it looks like the option in the thread linked below is as "ready to go" / part availability and such as possible...
https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...rade-5933.html


I currently have 2005 SMB sized brakes but with "The Brake Man" treated rotors and pads which made a noticeable, but not a major, benefit. Like is often posted here they improve fade resistance more than anything, w some gain in stopping force.
I have been in contact w "The Brake Man" and they no longer offer the full upgrade (larger rotor/caliper) kit.

Can anyone comment if they have gone to the larger 2008 and later SMB solution like is in the above linked thread and possibly how much improvement they found?

Or, if there are any other solutions to suggest.

Thanks!

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Old 03-07-2020, 12:27 PM   #2
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Just going through this myself - you are right in that Brakeman is no longer providing the bigger rotors (had them in the phone two weeks ago), but they will rebuild the calipers if you ship them.
Problem with the Brakeman rotors is they were already too small - 20% of my pads hung over the edge of the rotors they offered with the system (they would just grind down the edge of the pads), consequently the calipers (when engaged) were not providing direct pressure (actually causing the pads to to grip with a little of an angle) so you were not getting the benefit of the system.
My Van is in the shop awaiting the rebuilt Calipers & the Shop has already located new & larger rotors (heat treated and performance oriented) that they’ll be installing. Should happen sometime this coming week.
If you want to hold on for about a week, I can provide an update on what significance the change has made, and provide the Size & Manufacturer of the new rotors.
Not sure if you were aware, but they encourage the Brakeman calipers to be rebuilt every 3-4 years.
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Old 03-07-2020, 01:53 PM   #3
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Hi Twoxentric, I am very interested in your upgrade. Looking forward to hearing. Thank you, Joe-Futrmobl
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Old 03-07-2020, 04:19 PM   #4
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TwoXentrix,
Thanks for the reply and offer to share info.
I am not quite clear but do you mean you have the full TBM setup...their rotor and caliper kit they used to offer, or current SMB/Dynatrac setup like "oldbonesclimbers" describes in the post I cited, or some other setup?


And either way I definitely appreciate and and all feedback / advice to get this as right as possible, including just feedback to know that going to larger, whether "brand x" or "y" is going to make a worthwhile difference is helpful since it's a big investment.
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Old 03-07-2020, 07:14 PM   #5
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rarace, I have the original TBM setup, I actually purchased new rotors from them 2 years ago (identical to the ones that came with the system back in 2006) & had the calipers rebuilt at the same time. Until now, I wasn't aware of the issues with that set-up so have my hopes up this "fix" will surprise me (a $2K gamble!).
The group currently working on the Van showed me the problem. They have a company they purchase "special" rotors from for Trucks & Vans they either race themselves, or customers willing to pay the price. The rotor they decided on is larger, so the combination i'm told will reflect a considerably benefit.

I went this route since I havent found anyone on the East Coast that shows any interest in changing everything over to the OEM 2008+ upgrade. If this change doesn't satisfy me, I'll be looking for someone farther West to do the swap - I'll just end out spending more $$$ for the trip to & from, but I'm committed to getting something I'm satisfied with.

I'll post my opinion of the results after I get the Van back.
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Old 03-07-2020, 09:42 PM   #6
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That is actually quite surprising that TBM would offer a kit that didn't match the rotor to pad and didn't work to max efficiency. First I've heard of any kind of prob with them.

I think I have read here that they are particular in their maintenance needs, so that is a potential turn off even if they were still avail.

I would be interested in what you learn about the rotors / how the new ones perform since I was entertaining the idea of doing the 2008 Dynatrac/SMB rotors treated or etc by someone like TBM to add to the effectiveness.

It is looking to me like the upgrade to 2008 and later Dynatrac/SMB is simplest way to go and still be quite effective.

As for your interest in converting to 2008 SMB/Dynatrac from oldbonesclimber's post I linked above it seems it is pretty much just call Dynatrac and get parts and any shop that can work on these could install. Peter at SMB said something similar. I am waiting to verify with Dynatrac next.

Thanks!
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Old 03-08-2020, 07:46 AM   #7
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^^^^ If you ever purchased the replacement pads from TBM and had a brake squealing noise develop, its because the pad extends beyond the edge of the rotor. You can resolve the noise (as they did) by grinding an angle on the outer edge of the pad.
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Old 03-08-2020, 09:44 AM   #8
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btw, did you chose 17x8 or 17x9 wheels when up-sizing? looks like "Mickey Thompson Classic III". Look great on your van and I plan to stick with the orig style either in new set of the American AR172 Bajas those, ProComp Series 69 or the Mickey Thompsons.

I've been running 315/75/16, currently BFG AT K/O II and likely will stick with those but go 315/70/17 to try to keep dimensions, esp diameter. I've read here that either 8 or 9 should work, and the tire specs indicate either is in spec so it's prob non issue, incl the minor backspacing differences between the wheel sizes and models.
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Old 03-08-2020, 12:06 PM   #9
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17x9 Pro Comp Alloys w/Toyo 35x12.5x17 MT's. Van peeks at 11.7K lbs when fully loaded, so i stick with E Series that have a high load limit - Toyo MT's max load range are somewhere around 3600, where most others max around 3200...I'm just more comfortable with the higher number....and have been running the MT's for couple decades with no issues (knocking on wood as I type this in hopes I dont jinx that).
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Old 04-14-2020, 01:31 PM   #10
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As promiced in an earlier Post, Finally finished the brake upgrades and providing the results (listed this under another Thread as well, but thought it might help someone reviewing this Thread):

The Brake system on the Van always had me somewhat concerned: When built by Sportsmobile, the Van had the Big Man Brake upgrade installed, and as recommended I had the Calipers removed and sent back to CA to be rebuilt. Shop doing the work discovered the Rotors are actually too small for the set-up, so also replaced the Rotors with larger Wilwood Rotors (SV-GT 72 Spc-37-RH-BLK 14.25X1.25 160-9787-GTB) ...unfortunately still as expensive as the Brake Man rotors…Hell, since they were deep into this I decided not to stop there, had them change the vacuum brake system to Hydro Boost (Every hose, tube, and pipe assembly & bracket replaced, along with a larger cooler installed); collectively these upgrades made a HUGE improvement on braking! (Worth every $$$ invested)

***UNFORTUNATELY, Because i had all this accomplished at once, I cant say how much the larger Rotors compliments the Brake system on its own.
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