What brake pads to use for Kelsey-Hayes setup?

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cudajim

cudajim

cudajim
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I have a 67 Barracuda 6 banger with a stock Kelsey-Hayes power front disc brake setup with 10" rear drums. It doesn't stop all that great, seems like the fronts are not grabbing like they should but they're way better than the original 9" drums. I now realize I need something that actually stops! BTW, the pedal feels good and is near the top so I don't think bleeding is the problem. I thought I'd try something other than cheap pads I started with so I am open to suggestions.
 
EBC yellow pads will make a huge improvement. They really bite.
 
sounds like you just did a conversion? Were the calipers used or rebuilt? if old one or both may have stuck pistons - not uncommon. Make sure all 4 are applying properly. I use regular pads on mine and have no real issues, but expectation is in the eye I guess.
 
CUDA69 said:
EBC yellow pads will make a huge improvement. They really bite.
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Alright, so I looked up the yellow pads and it looks like overkill. The car is a 6 banger and an everyday driver. I'm not racing it nor am I planning to do lots and lots of stopping. I simply want to stop like my Toyota does.
 
I used the Raybestos pads (#PGD11) from Rockauto. They worked fine for me.
 
cudajim said:
Alright, so I looked up the yellow pads and it looks like overkill. The car is a 6 banger and an everyday driver. I'm not racing it nor am I planning to do lots and lots of stopping. I simply want to stop like my Toyota does.
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Even though it may seem like overkill, they are totally worth it. My dd has the EBC redstuff pads and there is a night and day difference between the stock pads and my EBC pads. It seriously cut the stopping distance.
 
I used the ceramic pads from Summit Racing. Ceramic pads are used on a lot of new performance sedans. They have great initial bite and don't need to warm up like metallic pads. They are also much easier on the rotors, which is a concern with the K-H setup -- the rotors are relatively thin, and costly to replace. These were not particularly expensive. When I found these pads online, I bought them, even though I already had a brand-new set of Raybestos Premium pads installed. The Raybestos were OK, but the ceramics were a revelation. Lapping Willow Springs, I could late brake into turn 1 (from 110mph), and never had any fade.
 
Firm Feel has a performance set. They worked well on the street for me but got cooked up at Watkins Glen. That's when I switched to the EBC yellows and added Brake Performance slotted rotors. It works great on the OEM KH calipers.
 
mvh said:
I used the ceramic pads from Summit Racing. Ceramic pads are used on a lot of new performance sedans. They have great initial bite and don't need to warm up like metallic pads. They are also much easier on the rotors, which is a concern with the K-H setup -- the rotors are relatively thin, and costly to replace. These were not particularly expensive. When I found these pads online, I bought them, even though I already had a brand-new set of Raybestos Premium pads installed. The Raybestos were OK, but the ceramics were a revelation. Lapping Willow Springs, I could late brake into turn 1 (from 110mph), and never had any fade.
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That would make sense. I drove down about 5 miles on a mountain road and by the time I got to the bottom, my brakes were cooked. I had extreme brake fade and had to park the car for 5-10 mins to let the brakes cool down. If I don't swap to bbp before I change pads I'll look into the other pads.
 
cudajim said:
Alright, so I looked up the yellow pads and it looks like overkill. The car is a 6 banger and an everyday driver. I'm not racing it nor am I planning to do lots and lots of stopping. I simply want to stop like my Toyota does.
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Problem being its fifty year old technology will never stop like your Toyota. Without tons of money and modifications.
 
CudaJunction said:
Problem being its fifty year old technology will never stop like your Toyota. Without tons of money and modifications.
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Has brake technology changed that much since 1950's? Fastest you can stop is to brake just before the tires skid. Even 9" drum brakes can skid the tires. Next importance is if braking is balanced left to right and the rears are proportioned correctly to skid just after the fronts. Anti-lock braking is the major newer technology (~25 yrs old) that our cars don't have. It compensates for unskilled drivers who would skid when they should pump the brakes to avoid skidding. Studies show it doesn't work well in practice since many drivers are scared by the strange feel (like something is broken) and let up on the braking.

A bigger technology difference is tires. I read a recent article where special snow tires were tested against All-Season tires. The snow tires reduced stopping distance by half, which is tremendous. So if you really care, study your tires. Obviously, you can't compare old braking data on our cars measured with skinny bias-ply tires. I am sure they stop faster with modern radial tires.
 
EBC green stuff worked great on front and rear discs in my Mustang...and the dust comes off easy. I'm with Bill on the tech aspect, braking systems are largely the same, but better matched components, anti-lock, and better tires. You mentioned that they stop better than the 9" drums-when you made the conversion did you use the correct proportioning valve and master cylinder? If you're still rocking the old parts, they're not matched to the calipers...and the prop valve doesn't bias the pressure correctly for front discs
 
Update - over the weekend I installed the EBC "green stuff" pads. Wow, what a difference! They really grab and it's really noticeable. I simply changed the pads, didn't do a thing with the rotors. Now that said, the car stopped a lot faster but the rears continued to lock up on a hard stop. I took off the rear drums & shoes and noticed the shoes were wearing only near the ends so I decided to taper the ends with a mini belt sander. Anyhow, the short story is they no longer lock up, the car stops better than it ever has and it now feels safe to drive.
 
That's great. No need for bigger rotors or rear discs and spending big bucks. Now any plans for upgrading the engine, LOL.
 
did you change the proportioning valve and master cylinder when you did the conversion? also i like Bendix or Monroe for daily drivers.
 
340duster340 said:
did you change the proportioning valve and master cylinder when you did the conversion? also i like Bendix or Monroe for daily drivers.
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Yes, I changed everything! The donor car was a 68 Valiant. I grabbed the entire front end assy., power booster, master, prop valve, and more. I also changed all 3 rubber hoses, slave cylinders, rebuilt discs etc. It's now stopping well.
 
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