Having a great looking lowrider without a solid mechanical foundation is a recipe for disaster — especially if you have bad tires, or a worn braking system. But what’s even worse for your health is if your daily driver or hauler isn’t well maintained.
The bottom line is you have to be able to stop. A faulty braking system or bad tires can mean the difference between life and death, and it’s the one part of your car that you definitely don’t want to ignore. They say that roughly 15 percent of accidents occur because of mechanical failures so don’t get caught slipping. The simple fact is that the more you drive, the more you use your brakes and tires so it’s always important to keep a close eye on them.
For this article we decided to freshen up one of our car haulers that had worn tires and bad brakes. Now one of the upgrades which can be done are big brake kits, but if you’re looking to keep your factory brakes, but want more bite and performance then look no further than EBC Brakes. For this application we went with their drilled and slotted rotors in combination with EBC truck pads.
Their pads are British made and feature longer life, better bite and a feature called NUCAP NRS system hook technology, which offer 5 times the bond strength of conventional pads. EBC is a world-class leader and manufacturer of brake components. Unlike most China brands, EBC manufactures 90% of its rotor range in ISO and TUV approved facilities in the UK or in Italy. All of their rotors are machined and finished in the UK and in the USA. Their castings or finished rotors are manufactured with the strictest quality controls and a 100% run out and dimensional check.
GD Sport Rotors
The GD Sport rotors feature drilled and slotted directional rotors. The slots and holes in the disc proved an effective way of venting the layer of gas and dust that builds up between your pads and rotors when in heavy or repeated hard braking. These properties also help keep temperatures down, help increase prolonged pad life, and improve wet-weather performance by allowing water to escape the rotors top surface, thus increasing pad bite and driver confidence.
In addition, all USA sport rotors are slotted at the Las Vegas facility of the USA operation. They employ 14 people in our USA rotor machining facility alone and have a bank of 8 HAAS and Feeler CNC machines using the latest CNC controls and tooling for superb accuracy. On a global scale Most EBC rotors are made from British castings and 100% of these are precision machined in either the UK or the USA.
Remove & Replace
So how easy is it to install your front rotors and pads? It’s really easy if you have the proper tools and just a bit of mechanical prowess. Of course, we suggest that you only perform this job if you are mechanically inclined or if it’s done under the supervision of someone who is.
Here are the basic steps:
Once the vehicle is secured and lifted off the ground, and placed on jack-stands, remove the lug nuts and then remove the front tires. Lift the hood and pull the brake reservoir cap off so the pressure will be released when the brake piston is pulled back.
1. Loosen the pins of the caliper and take note of their position for reassembly.
2. Once you pull the caliper off, there is a piston inside which pushes the brake pads against the rotor. You will need a special tool to push the piston back. This is also why you want the cap to the brake reservoir loose, so the fluid goes easily back into the reservoir. Remove the old rotor and place on the new and improved EBC Rotor in the proper directional position.
3. See the Rotor Comparisons between the O.E and EBC Product
4. Mount back on the Caliper to begin replacing the brake pads.
5. Replace the pads and take note of the position because they are also directional.
6. See the difference in the conventional pads versus EBC Pads which include longer life, better bite and a bonding strength that is 5 times stronger
7. Reinstall all your front brake components and lets move on to the rear brakes.
8. Remove the Rear Drum and install the rear EBC Brake pads. Check all fluids and place back on the drums.
About EBC Brakes:
EBC has 14 machining centers in these two countries to manufacture these precision parts. Rotors are made from high quality grey iron to exacting standards and undergo extensive testing and rigorous quality control and are then precision machined to your chosen slot or dimple pattern.
The dimple drilled rotor was invented by EBC back in the 90’s and has been imitated by many because of its ability to offer pad degassing without “Through Drilling” disc or rotor holes which has been shown to promote rotor cracks.
The wide aperture slots on the EBC units actually draw cool air under the brake pad and rotor interface and help cool the temperatures of the pad contact which can shoot up to well over 1000 degrees at the very heart of the brake pad during heavy braking and can cause brake fade or loss of brake effect.
These “Full sweep” slots on the EBC Sport Brake rotor also help remove dirt dust debris and water from the braking area but without doubt the main benefit of such sport rotors is their ability to maintain a flat and parallel pad surface throughout the lifetime of the brake pad set.
After our easy to install and upgrade of our pick up truck hauler brake job, we went from there and decided to install a new set of Grabber HTS General Tires. We took a set of 265/70 R16’s to the local Wheel and Tire shop to have them speed balanced and mounted to our original wheels. We’re fans of this specific brand because of their Duragen ultra high strength steel belts and micro fiber casing reinforcements. The broad tire contour provides better tread wear resulting in higher mileage and confidence in even the most challenging conditions.
In addition, the fuel-efficient tire compound minimizes CO2 emissions and it also sports responsive grooves and stabilink bars, which help, enhance handling and steering response.
Before every Lowrider, there is a truck and trailer to help pull your classic from shop to shop or car shows. Make sure you always arrive safely and dependably with the right brake and tire package!
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