Performance brake SHOES?

[volkswagen50]

Who makes a good brand of performance brake shoes for the super beetle? Ihave to run drums to stay in stock class so what's the best? I'm autocrossing the car. Stock 73 super. Thanks.

[Jadewombat]

Who makes a good brand of performance brake shoes for the super beetle? Ihave to run drums to stay in stock class so what's the best? I'm autocrossing the car. Stock 73 super. Thanks.

The offroaders would know best, Class 9 and 11 allow only drum brakes and there are more aggressive shoes but they tear up the drums pretty good, too.

[ericsbracer]

I ran what the offroaders called 'woven' shoes on my 64 Ghia vintage racer. To be honest, the additional stopping power wasn't worth replacing drums Every Weekend. I destroyed a set if german front drums in about 100 miles. I also found that using the cheaper brazilian (and rarely 'square') replacements just sped up the wear, not to mention made any out-of-round vibrations that much worse....

I'd look into what type of material the Formula Vee guys are using, like carbotech, and I know there are a couple others.

[volkswagen50]

I wonder if I'm autocrossing I only go about3-4 miles a meet, if that. So I could get about 2 years out of the drums at that rate. i trailer the car(or flat tow) and don't drive it otherwise.Thanks Guys.

[seahag]

I have the semi-metallic shoes on my Manx. Right now only the rears are installed because the braking on the front is great with stock shoes. I fear that with front metallics, the might be a tendency for the fronts to lock up. Right now when I apply the brakes hard, the car makes a nice qiuck even squat stop. So far so good.

[Bugorsh]

The semi metallics will give you the best of both worlds, stock drum classification and good stopping power. Not quite as good as the wire woven shoes but much gentler on the drums, the semi mets also won't fade as bad as the stock organic shoes.

[helowrench]

seahag,
where did you get the semi-metallic's
and maybe a pn if possible.

Thanks
Rob

[rhaynes]

http://www.lreracing.com/

Here is a source for the front brake shoes we use in Formula Vee.
Bear in mind that what we use are brake shoes thatn fit a 1965 Beetle 5-lug drum.
Not sure if this is the same as a later Beetle/Super Beetle.
Carbotech, who is the manufacturer, may be able to make some special.
They work.

[stealth67vw]

McKenzie's Offroad sells semi metallic shoes. They are in Anaheim, Ca in the same complex as Rancho Transaxles. You may also try www.aircooled.net

[Plastermaster]

Satisfied makes ceramic shoes. From what I gather they are better against fade and have a higher friction coefficient than semi metallics. You can get the info on them from http://www.tirerack.com

Ron

[Marc]

I have mine relined at a local brake/clutch specialist shop. Not cheap, but they also have the equipment (rare these days) to radius-grind the linings to match the drums properly - the failure to do that is what dooms most drum-brake setups to second-rate stature, done right they'll perform nearly as well as disks. Runs ~$120 per axle to turn/reline/arc.

[Plastermaster]

I have to question how important it is to do the radius grind. (But I question as a humble ignoramous) It seems to me the shoes are only going to be a few thous out if the drums are in spec. That amount of fit is going to wear in in a short time I would think. Also while I am having questions, How even is the pressure between shoe and drum. It seems that the wheel cylinder ends of the shoe make the most pressure while the star adjustment end is going to have less. Now if the shoe radius is off, is there not some degree of flex in the shoe? Again just a few thousandths.

Ron

[Marc]

The difference is HUGE. Sure, you can hang out-of-the box shoes and wait for them to wear in, after three or four adjustments and 5 or 10 thousand miles of use they'll be nearly as good as properly-radiused linings are after one trip around the block. They'll also be worn heavily at one end and hardly at all at the other (it's the self-energizing effect caused by the drum rotation, not any difference in applied force at the ends, that causes that). Since volkswagen50 will never put enough miles on his for them to wear in, it'd be well worth it for him to find someone who can arc them for him.

[Marc]

...Here is a source for the front brake shoes we use in Formula Vee...Not sure if this is the same as a later Beetle/Super Beetle...

The fronts are the same on all Standard Beetles from `65-up (actually the `58-`64 front shoe is nearly identical, it just lacks the angled end to correspond with the later adjuster slot). The Super takes a larger-diameter, wider shoe (Super front drum brakes were developed from Type III). The pre`68 rear shoes were skinnier than the later Super/Standard stuff (again they come in two versions, `58-`64 and `65-`67, which can be interchanged provided the correct adjusters are used).

[Plastermaster]

Marc, If it takes that long to wear in properly, it sounds like it would be worth it to have them radiused. Of the price you mentioned, how much of that was for the linings and how much for the radiusing?

Thanks,
Ron