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Your Position: Home - Auto Brake Systems - difference of high vs low cost brake linings - Truckers Report

difference of high vs low cost brake linings - Truckers Report

Author: Sam

Jul. 14, 2025

difference of high vs low cost brake linings - Truckers Report

Most of the time the cost difference between brake linings on the same style shoe is due to the weight rating of the axle braking capacity.

The cheaper shoes will have a weight rating of 20,000 Lbs. The higher price shoes will usually have a weight capacity of 23,000 Lbs. The higher weight capacity will stop the truck faster with less applied air pressure to the braking system, but will also have a higher coefficient of friction. The higher friction capacity of the 23,000 lb shoes will wear the brake drums faster and usually means that you'll have to purchase new drums at the next brake job. I always run the 23,000 Lb brake shoe for the fact that I can stop in a shorter distance than I can with the 20,000 Lb shoes in an emergency situation. You also don't want to mix and match these shoes on the same axle...........you really don't want to mix and match them on the same truck in my opinion. The 20,000 lb shoes can be found easily on the road if you have a break down and need new shoes quickly. Most on road/on call service repair shops won't carry the 23,000 lb shoes.
There's a trade off. With better linings come increased drum wear. Something has to wear when you are dealing with friction. But the ability to handle heat is better, thus reducing glazing and fade and increased effectiveness.

According to the NHTSA and their tests, OE (original equipment) linings will out perform AM (after market) significantly.
Maintenance issues play a big role on how long they will last too. Not properly adjusted or a rough drum will wear them out quicker.

Does it say Made in China on the box?
They definitely stop faster and since I usually replace the drums anyway the added wear isn't a big deal. You can tell the difference immediately, they grab hard. But like Mr.Haney said I wouldn't mix and match, I did by accident. Put the better shoes (grade 5's i believe) on one side of an axle and abex on the rest of the trailer. The wheels with the better shoes would lock up.

If you want to do some reading this is kind of interesting. It's an "S-Cam Brake Effectiveness Comparison
Using Two Fixtures and Two Lining Types on a Single Inertia Dynamometer"
...and if the cheap shoes had enough friction to lock the brakes how exactly would more expensive shoes have helped?

Questions About Brake Shoes/lining - Page 1 | TruckingTruth Forum

So im a year in the business and i want to know more about brake violations. I have 2 questions one is when doing an inspection sometimes I notice the brake shoes/lining having a small chip(I mean CHIP not crack for my first question) or so off the side when looking at the shoes/lining. Is that considered dot violation? I know if there are cracks on the brake shoes/lining that its a violation. Are any cracks considered a violation or what do they consider violation? I looked at the fmcsa rules but would like feedback from my experienced fellow truckers. Thanks n stay safe.

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CSA:

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)

The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, . Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.

What Does The FMCSA Do?

  • Commercial Drivers' Licenses
  • Data and Analysis
  • Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • Research and Technology
  • Safety Assistance
  • Support and Information Sharing

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Heavy Duty Truck Brake Lining manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Chips or a crack will be fine as long as they are not wore thin. There is a certain % that needs to be there to remain legal. Is this your own truck, if so, replacing is pretty quick and easy. Had to replace 2 the other day and took me and another guy less than an hour. That was at the shop with the right tools of coarse.

First off DOT wont get much of a good look at cracks on the shoes surfaces. They are looking at the thickness of the shoes lining , And the push rods travel when applying the service brakes.

I asked the shop guys whats the adjustment on the slack adjusters, since back in my day, it was adjust til screw bottoms out, back it off 1/4 or a 1/2 turn, you're good. But things change, I was told "they are auto adjusting"

I laughed and said yeah and those don't always work right either!! Automatic slack adjusters ain't nothing new, they've been in use as far back as I remember in 's as have disc brakes been used on semi's (Volvo-White trash trucks at least) I loved disc brakes, could do all 4 drives in around 2 hours max without rushing even.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit heavy duty truck brake lining.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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