Rear Brake Shoes Upgrade?

Dan1950

Dan1950

1974 MK II Roadster
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In the interest of attaining the best braking performance from otherwise OEM brakes, I'm considering upgrading the rear brakes to compliment the front disc ugrades. (13mm MC from Andover Norton, SS hose, Ferodo Platinum pads, rebuild caliper with SS pistons)

I was considering the Ferodo rear brake shoes but have found mixed reviews. The RGM rear shoes with the MZ Gold seem to have a good reputation but the cost of shipping from the UK runs the price up to almost $85.

Any experience with either of these options?
 
I bought the RGM woven shoes.... but they wouldn't fit in the drum. NOT going to go through the time/hassle to machine the friction material.
Got Emgo stuff in there now, stops as well as it was designed to.
 
concours said:
I bought the RGM woven shoes.... but they wouldn't fit in the drum. NOT going to go through the time/hassle to machine the friction material.
Got Emgo stuff in there now, stops as well as it was designed to.
Click to expand...
I have the RGM high friction shoes and yes they do not fit in the drum out of the box.

But I did arc the shoes and chamfer the leading edge. I also added rivets because my experience tells me never to trust the bonding.

I now have the best rear brake in 40 years. A lot of hassle but they really do work well.
 
johnm said:
I have the RGM high friction shoes and yes they do not fit in the drum out of the box.

But I did arc the shoes and chamfer the leading edge. I also added rivets because my experience tells me never to trust the bonding.

I now have the best rear brake in 40 years. A lot of hassle but they really do work well.
Click to expand...
Mine fit out of the box. No hassles at all. Just arc'd them in with some sandpaper in the drum and all good. Much better than the Ferodo I had.
 
Dan,
I also wanted to try out the shoes from RGM but the shipping like you said was more than the price of the shoes. I put the Ferado shoes in mine and no difference between Emgo. I am trying to get some of the US parts suppliers to get them on their next orders so the shipping will be reasonable.
Mike
 
The RGM versions are a big improvement in my opinion but they do need a bit of filing to fit. Once fitted they need adjustment every 40-50 miles as they bed in during the first 2-300 miles then they are spot on. If you’re able to turn the shoes to the size of the drum you wouldn’t have the initial adjustment faff but sadly my lathe isn’t big enough.

All in all a significant improvement over the shoes that were fitted after a bit of effort.

Dave
 
In the UK, Villers brake service has got high praises .
I realise your across the pond, methinks there must be someone similar in North America.
 
I ordered the RGM High Friction MZ Gold shoes on the 11th and they were delivered UPS today. Impressive customer service.

No time to check the radius as I'm leaving town in the morning. The thickness of the linings seems to be similar to the OEM shoes. If I have too I will hand fit them to the drums. I think a trick I picked up in my travels might help with that..
 
Dan1950 said:
I ordered the RGM High Friction MZ Gold shoes on the 11th and they were delivered UPS today. Impressive customer service.

No time to check the radius as I'm leaving town in the morning. The thickness of the linings seems to be similar to the OEM shoes. If I have too I will hand fit them to the drums. I think a trick I picked up in my travels might help with that..
Click to expand...
Cut a couple pieces of 80 grit sandpaper into widths that fit in the drum. Double stick tape the sandpaper on the full interior circumference of the drum and install normally. Start the bike on the center stand and put into gear and let the wheel spin and depress the brake. Repeat a few times.

Pull the brake off and inspect the shoes. They should have sandpaper wear on the full arc of the brakes. If not, reinstall and repeat. If they do, Give everything a good clean and relube, and reinstall.

This will help with arcing and having good strong brakes from the get go.
 
gortnipper said:
Cut a couple pieces of 80 grit sandpaper into widths that fit in the drum. Double stick tape the sandpaper on the full interior circumference of the drum and install normally. Start the bike on the center stand and put into gear and let the wheel spin and depress the brake. Repeat a few times.

Pull the brake off and inspect the shoes. They should have sandpaper wear on the full arc of the brakes. If not, reinstall and repeat. If they do, Give everything a good clean and relube, and reinstall.

This will help with arcing and having good strong brakes from the get go.
Click to expand...
In the Radio Control aircraft hobby they have rolls of adhesive backed sandpaper. I think I have some around somewhere.
 
You may want to be sure not to discard the factory Norton cores, which are better quality than the Emgo blanks that most of the new parts vendors use.

If you've ever had to remove TLS factory shoes which have been frozen solid to the pivot pin of old brake plates, you'd know what I mean.
 
Dan1950 said:
In the Radio Control aircraft hobby they have rolls of adhesive backed sandpaper. I think I have some around somewhere.
Click to expand...
PSA rolls are standard consumables in the auto paint industry. For attaching to flexible sanding blocks.
 

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