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RV-6 brakes

cardinalflier

Well Known Member
I have recently purchased a completed RV6 (Yes, I love it). The brakes appear to take a lot of pressure to have much affect. The pedals are firm so there is no air in the lines. Today I inspected the brakes and the pads and discs are fine. The brand is Cleveland. What are my options to get better, more effective brakes? Matco? Grove? Different brands? Thanks in advance, Bruce Estes
 
What effect are you seeking?

Yes, they are crisp and need toe pressure to command turns on the ground with the free nose wheel.
 
They may need to be re-conditioned. See Cleveland instructions.
Un-conditoned pads (e.g., glaze worn off) are very ineffective.
 
Something seems amiss...

I would like more stopping power. And, mine is a 6, not a 6a. My Cardinal and Kitfox stop much quicker than my 6

Not much technical to contribute, but I believe the -6's standard braking system is more than adequate when properly functioning. I can lock mine up easily, but have enough control to get just to edge of locking, with very very good stopping power. I try not to use it too often, but it's there when needed.

-jon
 
Do both brakes have similar braking force? The brakes on my 6A work well, but I had a fitting that was a little loose on the right side during Phase 1 testing which allowed brake fluid to leak onto one of the right side pads. Caused a lot of moaning and weaker braking on that side. John
 
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I upgraded to grove wheels and brakes at about 40 hrs. Total time. What a world of difference! I could barely stop my RV with the stock setup, now I can skid the tires.....
 
I upgraded to grove wheels and brakes at about 40 hrs. Total time. What a world of difference! I could barely stop my RV with the stock setup, now I can skid the tires.....

As already posted in this thread, there are things that can cause poor braking performance, even on good brakes.

Poorly conditioned pads is the # one cause.
Yes, poorly conditioned pads can cause you to have to push as hard as you can and still feel like the brakes are barely working.
 
Upgraded mine

There's a kit to upgrade to a thicker rotor which essentially includes a pair of thicker rotors, a spacer for the caliper, pads, bolts,and a sticker that lists the new effective part number. Spruce sells the kit...(#199-93 - IIRC).

I installed the kit on mine when I put larger tires and tubes all-around since I operate primarily from a less than optimal grass strip.
 
it sounds like the pads are glazed. this can happen when too much heat has been absorbed into the pads and glazing of the pads and rotor. probably from the previous owner riding the brakes or failing to properly seat the pads ( brake in the pads to the rotors) easy fix is to replace the pads and break the glaze from the rotor using a medium grit sand paper to LIGHTLY scuff the rotors. then seat in the new pads to the rotors. I use the method of rolling up to about 25 or 30 mph and breaking hard until almost stopped then release completely letting it roll repeating this three times connectively is usually required. then taxi back to the hanger slowly letting it roll to a stop. you will probably smell the brakes and should let them cool completely before using them again. Glazed pads and rotors will not produce the normal required friction and make the pressure required excessive. hope this helps.
 
dont overdo the break in

As they say; read and follow all instructions when it comes to the breakin process described above. On my first pad change years ago I over did the process and almost burned my plane up! Well, no actual fire, but I melted the caliper seals, and blistered the paint on my wheel fairings. Live and learn.
 
Break in for pads

Most brake pads used on the RVs are of the organic type. Break in the pads using three FIRM braking actions allowing the pads to cool between each braking action. This allows the adhesives within the pad to solidify without melting it. Metallic pads require similar actions NOT allowing the cooling time between actions. If this solution doesn't work I'd just replace the pads and start over with the break in process....the pads are inexpensive and would give you a new baseline to work with...IMHO.
 
Foot Position

I have recently purchased a completed RV6 (Yes, I love it). The brakes appear to take a lot of pressure to have much affect. The pedals are firm so there is no air in the lines. Today I inspected the brakes and the pads and discs are fine. The brand is Cleveland. What are my options to get better, more effective brakes? Matco? Grove? Different brands? Thanks in advance, Bruce Estes

Make sure that you're positioning your feet (toes) as as high on the pedals as you can when you apply the brakes. When I took transition training with Mike Seger I found the brakes on the -7 seemed very firm but took a lot of pressure to stop the plane. At some point I discovered that I simply wasn't sliding my toes up high enough on the pedals, thus I was not realizing the full leverage of them. Once I adjusted for this, the brakes felt far more effective.

Skylor
RV-8
 
Read the cleveland document on conditioning. Your rotor should be glazed and they provide good instructions for initial glazing. The same process can be done at anytime to re-condition (i.e. get the glaze back on the rotor). Continued light use can allow the glaze to wear off.

Clearly there can be other issues, like brake fluid can become impregnated and cause problems, but the best place to start is to follow the recoditioning process. If that doesn't work, then look at cleaning or replacement.

Larry
 
I bought a flying 6a a year ago and had the same problem. I upgraded to the grove wheel and brake upgrade with the double piston calipers and doubled my braking with no fade. The rotors are twice as thick as well. No need the change the masters and they bolt right up with no mods. Great way to upgrade for around 1000 bucks. Well worth the money
 
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