Educate Me on Mountain Brakes

Depends on the drum. All drums are not created equal. The Chinese drive ones I got from FleetPride are only going to last 1 set of shoes. The balanced Webb ones I put on the steers were $175 each but have very little wear after 2 years or so.

 

I got mine from the dealer. Not Fakepride

 

Call Truck part specialist 706 722 5730. they are reasonable good quality parts and I dont think they ship if they do its pointless on the price matching as the weight and cost of shipping will eat your wallet

 

You probably have Q-plus 4718Q shoes. I would not downgrade, I'd even look into upgrading to 4711Q's, which are 8 5/8" wide, I don't know if they'll work with your axle though, you'd have to check. Depends on cost and availability too. Since you need drums, the cost should be reasonable and they'll last longer. Most newer trucks come with 8 5/8" shoes. If you drive through the mountains, I'd go with a 23K lining.

We convert all the 7" ones to 8 or 8 5/8" when they need drums. They extra cost of the shoes is covered by the extra life. In short, it's cheaper per mile to use more expensive brakes. We also noticed that drums last longer with the 23K lining too. With 20K lining, we usually had to replace drums every brake job. With the 23K lining, we often get 2 brake jobs per drum.

For shoes & drums, check TRP at a Kenworth or Peterbilt dealers, they are usually cheaper than parts stores. The drums are made by Webb and the shoes use Abex lining.

 

Kinda like the little O'l Lady that pee'd in the ocean, every little bit helps. Go back with the 8's at least.