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Brake pads

066-106 are the standard Cub pad. Cleveland or Grove pads are way better than the Rapco pads.
 
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066-106 are the standard Cub pad. Cleveland or Grove pads are way better than the Rapco pads.
Steve, reason? Longer service life? What about discs? Any experience with APS "Black Steel?" Not arguing, just trying to understand. In my main operating environment, corrosion is no issue, but it's a fairly abrasive environment.

Thanks. cubscout
 
I haven't used Rapco for a very long time. There was some guy selling unapproved brake pads through Spruce for something like a buck each. A brake pad manufacturer bought him out and tripled the price.

Not sure if Grove pads are just purchased or made locally, but they are all I use. Saves big bucks. Last about two years of daily flying on a small Cub.

Oh - the difference is usually the # of rivets. Not sure why they did that.
 
Steve, reason? Longer service life? What about discs? Any experience with APS "Black Steel?" Not arguing, just trying to understand. In my main operating environment, corrosion is no issue, but it's a fairly abrasive environment.

Thanks. cubscout

I talk to Robie Grove at Sun & Fun, Oshkosh and sometimes on the phone if I have a qustion about something. I was replacing the brake pads on a Carbon Cub recently which has Grove brakes. I noticed the pads were the same shape as Clevelands and called him to ask the difference in his pads and Cleveland's or the Rapco's I keep in stock. He told me that when they did their TSO testing they could not get a set of Rapco pads to last through the testing, they would wear out too fast. The Cleveland and now Grove pads make it through without wearing out before the test is complete. I also remember Greg Miller making brake pads that were very good and did not wear fast so I have started using the Grove pads which are PMA'd.
 
The "experimental only" brake pads were from Barry Jay, I bought a set or two of them years ago.
As I recall, Rapco's were half the price of Clevelands, and Jay Barry pads were half the price of Rapcos.
They seemed to hold up OK.
Scuttlebutt is that Aircraft Spruce bought out Barry Jay, and discontinued their brake pads.
FWIW I just found an old post I made here back in 2008:

"FWIW, I've got double-pucks on my 170. I have run both Cleveland & Rapco brake pads in the past. p/n 66-105. Had similar results with braking action (good), wear (OK) and lining dust (lots). Last time around, I bought a set of the "Barry Jay" brake pads that Aircraft Spruce sells: "not faa/pma,experimental use only". Brakes work fine, they're wearing like iron, and very little to no dust around the brake area.
Current Spruce pricing for 8 pads:
Clevelands $82.40
Rapco $44.95
Barry Jay $18.95
Seems like a win/win to me."


I bought an 8-pack of Rapco 66-105 pads recently from Spruce, cost about $50.
Their catalog price for a 4-pack of Cleveland 66-105's is $40-- so about 60% higher than Rapcos.
Do they give 60% longer life? Maybe, maybe not.

I see Grove sells 66-105 pads, $34 for a 4-pack.
So 36% more than Rapco's.

http://www.groveaircraft.com/brakepads.html
 
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