Truck/SUV/Jeep
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Article: Stopping Power Magazine: 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility (January 2001) SSBC product: Front and rear disc brake kits |
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| Stainless Steel's Go on Our Rock Wrangler. In the last two issues (Sep. and Nov. 2000) of our Rock Wrangler series, we've covered the addition of a V-8 Chevy for more power, lower gearing for a better crawl ratio, suspension, and larger tires for better trailability. Now it's time to make sure this YJ can stop. Sure, stock brakes are fine with stock tires and gearing on a moderate trail, but add the torque of a V-8, the low gearing of an Atlas T-case, and 35-inch tires, and they leave a lot to be desired, especially on extreme trails. A true rock rig will be used in places where the brakes must work or you'd better go home. The danger of sliding off a rock is very real, and bad brakes can be downright frightening. The trouble is that Jeep didn't offer bigger brakes for the Wrangler. Not to worry, Stainless Steel Brakes is there to save the day ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Jake Brake Magazine: Chevy High Performance (December 2005) SSBC product: Front kit A126-37 and rear kit A126-38 |
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| More Braking Torque & 14-inch Discs For The Silverado You open it up, so you better be able to lay it down with a force commensurate to the power. You're looking for a balance between that power, the way it translates to the road, and how it can be controlled. For two months we've been fortifying the suspension and upping the adhesion rate of the tires. This time we'll be increasing the brake-swept area as well as the amount of pressure applied to it... These big brakes bite badass. Before the swap, it was like you knew that they were working but taking their own sweet time. Now, the brakes feel like grappling hooks grown in cement ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: The Big Brake-Up! Part II Magazine: Classic Trucks (July 2005) SSBC product: Force 10 front disc brake kit A126-26 |
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| Installing SSBC's Force 10 front disc kit, Wheel Vintiques Billet Smoothies, and Yokohama Rubber In our April ’05 issue, we showed the detailed installation of Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation’s rear disc brake kit on our own Project “not so” Old School, including changing out the axles to five-lug units. This month we’re installing the Force 10 Extreme four-piston front disc brake kit to the front end. Besides the caliper and rotor, the SSBC Force 10 kit includes a machined drop spindle, ball joints, tie rod ends, and all of the other necessary hardware to make for a smooth installation. We ordered our calipers with the optional black powdercoating to go with the Turbo-slotted and Xtra-life-plated 13-inch rotors ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: The Big Brake-Up! Part I Magazine: Classic Trucks (April 2005) SSBC product: Standard rear drum to disc conversion kit A126-1 |
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| Part I: Installing a Five-Lug Rear Disc-Brake Conversion From Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation. Admittedly, the vast majority of classic truck owners convert to disc brakes in the rear for one reason and one reason only: to get rid of the unsightly drums and replace them with something that looks similar to the front when looking between the spokes. But have you ever thought about all of the other advantages there are to adding rear disc brakes to your truck? Front brakes can only do so much. Most rear drums do very little for stopping power, which is usually why a set of rear shoes will last two to three times longer than the front pads. By adding rear disc brakes, you can add as much as 30 percent more brake force to your braking system. Disc brakes offer a number of advantages over drum brakes ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Big Rig Wheels and Big Brake Kits Magazine: Diesel Builder (June 2008) SSBC product: Front Quick Change kit A193-1 and Big Bite cross drilled rotors |
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| Making the Right Choice for Your Diesel Dualie Has Never Been Easier Have you noticed HOW many feature trucks you see here and on the road today are running huge 10-lug wheels with monster-sized brake calipers and drilled or slotted rotors tucked neatly inside them? Not very long ago if you wanted such a setup—the swap to 10-lug wheels—it required that you have a custom set of one-off wheel adapters machined, then you had to locate the right set of attractive semi-truck wheels. If you then wanted to upgrade the braking capability of your rig, you were pretty much on your own as well. Times have changed my friends, and for the better we might add, as companies like American Force Wheels and Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation have now made this once one-off chore a relatively easy upgrade for big diesel trucks. We’ve been thinking about giving our 2WD ’00 Ford F-350 dualie just such an upgrade, so that we too could experience the benefits of these “big truck” mods... The brake wizards over at Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC) have released a massive front brake caliper designed for the rigorous demands of diesel trucks. The new caliper is the SSBC Force 10 V8 and as the name implies, it is an eight-piston braking machine. Seeing these calipers in person is awe-inspiring, and we can’t wait to bolt them onto our Ford. It is easy to see that these monster-sized calipers are not simple eye candy; they are serious binders with very serious stopping power. In addition to the new SSBC Force 10 V8 front calipers, we also plan to install new SSBC Big Bite brake rotors on both the front and rear of the truck. The front rotors are huge and make up the complete hub assembly including the anti-lock braking ring and bearing races. Each front rotor is cast from high-quality materials and machined to exact tolerances ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Whoa Baby! Magazine: Diesel Power (October 2005) SSBC product: Front Quick Change kit A187-4 |
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| Improving stopping power with Stainless Steel Brakes. You probably bought your diesel truck for hauling, but what about halting? After all, if you're planning to tow some heavy loads with that diesel powerplant, there's a truck-load-literally! - of mass and inertia that you'll have to bring to a stop. So, the last thing you'd want in that situation are some clapped-out calipers or overheated rotors that have faded as badly as an old newspaper. That is where Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC) can make a big difference ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: The Roadie Magazine: Diesel Power (August 2005) SSBC product: Front Quick Change kit A187-4 and custom GMC 3500 tow vehicle |
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| Stop-and-Go Driving in Stainless Steel Brakes' Long-Haul Diesel Dualie. Fans of singer Jackson Browne will no doubt recall his ode to the backstage crew, "The Load-Out," in which he pays to tribute to all their hard work in getting him from gig to gig: "Now roll them cases out and lift them amps, Haul them trusses down and get 'em up them ramps." Many a diesel truck qualifies as a roadie's rig, a brawny hauler that's the unsung hero of any operation that has to transport heavy trailers miles and miles. This charcoal-gray '03 GMC Sierra K3500 Crew Cab dualie used by Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC) is a good example. It tows the company's 5,000-pound Exiss trailer, usually packed with products and a show car—about 14,000 pounds when fully loaded. "We put 60,000 miles on that truck last year hauling our 40-trailer trailer," notes SSBC's Donnie Woolard. "I had absolutely no problems ever in stopping the rig running coast to coast about six times in 19 months." That sort of long-haul durability shouldn't come as a surprise to diesel enthusiasts, but the SSBC tow truck is not just some plow horse pulling a load of brake discs and four-piston calipers. That's because owner Mike Jonas is a car guy, as well as a brake manufacturer, and he likes customizing street rods, musclecars, and even the truck that tows his 40-foot trailer ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Quick Change Magazine: Diesel World (November 2006) SSBC product: Quick Change kit A187-4 |
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| Installing a Set of Stainless Steel Brakes on a Duramax Diesel It's one of those things that gets easily overlooked; you get some 37-inch tall tires wrapping some 22s, bolt them up to your super heavy Duramax with the Allison tranny, and next thing you know you're sliding through an intersection. The problem? Stock brakes... SSBC has an easy fix to this problem. They have a kit out now for the '99-2006 Chevy Duramax that upgrades the size of your rotors and calipers, while still using the factory spindles and hardware. The front calipers are a quick-change style, and made out of aluminum. The calipers are the Short Stop slotted rotor upgrade kit, and both of these can be used with factory rims and tires ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: V-8 Calipers Install - Getting Your Big Brake Magazine: Ford Truck Performance (June 2006) SSBC product: Quick Change kit A193-1 |
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| Installing Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation's Quick Change Force 10 V-8 calipers. Like their automobile brethren, truckers seek horsepower, and thanks to the aftermarket, it is easy to find computer tuners, power adders, exhaust systems, and even chassis and suspension kits to boost performance. Power seems to be the mainstay of the market, especially with diesel engines, but there are other important parts to consider--such as braking... Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation has addressed this important issue with the introduction of its Quick Change Force 10 V-8 brake calipers, designed to improve braking by simply bolting in place of existing calipers on any '99-'04 F-250 or F-350 (2WD or 4WD) Super Duty trucks... Our 7.3 diesel got us going in prime fashion, and we're glad to say the SSBC brakes performed better than we expected, even with the trailer hooked up. We found less pedal effort was needed to stop, and we were able to reduce the gain on the trailer brakes ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Brake Dancing Magazine: Four Wheeler (May 2006) SSBC product: Front Quick Change kit A186-1 and rear conversion kit A126-4 |
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| Bigger, better brakes for our Tahoe. Finally. Right out of the box, our 1999 Chevy Tahoe never had very good brakes. Unfortunately, their performance degraded even further once we added 35-inch tires and a 6-inch suspension lift ("Miraculous Makeover," Sept. 2004). As a matter of fact, we felt they were totally unacceptable. In an effort to counter this problem, we installed a rear disc-brake kit and Firm Feel master cylinder from Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation... Results? Well, the numbers tell the tale. Before the SSBC front and rear brake upgrade, our Tahoe averaged a scary 187 feet to stop from 60 mph. After the upgrade, it only took 166.5 feet to stop from 60 mph on average. This improvement of 20.5 feet makes us very happy, and our knuckles are starting to get their color back ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: SSBC Rear Disc Upgrade Magazine: Four Wheeler (November 2004) SSBC product: Standard rear disc brake conversion kit |
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| Dump the Drums. If you're like us, your rig is older, and this means it probably sports rear drum brakes. Sure, they work OK, but the reality is that they suffer from some inherent flaws. Most notably, they're heavy, they retain heat and they lose some stopping ability when they get wet. This is why modern disc brakes are so desirable. They're lighter than a comparable drum brake, they dissipate heat far better and they retain their effectiveness even when wet... Enter Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation, which makes rear disc-brake upgrade kits for a number of trucks and SUVs. In most cases these kits are designed to simply bolt in place of the stock drums. The company also makes brake kits that allow you to fit larger disc brakes under your disc-brake-equipped vehicle... We completed this driveway install in about four hours. After the pads and rotors broke in and we coaxed the last of the air from the brake lines, we're pleased to report that braking has improved ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Stop It Down Magazine: Petersen's 4 Wheel & Off-Road (July 2005) SSBC product: Rear drum to disc brake conversion kit A118 |
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| Adding rear disc brakes for positive negative acceleration One of the most mundane, yet important, areas of safety is the brakes. If you’re now running around on tires as tall as some cars, the trickle-down effect takes over. The big tires are probably double (or more!) the weight of the originals. Stronger axles to handle those big tires also add weight. The suspension lift to fit those tires affects weight transfer by raising the truck’s center of gravity. And then there’s the performance hit created by the added leverage of tall tires. Factory brakes get overwhelmed. The drum brakes used on many OEM vehicles are simple and satisfactory for stock trucks, but if you’re building a high-performance 4x4, then don’t forget high-performance brakes. Stainless Steel Brake Corporation (SSBC) has all sorts of rear disc-brake conversion kits to fit virtually any 4x4’s rear axle. We ordered one for a 9-inch Ford truck axle (PN A118), but many of these steps are similar to other SSBC kits ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Brakethrough Magazine: Sport Truck (March 2001) SSBC product: Standard rear drum to disc brake conversion kit A157 |
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| Stainless Steel Brakes' Better Binders for the Backs of Dakotas and Durangos. If there's an automotive equivalent of the old saying, "Two heads are better than one," it might be something along the lines of, "Four discs are better than two." Going fast is cool, but if you don't have the "whoa" for the "go," sooner or later you're going to run out of road before you run out of speed. Stainless Steel Brakes has a rear-disc-brake conversion kit for Dodge Dakotas and Durangos that is virtually a remove-and-replace operation. The kit is extremely complete, and the instructions leave no guesswork when it comes to bolting them up ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Heavy Duty Stopping Power Magazine: Street Trucks (August 2007) SSBC product: Quick Change kit A187-4 |
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| Installing the SSBC 2500 HD Quick Change Kit The staff at StreetTrucks cannot count how many times we have seen heavy duty trucks from the big three lifted to the moon and pushing 40-inch-plus tires, while relying on stock brake systems to bring their truck and often an extra long and extra heavy trailer to a halt. Stock brake systems are designed and engineered to slow factory wheel and tire combinations, which are usually no more than 29-31 inches tall. Adding a larger wheel and wrapping it with a tire over 10 inches taller is going to add more rotating mass, and as the outside diameter of the wheel and tire combination gets further and further away from the hub, the stock brake system has to work harder to slow the wheel and tire package and the truck down. Add a boat or enclosed trailer with a dune buggy in it behind the truck and game over. Fortunately for those of you out there who fancy larger wheels and tires Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC) has a solution ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Steel Pony Magazine: Street Trucks (July 2004) SSBC product: 2003 Chevrolet S-10 ZR-2 4x4 Project Vehicle |
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| The New York-based Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation spared no expense when they decided to build a fully customized and tricked-out, last of its breed, 2003 Chevy S-10 ZR2 pickup truck. The idea was to showcase SSBC's great performing, three-piston Tri-Power brake upgrade kit at the 2003 SEMA Show ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Stop Short Magazine: Super Chevy (September 2005) SSBC product: Front Quick Change Aluminum Caliper Upgrade kit #A186-1 |
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| With Stainless Steel Brakes' Bolt-On Upgrade Kit One of the great things about owning Chevrolet cars and trucks is that they last forever--you just can't kill 'em. This is especially good for all us gearheads out there. We most likely have a few projects goin' on at all times, which means our attention and spending can get spread a little thin between them. The low machine on the totem pole is usually the ever faithful and often neglected daily driver. And let's face it, when we get home and want to work on something fun, that machine is not on the top of the list... Luckily for me, Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation has just introduced the perfect solution: their Quick Change Aluminum Caliper Upgrade Kit and Short Stop Slotted Rotors. The bolt-on replacement Force 10 Calipers feature two 54mm stainless steel pistons and high-performance pads. The new calipers are made of lightweight aircraft aluminum and are about half the weight of the stock calipers, which reduces unsprung weight. Having a two-piston caliper provides more constant pressure on the brake pad, in turn reducing pad deflection and increasing clamping pressure on the rotor. All of this leads to reducing the stopping distance... Before the install, I went out to California Speedway to test the stock brakes and came up with a best 60-0-mph stopping distance of 185.66 feet. With Stainless Steel's Quick Change Kit we ended up with 172.66 feet--exactly 13 feet shorter. That's about a whole car length! That could be the difference of life or death, or at least being able to walk away from an accident ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Half-Ton Helper Magazine: Super Chevy (October 2002) SSBC product: Front Force 10 Extreme 4-piston kit A126-23 and rear drum to disc brake conversion kit A126-2 |
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| Four-wheel disc brakes will help your hauler stop on a dime. Even though they are sometimes overlooked as performance vehicles, Chevy's ultra-popular half-ton trucks are just as sought after as early musclecars. Whether it's late-'60s or early-'90s iron, they're all being built to perform. This familiar donor truck is no different. It is an '89 Chevy half-ton, which has received lots of goodies over the years. Some of those go-fast parts include the installation of a tuned-port small-block. As if that wasn't enough, the tuned-port engine was equipped with a Vortech supercharger, which we showed going on in these pages a few years ago... The brake system that was chosen for this install is the latest high-tech offering from Stainless Steel Brake Corp. (SBBC). (We weren't able to throw a computer on it for this story, but according to the truck's owner, it stops in half the distance of the stock binders.) |
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Article: Stop on a Dime Magazine: Truck Builder (January 2008) SSBC product: Front Force 10 disc brake kit A126-32 |
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| Installing an SSBC Power Disce Brake System With a Dropped Front Spindle on a '68 Chevy Pickup When you purchase an older classic truck or any well-used pickup for that matter, one of the most important considerations before driving the vehicle is to make certain that the brake system is up to par before hopping behind the wheel. Old brake systems tend to leak down, fluid turns to a nasty residue and wheel cylinders leak, causing grabbing and uneven application of power... After purchasing this solid-running ’68 Chevrolet short bed pickup, we trailored it home. We intended to give it a quick tune-up, a thorough going over and taking off. Much to our surprise, the truck did start right up and it runs great, but after checking the brakes, we soon learned that the four-wheel manual drum brakes were in terrible condition, making for a downright scary ride... The SSBC kit (PN A126-32) is a complete bolt on. It’s a disc brake conversion kit that includes everything needed to complete the installation. This includes a 9-inch booster and master cylinder, 2-inch-dropped spindles, single piston calipers with SSBC brake pads, 11.85-inch zinc-plated and slotted performance rotors, new outer tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, and all of the needed hardware for a complete hassle-free install ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Show Stopper Magazine: Truck Builder (June 2007) SSBC product: 1970 Chevy C-10 project truck |
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| SSBC is Totally Showing Off With This Chevy There are SEMA vehicles, and then there are SEMA vehicles. Do you want an explanation? Okay, all SEMA vehicles are built to show off a company’s part, but some vehicles are “built” with only that part on it and are otherwise stock. While we won’t say that these vehicles are totally a waste of time—some have shown a great deal of imagination—for the most part they don’t capture our attention, nor are they what you would consider to be mainstream vehicles. But there are those “other” SEMA vehicles, which are full-on customs that include an array of the company’s parts, as well as a great deal of creativity. These vehicles, by comparison, are just what we want to see, and consequently are the vehicles we find ourselves taking pictures of. This sweet 1970 Chevy C10 from the stables of Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC), is one of those trucks built right, and it is firmly in the latter camp ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: Brake Down Magazine: Truck Builder (February 2004) SSBC product: FX4 front disc brake kit A126-29 on a GMC Sierra |
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| Network Alignment Installs SSBC Brakes To improve upon an OE brake system—especially one meant for the masses—is not really difficult, as it is the size of components that are selected by the factory that makes the production vehicle... well, a production vehicle. SSBC realized this and increased the size of the brake rotors to a large 14-inch diameter, as well as slotted them to help cool the system and sweep away debris. It also engineered the Force 10 Extreme system to utilize a large four-piston fixed caliper. A major factor in brake performance is the total surface area of the caliper piston(s); a large four-piston caliper can provide nearly 70-percent more braking force than a large one-piston caliper. The SSBC kits are also designed to look as good as they perform, with available powder-coated calipers and Xtra Life-plated rotors to prevent corrosion and rust. The SSBC Force 10 Extreme kit includes everything needed to convert the front brakes over to the 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: SSBC Disc Brakes Upgrade - 1967- 1972 Chevy Trucks Magazine: Truckin' (June 2006) SSBC product: Front Force 10 2" Drop Spindle Kit A126-34 |
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| Taking the scene by storm in the last three years, '67-'72 Chevy trucks are everywhere now, with amazing examples showing up from Florida to California. No other truck exemplifies the limitless possibilities of these trucks better than the Matt Eye Memorial Truck being built by the talented crew at IF Custom in Sylmar, Califiornia. After talking with shop owner Cary about what we at Truckin' could do to help with the project, he mentioned needing brakes for it. After contacting Stainless Steel Brakes, the shoot was arranged and the parts shipped... Opening the SSBC boxes, we were all pleasantly surprised and impressed with the extensive and complete kit. Included in the A126-34 conversion kit were new 13-inch directional rotors, 4-piston Force 10 calipers, Hawk brake pads, Western 2-inch drop spindles, a new 9-inch power booster, a master cylinder, upper and lower ball joints, stainless brake lines, bearings, and all the necessary hardware. The Stainless Steel products were a huge improvement over previous kits we've used in the past ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: Stopping Power Magazine: 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility (January 2001) SSBC product: Front and rear disc brake kits |
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Article: Stoppin' Steel Style Magazine: Truckin' (October 2003) SSBC product: Force 10 Extreme 4-piston aluminum caliper kit A165-1 |
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| Stainless Steel Brake Puts the Halt on an Expedition. It was a no-brainer when we needed to upgrade brakes on a '98 Expedition to make a phone call to Stainless Steel Brakes, a company with a strong heritage in performance braking and developing new products. We were sure with the extensive amount of products Stainless offers, it would be no problem to locate a new performance brake kit for the dropped and 20-inch-wheel-rollin' Expedition. After hearing our requirements, Stainless sent us its Force-10 kit, PN A165-1, designed for maximum braking and aggressive looks. The kit included new four-piston anodized calipers, slotted and plated 14-inch rotors, new performance pads, hub bearing assemblies, hardware, and even new fluid. The Expedition was dropped off at Pro Audio Motorsport in Torrance, California. After a couple of hours, Phil Lee, shop owner and installer, had the Expedition stopping and looking great. Read on as we take you through the install ... click here for the rest of the article |
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Article: How To Install a SSBC Force 10 Extreme Brake Kit Magazine: www.truckblog.com (September 2007) SSBC product: Front Force 10 disc brake kit A165-1 |
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| One of the most important performance aspects to any vehicle is the vehicles braking system, which is typically ignored, especially on lifted trucks. These heavy lifted trucks place increased wear on your braking system, specifically while towing. Stainless Steel Brake Corporation from Clarence, New York solves this issue with their Force 10 Extreme Brake kit. Providing a 14 inch replacement rotor and 4-piston aluminum calipers, this big brake kit is sure to slow down your truck alot faster. Check out our article on how to install your own big brake kit. We chose a 2002 Ford F-150 as our guinea pig ... click here for the rest of the article | ||
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Article: How-To Install SSBC's 8 Piston Brake Calipers Magazine: www.truckblog.com (August 2006) SSBC product: Quick Change Aluminum Caliper Upgrade Kit A193-1 |
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| When it's time get serious about stopping, Stainless Steel Brake Corporation's (SSBC) Force 10 V8 front Quick Change aluminum caliper upgrade kit is definitely the way to go. The kit comes with the front brakes with custom machined 8-piston calipers, brake pads, and all the necessary hardware. The calipers come pre-loaded, and with the brake pads already installed. So all you have to do bolt them on to your Super Duty, bleed them, and away you go! SSBC did their homework when they designed the Force 10 V8 calipers. They are designed to bring a lot of truck to a halt without any distress... What's the conclusion? The calipers ROCK. Braking distance has decreased dramatically. Pedal feel and modulation has increased. Now you can actually feel when the brakes are about to lock up. Wait, did I mention locking up the brakes? Yep, that was nearly impossible to do with the stock calipers. You really didn't need ABS, as the stock calipers could not lock up the brakes when used in conjunction with the 40 inch tires! Now, the truck is within it's capabilities to stop, and once again, you can feel the ABS system work flawlessly with SSBC's Force 10 V8 calipers. All said and done, it took longer for me to remove and install the tires than actually changing out the calipers! This setup is definitely recommended for those who need super stopping power for their Super Duty ... click here for the rest of the article | ||