Item: 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ Black Diamond

[Drew Dowdell]

Name: 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ Black Diamond
Category: Vehicles
Date Added: 2020-09-14
Submitter: Drew Dowdell

 

2013 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ Black Diamond

 

[surreal1272]

Didn't get a chance to say it on your other thread but that is one sharp Avalanche. If it weren't for its need to drink gas like Frank Gallagher drinking booze, I would have traded my Flex in for one. Still, very nice ride and you definitely lucked out on the low miles. Tough to find one with under 100K on it.

[Drew Dowdell]

I’ve only owned it a little over a month and I’ve had it on trips 4 weekends out of 6. I brought back a small U-Haul trailer full of furniture from my grandmother’s last night and just dropped the trailer off. 
 

Going to give him the week off from commuter duty and let the Toronado fill that role the rest of this week.

[Drew Dowdell]

The chirpers on the left front wheel started going off, but looking through the wheel spokes the pad looked fine... so I wasn't sure what was going on.   I pulled the wheel and it turns out the inside pad is almost gone while the outside pad looks nearly new.  That means the caliper sliders were probably stuck I think.  Ordered a new set of AC Delco Gold Ceramic pads and two new AC Delco Gold rotors.  They'll come on Thursday and I'll install them Sunday after I get back from DC (in the Chrysler).  Gotta remember to get caliber slider lube too. 

This is all prep for driving the Avalanche to Miami later in July. 

[balthazar]

Has been my experience that the inner pads always wear faster than the outers. I no longer trust looking at the outer pads alone (of course- you can't see the inners with the wheel on).

[Drew Dowdell]

4 hours ago, balthazar said:

Has been my experience that the inner pads always wear faster than the outers. I no longer trust looking at the outer pads alone (of course- you can't see the inners with the wheel on).

But... like zero on the inners and a huge amount left on the outers?   So I shouldn't worry about the caliper sliders? I thought because it sat they might have been stiff.

[balthazar]

There's the pad sliders (stainless 'pad clips'), and the caliper pins ('guide pins' that join the caliper to the bracket). It's likely the guide pins- they corrode up and stick. That would support the hydraulics pushing the caliper outward as a fixed unit.

Discs are strange conceptually in one regard; hydraulics really only apply pressure to one (the inner side) and simple physics draw the outer pad in to equalize the pressure. One would think a system that put pistons on both sides would have been utilized.

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

There's the pad sliders (stainless 'pad clips'), and the caliper pins ('guide pins' that join the caliper to the bracket). It's likely the guide pins- they corrode up and stick. That would support the hydraulics pushing the caliper outward as a fixed unit.

Discs are strange conceptually in one regard; hydraulics really only apply pressure to one (the inner side) and simple physics draw the outer pad in to equalize the pressure. One would think a system that put pistons on both sides would have been utilized.

Agree with what you say, I have always wanted to upgrade my auto's to Brembo systems where you get hydraulic push from both sides, just so damn expensive. Course there are some that seem to get good reviews for oem replacements:

The Best Brake Calipers to Keep Your Car or Truck Stopping Safely - AutoGuide.com

Best Brake Calipers Review in 2021 - The Ultimate Buying Guide - Electors Trust | Automotive News, Advice and Review

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, David said:

just so damn expensive

Some folk are resistant to change / progress. Leading edge tech is where it's at, and well worth it. Upgrade every vehicle in the driveway, immediately; one-sided piston calipers are obsolete.

[G. David Felt]

17 hours ago, balthazar said:

Some folk are resistant to change / progress. Leading edge tech is where it's at, and well worth it. Upgrade every vehicle in the driveway, immediately; one-sided piston calipers are obsolete.

Brembo is so damn expensive when there are other excellent alternatives that can give you dual sided pistons on them as I posted.

Would have upgraded in a heart beat, but then two kids and a wife through college took the funds. Now no reason to since I will eventually replace my SS and Escalade with BEV and the Suburban is my project to convert to electric once GM releases the Hummer 1000 hp electric power train as a crate solution. 

[balthazar]

^ You're still going to need to upgrade the suspension & brakes (for the greatly increased weight). Brembos, or be branded a luddite!  ?