90 R2500 Brake Upgrade Questions

[bblizzard330]

Hi guys I'm a new member here. I am a proud owner of a 1990 Chevy Suburban R2500 with a 454 big block. I absolutely love this truck! It's in amazing shape for its age. I've already done quite a bit of maintenance already to keep this truck on the road as long as I can.

One of the areas that has always seemed lacking is braking performance. They just aren't confidence inspiring. This is a big truck and weighs a lot. The factory brakes feel just adequate to stop the truck. I haven't towed anything yet but can only imagine what the brakes would be like then.

This brings me to why I made the thread. It's time for me to replace the front brakes and I am getting some a little bit of uneven wear on the left front so I decided I was going to replace the hoses, calipers and pads. Rotors seem to be in good shape. I will measure before I order parts. I figured if I'm going to be replacing most of the parts anyway I would do some research to see if there are any easy and affordable (not spending $1k for a big brake kit) ways to get better braking performance for my beloved suburban. I was hoping that there was another chevy vehicle that would swap over with minimal to moderate difficulty but make a bigger difference in the braking department.

Thank you for reading my long first post. Can't wait to learn more about this truck and keep her in tip top shape.

 

[zora]

There is no cheap way, you can convert to rear discs for about $700 in parts.

 

[bblizzard330]

Well that's disappointing. I was hoping there was a brake setup from a newer chevy truck/suburban generation or other vehicle that could be made to work and not cost a fortune. I don't mind spending some money for the better performance. However, I just can't justify spending $1,000+ for a big brake kit when that is almost what I spent on the truck. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[VanGo]

Try better pads like EBC. Vented rotors would help reduce fading. If you plan to tow heavy trailers, I would hope they are fitted with electric or surge brakes.
Flush your brake system. Contaminated (old) fluid has a lower boiling point than it would with fresh fluid.

 

[BeachBourbon]

I have the exact same truck! I've got ABS brakes and never had a complaint after I got an overdue brake job. I just replaced the standard parts with regular replacements. I've towed and hauled all kinds of things and never felt uncomfortable w/ the braking. Of course, the braking is not the same in a 1990 vehicle as it is in a 2013/14 vehicle - that is an expensive upgrade. Anyway, my point is that after your get your brakes done, you should feel confident in your truck's stopping power.

Check out mine here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3313930/1990-chevrolet-suburban-2500/