Green Gripper Brake Lining

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Paul N-M
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Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:26 am

Green Gripper Brake Lining

Post by Paul N-M » Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:15 am

Hi All,
Has anyone any experience of using Green Gripper woven brake linings in either pressed steel drums of aluminium with cast iron linings?
The material is made by Scan Pac in the USA and available in the UK from Saftek and possibly others.

Your comments would be appreciated.

Paul N-M

Tom Wilson
Posts: 376
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 4:02 pm
Location: Zionsville, Indiana USA

Re: Green Gripper Brake Lining

Post by Tom Wilson » Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:39 pm

Paul, I’ve used Green Gripper on TC and MMM brakes for years. I was unhappy with the firmness of brake pedal and how hard it was to stop my TCs compared to what I thought it should be with the linings generally available.
I did some research and learned I needed a better match of linings to drum material for an optimum coefficient of friction, and found Green Gripper to be a good choice.
With this lining installed I can lock up all four wheels on the TC quickly and easily with much less pedal pressure. Brakes are easier to use and do what they should. It’s rare that I find someone else’s TC that brakes better. It’s all I’ll use on my old MGs now - those with pressed steel drums that is.

One downside is more brake dust. I’m using original pressed drums, and can’t speak to using this lining in aluminum drums.

Hope this helps.

Tom Wilson
TC0273, 0279, 2040
Eleven MMMs and a VA

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timberstone
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Location: Richmond VA

Re: Green Gripper Brake Lining

Post by timberstone » Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:15 pm

The brake shoes, which we recently received from Abingdon Spares, appear to be woven - as opposed to the generic composites of densely packed artificial and metallic material that come from commercial suppliers such as Moss Motors and the local auto parts store. That material is very resistant to wear, but seems to me to be lacking in coefficient of friction or "grip strength," at least at low speeds. I do not know whether these are the "Green Gripper" types you mention.

The woven shoes do appear to make stopping very improved in view of our presently upgraded Alfin brake drums which have cast iron lining inserts. These shoes have improved grip strength over the composites and there is no fade at speed, such as experienced with the composite shoes and original brake drums of steel.

Nothing, however, can make our brakes feel like the power brakes of modern cars, which we are so used to.

I have not tested the woven shoes in the original steel drums. The composite shoes never did beans for stopping, though, and were terrible with fade.

Must mention that when our TABC's were first fitted with brake shoes in the 30's and 40's, there were still shoe linings in service that were made of wood that had great coefficients of friction -- at low speed -- but were very prone to fade at speed (Machinery's Handbook, 11th ed. 1942) and contamination by lubrication.
"As the coefficient of friction depends on so many variable factors, it is impossible to give data that can be depended upon to meet all conditions, except in a very general way" (p506). Dry wood on cast iron was among the highest listed coefficients of friction, along with dry leather on cast iron, with poplar or oak being the woods of choice (p.585).

Note that all values for friction depend on dry surfaces, not contaminated with the oil that drips from the rear axles when these lack proper sealing.

Octagonally yours,
Boxley (Robert and MGTC0820)

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Paul N-M
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Re: Green Gripper Brake Lining

Post by Paul N-M » Fri Dec 20, 2019 2:11 am

Thanks Tom and Robert. Interesting you have positive reports on GG/Woven shoes. I have also looked at Kevlar but as yet have not found a woven offering only moulded which does not have as high firction as GG.
I'm looking for good bite from cold for my hill climb special which has cast iron linings in the ally drums (240Z)

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