Rocky Mountain Brakes vs Sure Stop Disk Brakes

[Model T Ron]

I would like to hear from people who have driven both Rocky Mountain Brakes and Sure Stop Disk Brakes before I make a decision for my 1924 Coupe. I currently have Sure Stop Disk Brakes on my 1915 Touring and they do work excellent but do not look like they belong. Most people would never notice but I do. In my Opinion Rocky's look the part but how good are they?

Rocky's are $1120 and Sure Stop are $1500 at Lang's so if you know of a better price please let me know.

[BLB27]

I paid $1375 for my disc brakes from Birdhaven six months ago.

[GG Gregory]

If want good brakes in reverse don’t get Rocky’s

[Craig Leach]

Hi Ronald,
Rockies work good forward, P.P. backward. I like you don't like the way they look. But if you have a Aux. trans or are in wet weather much
the discs are hands down safer. If you are concerned about appearance then A-Cs are the best bet. I have not talked to anyone that has
the discs that would take them off. I have once had the miss fortune to end up in neutral Aux. going up a hill. Had I not had the sense to
hit the reverse peddle to get the Aux. in gear I'm sure it would not have had a good outcome. Not that my wife would say it was a good
outcome after I told her if I said jump to jump! I'm sure if I had come to a complete stop in the next 10 miles I would have had to send a
Taxi back to get her. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Carig.

[JTT3]

It’s my understanding the real original Rocky Mountains work in both forward & reverse it’s the reproductions that don’t work in reverse that well. Am I wrong on this?

[Craig Leach]

No John,
You are wright on the originals they had the anchor in the middle at the rear. this makes them self energizing at a rate just over 50% in
both directions. the new RM brakes are anchored at the lower front making them self energizing about 90% forward & and almost
deenergizing in reverse. most of the outside brakes of this period where designed to be 50/50 and I would imagine the late style where
designed without consideration to Aux. trans because they where not as popular as they are now. Even Hyd. drum brakes are designed to
work better forward than in reverse. This is the great advantage of disc brakes they work equally well in both direction and much better
when wet than drums do. I have A-C brakes on my speedster and because of weight transfer they work better in reverse than forward.
Craig.

[AZTerry]

Hello Ron,

You are spoiled. You will never be happy with RM's after having Shure Stops. How do I know? Seventeen years ago I put RM's on my speedster when I built it. I wound up not being happy with the way they worked (or did not work). After 3 or 4 years, I took them off and put Shure Stops on and I will NEVER put RM's on anything I own again. The Shure Stop's work with one inch of pedal travel, the internal transmission brake works one inch off the floor in case of hydraulic failure, my parking brake works as it was originally intended. Shure Stops work extremely well forwards, backwards, and when wet.

I will be happy to provided you more information if you request it or If you wish to speak to me on the phone.
Ccontact me through the forum email.

Terry

[TWrenn]

I like my RM's, I seldom drive in the rain, and on the rare occasions I get caught in wet weather, like we used to do in the good ol' days of drum brakes, I "ride them" a bit to dry them off. Also if necessary I am ready at the parking brake lever to assist also, as well as the very rare occasions backing up needing the P.B. lever. To each his own as they say, the discs just don't look right, all that "extra material" for them, etc. Sorry to say shouldn't make a decision on aesthetics, but if you "work with" the RM's you're gonna have just as much good braking. I have them on all 3 of my Ts, I even put them on the third one, the Fordor, shortly after bringing it home 3 years ago.

[Norman Kling]

With disc brakes you could get a hydrolic leak and loose the brakes. With any type of brakes on the back wheels only and narrow tires, you will be able to lock the wheels but that could cause you to skid. Best defense is to drive leaving plenty of space in front of you. With the modern Rocky brakes, you must leave the brake band in the transmission and adjust so the rocky brakes come on first and when you push harder both sets of brakes will work. The parking brake is adjusted so it comes on first when you pull the handle and then the rocky's with one more click. That way if you find yourself rolling backward you can push hard on the foot brake and when close to a stop pull the parking brake.
Norm

[Model T Ron]

Just looking for opinions. I do love the stopping on my disk brakes but from an appearance point they do not look right to me. The reverse issue is not a concern as I would not be dong that much and when I do it would be at 2mph or so. As for the rain the car may get wet from time to time but I do not see myself driving any T closed or open in the rain. More than likely I would find myself in a passing shower and just hold out till it stopes.

Can the RM's be adjusted to com on with about an inch if travel when you hit the pedal? That's when my sure stops come on. How does the braking stack up on both when setup right? As you can tell I like the look of the RM but I will not be taking off the disks on my 1915. Just not sure if I would have purchased them as the PO put them on. They work great but do not look so good in my opinion. Maybe I am being picky as most people would never know.....its just us old car nuts who can see them stand out like a sour thumb lol

[Divcoone]

To correct a comment made earlier, hydraulic brakes also retain the original drum transmission brake. The brake pedal is adjusted to work first with the master cylinder and if that fails, the mechanical drum is activated.

[TXGOAT2]

The T disc brake setup has no equal for safely descending long, steep grades, especially with a heavy load. All other auxilliary brakes are short on heat dissipation ability in such situations. For most driving, one of the early style auxilliary setups is adequate, if it is properly installed, adjusted, and used. Backing a Model T up, especially down hills, is to be avoided.

[Norman Kling]

Other things to consider: If the T is stock and will be driven as a T was in it's day and if you shift down for descending hills the Rocky's will work fine. However if you have a lot of speed equipment on the car and you drive faster than 40 mph on level or do not shift down going downhill, you might be better with the disc brakes. Just remember that with the narrow treads and high pressure tires, you have a small space on the road and either type should be driven cautiously to avoid if possible slamming on the brakes. Some have installed front wheel brakes, but that also means you will lose your positive caster if you put them on hard. So the front suspension needs to be beefed up if you use front brakes.
Norm

[Original Smith]

The current so called Rocky Mountain Brakes are not Rocky Mountain brakes! I've mentioned this many times. The current RM brakes are a copy of the AC brakes that were used on a 1926.

[Norman Kling]

I have a set on one of my 26's which looks exactly like the set on my other 26. One set has AC on it and the other Rocky Mountain. Both work the same way.
Norm

[Model T Ron]

I have a set on one of my 26's which looks exactly like the set on my other 26. One set has AC on it and the other Rocky Mountain. Both work the same way.
Norm

Hey Norm
Do they work well? Do they come on before the transmission brake? Do you like them or would you get disk brakes?

[Les Schubert]

I’m curious as why nobody has mentioned the 10” hydraulic drum brakes that some people use. On a “big drum “ rear axle they are almost invisible. They self energize in both forward and reverse and are self adjusting. All using 50’s technology.
Another option that works well is the Nash Metropolitan 8” brakes (but they are probably getting harder to find).

[Model T Ron]

I’m curious as why nobody has mentioned the 10” hydraulic drum brakes that some people use. On a “big drum “ rear axle they are almost invisible. They self energize in both forward and reverse and are self adjusting. All using 50’s technology.
Another option that works well is the Nash Metropolitan 8” brakes (but they are probably getting harder to find).

I may be the odd man out but like Henry I like Mechanical brakes. I have several Model A's and they work great.....it makes me wonder why A owners go for juice brakes when the original are more than fine.

[Norman Kling]

On all my cars I have the Rocky Mountain brakes adjusted so they come on with the pedal down about an inch and then the transmission brake comes on about 1 1/2 above the floor, so if I push hard both sets work and if I were to start rolling backward I can push hard and or pull on the parking brake. The stock parking brake comes on first and one more click the rockys come on.
I have Ruckstells in all 3 cars and have not had a neutral yet, however, I shift going uphill and it goes into gear. When I am about to descend a steep hill I shift before I start down. So I am going slow downhill and forward. If I should kill the engine going uphill, I would hit the brake before I start rolling back, so also going slow. Anyway, if driven as a T should be driven it works fine.
Another thing to mention even if you should get the hydrolic brakes is cornering especially going downhill. The car tends to be top heavy so if you want to drive fast do so only on straight roads or on flat or nearly flat ground.
Norm

[Craig Leach]

Hi Norman,
Sounds like you have a set of the original Rockies, good for you. Henrys moto on model A's & some later cars was nothing but steel from
peddle to wheel. The problem with driving a model T as it was intended is 99% of the people you encounter are not driving model T's.
Nor know anything about them.
Craig.