Brake Pads for Matco Calipers

[bigmo]

My 2015 (although never in service until late 2016) P2008T has the Matco PH-1A brake calipers. They must have came from Tecnam with them as there's no airframe entry about replacing the Marco brakes (or whatever they are called).

What pads am I looking for? The IPC in my Tecnam account is from 2010 and makes no reference to the Matco brakes. 

I looked for NCA 35 (the authorization to upgrade to Matco) and cannot find it in my available docs.

I'd love to get the pads now and not have the a/c offline on a stand trying to track down parts.

Thanks!

[ChiMike]

Call Sebring—they have had them in stock in the past but they are ridiculously expensive.

[bigmo]

Oh lord, are these the $800 pads you mentioned before? I thought those were the older style and not the gold Matco PH-1A calipers.

[bigmo]

I need to look closely again, but my brakes look like these.

matcoals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WI51-Rev-F1.pdf

[bigmo]

I found an old service order from a previous owner and all brake pads were swapped out with labor for $210, so I must not have whatever Tecnam sells. Ughhh...another sleuth exercise.

[Flocker]

Have you ever given any thought to upgrading to Beringers? There are threads on the topic on this site.

[bigmo]

I looked, but just not an expense I think I’d enjoy the benefit of.

Did Tecnam switch to Matco in 2016, or did my previous owner swap and just not document it? They were meticulous with records, so that seems odd to me.

Am I just totally confused on this?

I’m very optimistic that this is the pad set I need:

matcoals.com/product/brake-reline-kit/

[Flocker]

I have a 2016 P2008 and it came with Matcos. They were nothing but trouble from day 1. Upgraded to the Beringers with no regrets.

[LSA Flyer]

That is the correct replacement pad.

I have used Matco brakes on 4 LSA's with a total time over 1000 hours. They are well made and have been trouble free for me. Call them to order the pads pre-mounted on the backing plate(Swiftline) or bare pads you rivet yourself. DO NOT go to Tecnam for Matco parts: go direct. They are inexpensive.

[ChiMike]

I’ve looked at the Beringer changeover but have not done it. Yes, they are the Sebring $800 pads. They are still in my parts bin. Another Tecnam owner who did the Beringer swap had brand new pads from the Marcos he replaced and sold them to me at a much more reasonable price.

[bigmo]

Feb 27, 2024 18:22:45 GMT LSA Flyer said:

That is the correct replacement pad.

I have used Matco brakes on 4 LSA's with a total time over 1000 hours. They are well made and have been trouble free for me. Call them to order the pads pre-mounted on the backing plate(Swiftline) or bare pads you rivet yourself. DO NOT go to Tecnam for Matco parts: go direct. They are inexpensive.

I called Matco (great folks BTW), and if I wanted to order the Swiftline turn-key, they offer two options (same price). They offer the SWFT-1 "SwiftLine Kit for B5 Brake" and then the SWFT-1E "SwiftLine Kit for BE5 Brake (External Caliper)". I'm a motorcycle guy...so external caliper is not a term I know.

Here's the two links:

matcoals.com/product/swiftline-kit-for-b5-brake/

matcoals.com/product/swiftline-kit-for-be5-brake-external-caliper/

She did confirm both use the same pad/liner set. The only difference is the fixed & moveable shoes. 

Do you know which kit?

I'm leaning going this route as I can then send my old ones in and they'll attach new pads for just the pad cost and I'll have a full-time backup set.

[LSA Flyer]

Matco produced a five inch wheel with an internal caliper assembly specifically for Tecnam. You want the b5 not the external. Note the wheel has sealed ball bearings not tapered rollers. If you remove the wheel nut (not necessary for pad changes) DO NOT tighten to pre-load the bearing. If you do, the bearing will fail. Just tighten until you feel a little rotational drag and then back it out a bit.If you pay to have it done, tell the tech. You can do the pad change yourself, both sides in an hour.

This is what you should have on your plane (factory installed)  matcoals.com/product/wi51l-wheel-assembly-5-0-1-25-trb/

Yeah, I know it says "tapered roller bearings" but, for some obscure reason, Tecnam did sealed BB's.

[bigmo]

Thanks SO much! Really appreciate the great info!

[bigmo]

Honestly, stellar service from Matco, while there was some ambiguity from Tecnam, there was none from Matco. "We know exactly what brakes we sold to Tecnam - you can trust us." - I like that!

All in $122 shipped for a complete turn-key set of pads. Matco said I can cut that in in half now sending my old backing plates in and they'll build me a backup set so I'll never have any downtime. I'm not opposed to drilling out rivets and replacing them, but the thought of having a rivet of mine pop out and trash a wheel is less than ideal.

[ChiMike]

A great solution!