Brief Description: Time for some real stopping power
When I first built my ez, I was assuming the engine would account for a serious weight savings puting my ez in the 700-800 lb range. What I wasn't considering was the comfy interior and extensive finishing I would implement to have smooth lines and contours. This all equals weight. I ended up with a 916 lb airplane which really wasn't bad for 160hp ez. Still, when in the 900's the standard heavy duty brakes only provide "enough" stopping power. I've had to stand on my brakes a few times and was no where near locking up the wheels. My intention is never to lock em up, but I want to know the stopping power is there. By far the most popular brake upgrade in the community has been the Matco W50LT. This triple puck design provides almost 3 times the stopping power of Rutans original brakes and almost double what I have been using (W50L). Knowing my engine will add another 20lbs, I made the call to go ahead and upgrade to some real stopping power. Today I assembled the wheels using new tires and tubes. Tomorrow the plan is to remove the old wheels and complete the upgrade. A couple minor changes should make it a straight forward swap and should be a fun job :)
