Ralf wrote,

 
 I have been using organic brake pads because these were the only ones
 that I was able to find to fit my Cleveland brakes. I understand that
 these are less durable than the one with metal/asbestos.
 
 My disks are slightly modified. I drilled them for better heat
 dissipation and had them plasma nitride for corrosion protection (don't
 worry I replaced the aluminum line with a flex line - it worked very
 well for me  but for the peace of mind of the people around me that care
 about me I changed it)
 
 I got a question now regarding the life time of your break pads - mine
 are pretty much gone after about 20 - 30 landings. I am using runways
 mostly between 3000 and 4000 feet. I usually use the breaks pretty hard.
 And of course the right on is always gone first (not by much).
 
 Any comment about the life time or may be on different pads will be
 appreciated.
 

 Ralf,
I installed the (optional from Lancair) Cleveland “heavy duty” brakes when I built my IV-P, and at 750 flight hours and approximately 850 landings, am on my third set of brake pads (the metallic ones). This third set went on at 720 flight hours this summer when I did the condition inspection and don’t have any measurable wear yet. I can strongly recommend these brakes; they should be good for 350-400 landings unless you’re operating out of very short fields.  You were wise to change the hard line between the brake caliper and the gear leg. There is some movement between these parts, and LOTS of vibration during braking. Hard line, especially without a flex loop, will fail rather quickly.  I doubt you’re helping yourself on pad wear by drilling the disks. This effectively reduces the contact surface area, requiring more pressure to achieve the same braking effect. Also, the holes tend to “wipe off” just a bit more of brake material under the higher braking pressure.

My two cents…

Bob Pastusek