The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk What is Stopping Distance '54 3100

What is the stopping distance for a 1954 3100 with standard brakes? Or where might I find this type of specification?

Thanks

Wait for a rodent to jump in front of the truck jam on your brakes then measure the distance! That's a joke, I look forward to someone answering this as well?

It is largely dependent on what stops it. Trees and utility poles are much more effective than rodents. We are making jokes of your serious question but data for stopping distance can be calculated if you know all the required data to calculate it. Here is a calculator for you.

I was never very good at math,so I keep an average of 2-3 seconds between myself and the vehicle in front of me,so that when I do have to jam on the brakes I should have enough room to stop before I run over that rodent or bug or rabbit or...

No matter, just build the BEST brakes you can and pray!

It will probably stop just as fast as it starts... in stock form.

My '53 with stock brakes stops very quickly. Remember its not the brakes that stop your momentum, but the friction between the tires and the road. The brakes only keep your wheel from spinning. Cheap tires will slide, good tires will grip and stop you.

Just my thoughts.

Jeff

Hmmm 4,500-6,000LB truck 4 wheel drum brakes ? not power assisted ?

If you can lock up all your tires like my 62' can i'd say fairly short . . . If you can't lock them up fairly long . . .

I can stop my truck and 22,000lb's of payload say 29-31K-LB's from 60mph-0mph in the length of a high way off ramp or less . . .

I never had a stopping issue honestly . . .


Mike

OK, I think I got it.

Not all break shoes are equal, some are made much more agressive material and have greater stopping power. Do some research before you make your selection.

Just make sure not to drive through deep puddles and plan on using your breaks. The only person that should be worried about getting rear ended by you is the person driving in front of you. My 51 Willys-Overland Station Wagon at 50 Mph stops in about 10-15 feet if I lock the breaks.

I'm thinking that there will be a lot of interest in your Station Wagon if it can go from 50 to 0 in 15 feet. Are you using an anchor?

Drivers manual lists 60 to 0 as follows.
SPEED = 60mph

"THINKING" DISTANCE = 60ft

BRAKING DISTANCE = 180ft

OVERALL STOPPING DISTANCE = 240ft

I would love to see a video of that stop but I darn sure don't want to be in the passenger seat when you do it.

Just doggin you. Don't take any offense.

I learned to drive in a 54 3100 and can truthfully say that the stopping distance of a stock 54 3100 pickup can be a lot longer than you want it to be especially if you have made a couple of hard stops in a row. Currently my 48 has drum brakes all around and when I had it on the road daily I lived by the rule of give myself adequate stopping distances behind the car in front of me and always know where my excape route was going to be if there was a situation ahead that I wasn't going to be able to stop in time to avoid. I think it's called defensive driving and if you drive one of these trucks with stock brakes you learn to become more defensive in your driving or you buy new grills for the truck.
In any rig I am driving I always know what kind of vehicle is ahead of me and have a good idea of how quick it can stop. That allows me go give something like a 5 series BMW just that much more room ahead of me.

In a day when most vehicles on the road have sophisticated anti-lock brake systems with disks on each corner the amount of room you need to leave has certainly grown.

Reaction time hasn't improved but the ability to stop of many of the vehicles on the road today is pretty impressive when compared to 50 year old drum brakes.

And locking the brakes means you've lost traction on any wheel that quit turning. Braking performance is better when the tire is still adhering to the road!

This is a great thread, like many are. I posted here in order to save it under My Stuff.

Is there any way other than this to have qiuck reference to a particular thread?

My old truck stops on a dime. My problem is there is never a dime on the road when you need one.

When in my truck I remember that I have only lap belts, everything I can touch is hard/thick metal, and the steering wheel does not collapse.

I keep a good distance behind the car in front of me and have had no problems.

Beep Beep

Yes, up at the top under topic options.

Maintaining a safe following distance is one way but the problem around here is that every jerk in town cuts right in front of you when you do. You hit the brakes and re-establish following distance just in time for the next jerk.

I think a 54 truck is kind of like my 37 Buick, I don't know whether to try and measure it's stopping distance in feet or hours. Maintaining good distance and watching all around is good advice for sure.

You guys have the ability to be informative, entertaining, and even appear to be interesting at the same time.

I found this thread after driving the Blue Funk down Rt. 67 that passes through Godfrey. The speed limit is 40 mph and most drivers take it at 45 to 50. I leave about one car length for every 10 mph between me and the car in front of me. I was wondering if this formula had changed since I took Driver's Ed in high school and did a Stovebolt Search. Viola! (Wah-la!)

Thanks for the replys. And for the directions, Vern.

It has been amended. Now they added 1 extra car length for eating while driving, 1 extra for smoking, 2 extra for texting, and 5 extra for being under 18. Anybody caught doing 2 or more items at the same time while driving will have their drivers license away for 2 years, or until they are 18, whichever is longer.

never realized the yr of a truck how anything to do with the stopping power...........heck of a deal

I saw a 57 that stopped real quick, after it hit the car that pulled out in front of it. BTW both drivers OK, car totaled, truck drove home. (It did need alot of repair)

KSTT

"Anybody caught doing 2 or more items at the same time while driving will have their drivers license away for 2 years, or until they are 18, whichever is longer."

This is funny, Builder.

However, there is a law on the books in this area that now says it is illegal to use a cell phone while in a School Speed Zone. I read about it in the local newspaper after a tragic MVA occurred in front of the local High School. A cell phone was involved. It's a misdermeanor punishable by a $75.00 fine.

Yep, it's not the number of car lengths now it's two seconds. On clear, dry roads you need to stay two seconds behind the car if front of you. The faster you go the longer the distance that must be left to make two seconds. It's pretty easy to pick a spot on the road such as a road marker or tree and count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two. If you pass the same spot before you get to two you're too close. On slick roads increase the seconds you count accordingly.
Two second rule.

Hello:
I have enjoyed all the humor, but feel the question was posed ih all sincerity.

I don't have a 1/2 ton running right now but come spring I would like to try my 53 Chev 4400 Canadian truck (1 1/2 ton). Too much ice around right now!!!

Any suggestions how to set it up to measure?

I don't think the results will be reassuring !! especially with any load.

Ter

For a modern braking system the 2 second rule is a generally a safe following distance. I don't see the need for a scientific measurement of the stopping distance. Allow a lot of extra room to stop until you know the vehicle well enough to tighten up your following distance.

I can't help you with what the factory specifications are to your particular truck, but if you are interested in testing it yourself, here's a handy CALCULATOR