Brake power

[RaceDeck]

Has anyone here had any luck increasing your brake power with the following set-up:

I have the Jag Rear-end and Wilwood brakes up front w/ new pads. The rotors are the standard style ( no venting, slots).
I also just replaced all of the master cylinders ( Wilwood)

When I slam on the brakes, I can feel a slight 'jerk' on the steering wheel,and a slight pull to the right? ALSo how d you check the rear Brakes to see how much they are engaging?

Thanks





Floor it! with RaceDeck

[Dominik]

RaceDeck,

I wish I had a solution for the front brakes via the internet.

You may check the following:

front axle settings (camber)
rotor out of round.

if one is warped (the left one) the brake piston moves farther away from the rotor than on the right side, causing a little lag.

shock absorbers.
if one is worn it does not follow the road surfaceas as the other one
(or set incorrectly)

does this make sense?

brake bias:
take your car on a slippery (wet) surface and brake with empty tank.
you do not want the rears to lock before the fronts do.

there is a drawback: due to the weight shift when braking under dry conditions the rears tend to lock even earlier. the weight shift is less on wet roads.

but i used this method as a good start. real values can be determined on a barke test station (do not know the correct expression in english).

does this help?

dominik

[Dominik]

RaceDeck,

I wish I had a solution for the front brakes via the internet.

You may check the following:

front axle settings (camber)
rotor out of round.

if one is warped (the left one) the brake piston moves farther away from the rotor than on the right side, causing a little lag.

shock absorbers.
if one is worn it does not follow the road surfaceas as the other one
(or set incorrectly)

does this make sense?

brake bias:
take your car on a slippery (wet) surface and brake with empty tank.
you do not want the rears to lock before the fronts do.

there is a drawback: due to the weight shift when braking under dry conditions the rears tend to lock even earlier. the weight shift is less on wet roads.

but i used this method as a good start. real values can be determined on a barke test station (do not know the correct expression in english).

does this help?

dominik

[Bob Putnam]

Dominik,

Jeez - another great 80%!

The only thing I can add is to check that the calipers are square to the rotor. It sounds like one or both are skewed. Once the pads are really broken in, the pull might not be noticable.

My 10%... (Ohhh - my contribution is soooo small )

[RaceDeck]

I will check the rotors over the weekend...
Another thing that is going on is the the rear brake lights only go on if I really mash hard down on the brakes??? I know that there is a pressure (?) switch that the rear line runs through, could this have anything to do with the rear brakes?

Also, at low speed the right pull is really not that noticeable, but at around 70 mph there is a definte jerk to the right whent he brakes are applied. this is only initially, I am not fighting the wheel after I first apply the brakes???

Thanks...

Bob: thanks again for the 'shims you sentand your helpful advice,,, my cobra is dead on and really is handling great now ( except for the brakes, which I am sure I will figure out over the weekend)

Floor it! with RaceDeck

[Dominik]

Thanks Bob!

Where is a picture this time?

RaceDeck,
where is your switch? If it sits at the pedal it may not be gapped correctly.

The warped rotor is just a theory. You'll feel a pulsing signal during braking.

How accurately did you bleed the brakes? Any leaks after driving?

If ti was an old car I would check for stuck brake pistons or clogged linings.

While you are checking the axle settings check for worn parts as well. Now, that should keep you busy for the weekend.

Post your findings. Good luck,

Dominik

[Bob Putnam]

One more thing (we're down to the 5% range now!)

Check for loose wheel bearings. I'm (barely) thinking that the gyroscopic effect is larger at high speed.

Nuff said.

[corky bell]

Racedeck,

I was using the Wilwood "Green" pads that came with my Contemporary which were considered all around HiPo street pads. I switched to the new "A" compound with great results. It was like adding a power booster. The fronts worked so much better, both cold and hot, that I had to dail in more rear brake increasing the overal effectivness even more. They also fade less on the track. A side benefit is that they produce a lot less dust. The only drawback is that they squeal a little when cold.

Craig Wright

(No, I'm not Corky Bell, and have no idea why this site thinks I am.)