[BOUNCE mgs@Autox.Team.Net: global taboo body match "/WINMAIL.DAT/i" at
line 35]
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 21:59:00 EDT
From: "Brinkmann, Gerry" <brinkg@uf4124p01.BHeightsNJ.ncr.com>
Subject: Brake BIAS
Some-one wrote:
> Don't do anything! It sounds like your brake bias is nearly correct.
> If you think about it, given that one axle will lock up quicker than
> the other, it is much better to have the rear lock first. The reason
> being, with the rear locked, you have some directional control with
the
> front wheels which are still turning.
This statement is 100% wrong. Under NO circumstances do you want the rear
brakes to lock up before the front brakes.
If you are driving in a perfectly straight line on a perfectly smooth
road - then maybe this statement would be correct.
How ever in the real work you want the front brakes to lock before the
rear ones. Understeer is a lot easier to deal with in a panic situation
than oversteer.
The rear locking first will induce instant oversteer and you will be
facing the wrong way before you can even catch the rear end
sliding from under you.
I have been pro-rallying for almost a decade now, I have spent a lot of
time and effort to reduce the amount of braking going to the rear
wheels. The easiest way to control the bias is by installing a bias valve
in the brake lines going to the rear brakes. Only under 1 condition do to
I set the bias to the rear of the car and that is when I am racing on
snow/ice covered roads. The speeds are usually a lot slower that on
gravel roads and you use the rear bias to induce initial over steer to
set the car up for a corner. How ever this is vary rare for pavement.
gerry
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