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Better braking power?

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Better braking power?
From: Keith Wheeler <keithw@sand.net>
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 23:09:49 -0700
Hmmm, my roadster has metal master pads up front, stock
calipers, stock rotors, and 205/60-14's.  Amazing how fast
an MG will stop, when you get some good rubber on the ground.
Oh yeah, it's got braided stainless over teflon brake hoses.

Of course given the fact that MG folks tend to buy cheap tyres,
(like trailer tyres because they are the original size), it's
no wonder so many think they need better brakes.

This is the set-up I use autocrossing.  I don't feel that the
car lacks in the brakes department, either slaloming or on the
street.

Now if I can just get the rally car brakes to work as well
as the roadster's, things will be nice!

On that topic, I am going with a new (rebuilt actually) master
cylinder.  And triple checking everything (which means
I've double checked it plenty of times).  When the master cylinder
gets in thursday, I'll see if I can go through the rest of that
can of Castrol brake fluid!

And:

Allen Hefner wrote:


>It is my understanding that cross-drilled disks are designed to let gasses 
>escape under hard braking, especially under racing conditions.  It has 
>nothing to do with water dispersal.  Water doesn't affect disk brakes very 
>much.  Drums are another story.

Yep.  And, cross drilled rotors are, IMHO, stupid.  Here's why.

1)  Grooving is better for letting out the gases, either grooving
the rotor, or the pad (often done in racing classes that won't let
you groove the rotor).

2)  You stop a car by taking kinetic energy and changing it to thermal.
when you drill the he** out of a rotor, you take a big thermal mass
and turn it into a much smaller one.  Guess what happens.

3)  The drilled holes (unless someone spends a lot of time with a
counter sink) have some really nice sharp edges.  Read a bit about
physics and metallurgy, and you'll understand this is a Bad Thing.

4)  To save weight?  Well, refer to 2, and ask the question, "Why
not use a smaller diameter rotor in the first place?"


-Keith Wheeler
Team Sanctuary                          http://www.TeamSanctuary.com/

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