british-cars
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Brakes and Silicone

To: british-cars@Alliant.COM
Subject: Re: Brakes and Silicone
From: mit-eddie!corvair.Eng.Sun.COM!bradam@EDDIE.MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 90 14:19:13 PST
+--  Roger Garnett writes.....
|   3) Another Castrol vs. Silicone brake fluid comment: If you have only
|      drum brakes, (early A's, Spridgets, other older cars) you should be less
|      prone to brake fluid heating/bubbling, than if you have disks. (calipers
|      seat directly against the hot pads, where a cylinder only pushes against
|      the edges of the shoes) Therefore, you should be able to use silicone
|      with no problems. (an autocross car might be an exception- Anyone 
|      autocross a car with 4 wheel drum brakes?)
+---

Well, I run an autox car w/ 4wheel drums and Silicone, and haven't seen any 
fade troubles (yet).  Most local autocross courses are 30-90 seconds, and 
that just isn't enough time to overcook the brakes -- in fact, Sunday I didn't
even get my tires up to optimum temperature, much less the brakes.

The arguments I've watched about drum vs. disc usually end up at a stand-off,
with discs having the stopping advantange and the drums having less weight 
therefore less unsprung- and rotational-mass.

BTW, it isn't a british car, but earned honorary status after pushing a 
quart of Valvoline out in 70 miles + 3 hot autoX laps.  (For make of car,
just look at my machine name ;-] )

Back to lurking....

========================================================================
   Brad Martinson        Sun Microsystems        bmartinson@sun.com
#include <std/disclaimers.h>
========================================================================
  "If FWD is so wonderful, why aren't there any mid-engined FWD cars?" 


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>