Caterham brake upgrade
Discussion
Cheers Bert.
It could just be that I'm not pressing hard enough - I remember a race coach telling me once, that I was braking in the dry like he would in the wet
. I'll try harder this weekend if I can find a suitably safe time/place to do so - I'm only on the public roads at present.
I'm changing my set-up to one I have previously favoured rather then to solve a problem, per se. Nevertheless, *if* there is problem with the current hardware (pads etc.) it would be useful to know - or whether it's something that will carry forward like a weak right leg
.
Edit: I'll change the pads first as well, so I can identify the incremental changes in setup in case something else doesn't feel right.
It could just be that I'm not pressing hard enough - I remember a race coach telling me once, that I was braking in the dry like he would in the wet
. I'll try harder this weekend if I can find a suitably safe time/place to do so - I'm only on the public roads at present.I'm changing my set-up to one I have previously favoured rather then to solve a problem, per se. Nevertheless, *if* there is problem with the current hardware (pads etc.) it would be useful to know - or whether it's something that will carry forward like a weak right leg
.Edit: I'll change the pads first as well, so I can identify the incremental changes in setup in case something else doesn't feel right.
Edited by number2 on Thursday 11th April 10:31
Cool!
Standard fare for race cars in testing is to check brake balance front to rear. Warm the brakes then do a big brake in the big brake zone and see how hard to press the pedal for the wheels to lock and see which locks first front or rear.
I had the treat of driving an Audi R8 GT3 car at Silverstone and was rubbish on the brakes. Was getting about 40bar with the pro driver getting 120bar! After a good talking to myself was getting to about 80 bar. Of course you can hit the brakes as hard as you can as it has ABS. Triggering that means that you are getting enough brake pressure! A bit OT now
Standard fare for race cars in testing is to check brake balance front to rear. Warm the brakes then do a big brake in the big brake zone and see how hard to press the pedal for the wheels to lock and see which locks first front or rear.
I had the treat of driving an Audi R8 GT3 car at Silverstone and was rubbish on the brakes. Was getting about 40bar with the pro driver getting 120bar! After a good talking to myself was getting to about 80 bar. Of course you can hit the brakes as hard as you can as it has ABS. Triggering that means that you are getting enough brake pressure! A bit OT now
Yeah. Pros are on a different level. It's obvious, but you don't really know till you see it!
I've resurrected a 13 year old thread so nothing is off topic
.
Went out for an early drive this AM, tried to lock my brakes... and managed it... just more pressure required.
Got back, adjusted the brake pedal and changed the pads to mintex 1144. The AP pads were quite smooth - glazed, so maybe I hit them too hard when bedding them in on the drive home. Really though?
I followed the mintex procedure https://mintex.com/bedding-procedure/?lang=en-gbr this afternoon - when I found a clear road - so hopefully these will be okay. I'll see how they feel tomorrow if i get out. I don't remember thinking much about bedding in pads before!
Looks like I need to drain the brake fluid to fit the shims for the new pedal so that can wait.
I've resurrected a 13 year old thread so nothing is off topic
.Went out for an early drive this AM, tried to lock my brakes... and managed it... just more pressure required.
Got back, adjusted the brake pedal and changed the pads to mintex 1144. The AP pads were quite smooth - glazed, so maybe I hit them too hard when bedding them in on the drive home. Really though?
I followed the mintex procedure https://mintex.com/bedding-procedure/?lang=en-gbr this afternoon - when I found a clear road - so hopefully these will be okay. I'll see how they feel tomorrow if i get out. I don't remember thinking much about bedding in pads before!
Looks like I need to drain the brake fluid to fit the shims for the new pedal so that can wait.
BertBert said:
Just curious, what shims are there, I. Can't think of any! Also I can't see why you've got to bleed the brakes to charge the pedal. You won't be disconnecting any hydraulic bits, surely?
You're right Bert, my mistake, of course I don't. I had in my head removing master cylinder means the system needs draining but of course not. The shims go either side of the cylinder mounting points to offset the increase pedal length and keep the cylinder and piston in line.
There appears to be a bit of controversy on Blatchat about whether they work or not... nothing is straight forward and there aren't any instructions!
.I see what you mean! I'm a bit surprised that the additional length of the top part off the pedal needs the m/c to be angled but there you go!
I'd probably fit the shims in a pair as suggested. Although I would be measuring to see what the required angle is. The shim looks very fat in the picture.
I'd probably fit the shims in a pair as suggested. Although I would be measuring to see what the required angle is. The shim looks very fat in the picture.
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