Brake Bias Cable
Discussion
Has anyone been able to install a brake bias cable without interferring with the accelerator pedal? I'm almost ready to design an overhead throttle pedal. We're using the front mounting holes for the brake pedal, and the rear mounting holes for the throttle pedal in an attempt to get more room for the cable, but it appears it will still get hit by the throttle pedal as it nears full open.
The CanAm and I would appreciate any help
Jack
>>> Edited by USCANAM on Wednesday 9th October 01:06
The CanAm and I would appreciate any help
Jack
>>> Edited by USCANAM on Wednesday 9th October 01:06
Great topic. I think the solution will be to find a cable operated system that is flexible enough to make the bend and attach to the side opposite the gas pedal. At the extreme a hole in the kick panel and a cable route outside the interior and inside the side pod is a possibility. Certainly a worthwhile addition to the car. Kurt Dobson has a bias adjuster mounted on his dash.
My mistake, revisited Dobson's site and find no balance bar adjuster. Also, looking in the footwell is appears that the space on the side opposite the gas pedal is another obstruction. The clutch!
Ken
>> Edited by k wright on Wednesday 9th October 05:13
My mistake, revisited Dobson's site and find no balance bar adjuster. Also, looking in the footwell is appears that the space on the side opposite the gas pedal is another obstruction. The clutch!
Ken
>> Edited by k wright on Wednesday 9th October 05:13
Funnily enough, I'm in the process of doing exactly the same thing!
Just waiting for the bias bar shaft dimensions so I can order the right adjuster.
Edited to say - it's 3/8" UNF. Will probably have to cut the accelerator pedal shaft and weld in a U-shaped forward facing kink. You can see the clearance problem on my GTR here.
>> Edited by stig on Wednesday 9th October 11:03
Just waiting for the bias bar shaft dimensions so I can order the right adjuster.
Edited to say - it's 3/8" UNF. Will probably have to cut the accelerator pedal shaft and weld in a U-shaped forward facing kink. You can see the clearance problem on my GTR here.
>> Edited by stig on Wednesday 9th October 11:03
Sorry, I will explain another way.
The bias bar has to be turned by the cable. Yes or no? If so, how many turns has the bar to be turned to achieve the desired change in brake bias? Presumably, this movement is provided by the knob on the dash or some such mechanism.
I was going to make some alternative mechanism but am not at that part of the build yet.
If this is still unclear then perhaps we can arrange to phone.
Phil
The bias bar has to be turned by the cable. Yes or no? If so, how many turns has the bar to be turned to achieve the desired change in brake bias? Presumably, this movement is provided by the knob on the dash or some such mechanism.
I was going to make some alternative mechanism but am not at that part of the build yet.
If this is still unclear then perhaps we can arrange to phone.
Phil
Ah, I see. The adjuster knob turns the bias bar 1 to 1 by way of a cable attached to one end of the bias bar shaft. Therefore, in terms of changing the bias, it will be affected proportionally to the amount you turn it.
In terms of how much will make a discernable difference, I can't really comment until I've tried it 1st hand, but I'd guess about 4 turns either way from neutral bias (wet/dry setups).
>> Edited by stig on Wednesday 9th October 12:42
In terms of how much will make a discernable difference, I can't really comment until I've tried it 1st hand, but I'd guess about 4 turns either way from neutral bias (wet/dry setups).
>> Edited by stig on Wednesday 9th October 12:42
Totally dependant on car ie wheels, type of brakes, tyres, weight etc.....
Remember about 40% of the braking is done on the rear, I got mine 90% to the front and the braking was c**p until I would the adjuster right across to the rear.
You need to take the car out when finished and lock them up in the wet to see which lock up and go from there.
Remember about 40% of the braking is done on the rear, I got mine 90% to the front and the braking was c**p until I would the adjuster right across to the rear.
You need to take the car out when finished and lock them up in the wet to see which lock up and go from there.
It also raises another interesting point. The Ultima setup put the pressure sensor on the rear circuit, therefore, if you wind almost all of the bias to the front your brake lights may not come on!
Depends on the sensitivity of the pressure switch, but I know that bluesatin has experienced this.
Make sure you check your mirrors when applying the brakes
Depends on the sensitivity of the pressure switch, but I know that bluesatin has experienced this.
Make sure you check your mirrors when applying the brakes
Glad I'm not alone with this problem. Good thing about having a 5 hour time difference is I can read your replys, and go to the shop and work.
The kink idea sounds interesting, except for cutting and re-welding the accel rod which I never did like.
I made new brake and clutch pedal arms for the Cobra which were quite long and complex by first making a cardboard template of the arm shape. Then cut 2 of the shapes out of .062" steel plate. Then cut 1/4" square steel rod to go around the inside edge of arm to be used as a spacer for the 2 pieces. Edge weld everything together and you have a very light, strong arm, at any shape you want.
Will make some templates today with a kink to see if that works. Since the arm doesn't have to be as strong as a brake or clutch, 1/8" spacer should be enough.
If it appears that it will work, and since I'm not set up to post photos, if someone will offer, I'll send them to you to post.
Jack
The kink idea sounds interesting, except for cutting and re-welding the accel rod which I never did like.
I made new brake and clutch pedal arms for the Cobra which were quite long and complex by first making a cardboard template of the arm shape. Then cut 2 of the shapes out of .062" steel plate. Then cut 1/4" square steel rod to go around the inside edge of arm to be used as a spacer for the 2 pieces. Edge weld everything together and you have a very light, strong arm, at any shape you want.
Will make some templates today with a kink to see if that works. Since the arm doesn't have to be as strong as a brake or clutch, 1/8" spacer should be enough.
If it appears that it will work, and since I'm not set up to post photos, if someone will offer, I'll send them to you to post.
Jack
quote:
Make sure you check your mirrors when applying the brakes
[ramble]
Heh. Heh. Reminds me of the first time I drove in Colorado and the lights changed to amber as I was approaching. Pulled my Ford Contour (Mondeo) to a halt pretty leisurely I thought... The SUV 400 yds behind just about came in the back! Never again. I guess the good thing about an Ultima is that you can always pull out a decent gap behind
[/ramble] Strikes me that the whole business of adjustable brake bias bars shouldn't be that uncommon. Building a kink in the throttle pedal seems a bit tacky. In theory it should be possible to turn the adjuster cable motion through 90º with some sort of worm gear or bevel gear (prob too bulky). Should be possible to hack one together with commonly available bits but I would expect it to be available off the shelf....FF1600/Zetec have pretty compact pedal boxes???
My preference is for the 90 degree mechanism! That had been my initial though some weeks ago and the solution of cranking the accelerator pedal out of the way seems rather less than elegant. May prove to be the easiest though. Sounds like a session in the workshop is called for, am there tonight.
Phil
Phil
I now remember why I don't have a problem with my Mk4. The accelerator cable layout is completely different from the GTR, so there isn't the same problem.
Has anybody thought of calling the factory to find out why this problem occurs? It strikes me that they don't usually seem to build in design flaws like this, so it may just be a simple case of misinterpretation of the assembly instructions.
Has anybody thought of calling the factory to find out why this problem occurs? It strikes me that they don't usually seem to build in design flaws like this, so it may just be a simple case of misinterpretation of the assembly instructions.
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