Rear brake upgrade

[Gfhug]

Going to be removing the IRS to change the diff on my S2 FHC. One of the brake upgrades is to move the front calipers to the rear and fit upgraded front calipers. Well I won't be taking the fronts off, but:

If I can get a pair of front calipers is it worth putting them on the rear and keeping the standard calipers on the front? The brakes have all seemed ok so far.

Plan to get Greenstuff pads, should I therefore leave it at only upgrading the pads?

Thanks
Geoff

[1954Etype]

Not on a S2 Geoff. The rears are plenty big enough.

[Gfhug]

Thanks Angus. Will settle for the Greenstuff pads all round.

[Mountain King]

There is a new rear brake assembly in the pipeline with integrated handbrake mechanism. Due around March-April though.
This is a new upgrade and the prototype is currently going through MOT testing and final fabrication design. More when I know more!

Andy

[Dave K]

Going to be removing the IRS to change the diff on my S2 FHC. One of the brake upgrades is to move the front calipers to the rear and fit upgraded front calipers. Well I won't be taking the fronts off, but:

If I can get a pair of front calipers is it worth putting them on the rear and keeping the standard calipers on the front? The brakes have all seemed ok so far.

Plan to get Greenstuff pads, should I therefore leave it at only upgrading the pads?

Thanks
Geoff

You can fit vented discs to the rear and by using spacers in the S2 callipers and a handbrake return spring. Rob Beere can supply the parts.

Dave

[christopher storey]

I get very anxious when I hear of people wanting to alter the brake balance between front and rear in favour of the rear brakes . Under heavy braking , the weight transfer forward is considerable, and locking the rear wheels before the fronts can ( and often does ) make a vehicle uncontrollable . The major effort is needed on the front and should be kept that way

[Mountain King]

Agreed,
My understanding is that the brake pad area is not that different to that currently provided by the S3 rears in an effort to keep the balance approx the same, the real change is the integrated handbrake thereby removing the second pair of pads and associated mechanical linkage

Andy

[Gfhug]

Christopher, thanks for the advice, I have no wish to upset the balance or anything else like that. Which is why I asked the question on here. Being very much a case of is there anything worth doing whilst the IRS is off the car. Plus not expecting to do anything for a while to the front, so definitely not wanting to unbalance.

Also having to cut cloth to suit, so sadly can't spend lots.

Andy, as the 'hope' is to have the IRS back on before the end of March, are you in a position to send a pm with any details? Depending on the state of the handbrake I may add a mod to improve that area, but if there's a better mousetrap on the way........

Dave K, can you explain more about the handbrake spring? Thanks

Geoff

[288gto]

Agreed,
My understanding is that the brake pad area is not that different to that currently provided by the S3 rears in an effort to keep the balance approx the same, the real change is the integrated handbrake thereby removing the second pair of pads and associated mechanical linkage

Andy

Christopher,

Could the bias problem not be overcome by fitting an adjustable brake bias proportioning valve in the front to rear brake line?
This way you could adjust the bias to your requirements.

Simon

Edit. Sorry Andy I have quoted you rather than Christopher. The question is however to anyone I suppose.

[PeterCrespin]

It could, but why introduce a modification to return things to how they were before you had to correct a fault caused by a prior modification?

Why not cut out the middleman and just go with standard spec calipers in good condition? If you can already lock the wheels (as normal brakes can) you won't slow down any faster until you change the tyre grip.

The raison d'?tre for St Norman of Dewis OBE and his cohorts, was to deliver a spec that was safe and effective for the overwhelming majority of circumstances. Only if or when some other relevant parameter were to be changed significantly would you want to tinker with front/rear braking equipment specs.

[Dave K]

I get very anxious when I hear of people wanting to alter the brake balance between front and rear in favour of the rear brakes . Under heavy braking , the weight transfer forward is considerable, and locking the rear wheels before the fronts can ( and often does ) make a vehicle uncontrollable . The major effort is needed on the front and should be kept that way

Christopher,

That advice falls on deaf ears here and on other E-Type sites, how many people have come on and said I have swapped the standard front brakes to the rear and bought Coopercraft etc 4 pots for the front. Doing that means you have moved the brake balance from 60 / 40 front rear to near enough 50 / 50. Worst part is people then come along and say yeah, good idea!
I had a great write up a few laptops and computers ago, it was written by a technical expert at Dunlop and explained in great detail about how brakes worked and what can and can't be done, if only I could find it, its on the net somewhere I got it from a link on J-L

Dave