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 Post subject: Brake Fluid
PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 8:37 pm 
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1098cc
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:19 pm
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Location: Helensburgh NSW
As a lot of people here are concerned with brake performance and upgrading brakes take a look at this. Brake fluid is everything. When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? Enjoy.

http://stoptech.com/whitepapers/brakefluid1a.htm

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 Post subject: sludge
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 8:07 am 
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998cc
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Location: Eastern Melbourne
Chis,
I couldnt agree more and the bleeder hose that you can get from supercrap makes it a one man job.

It's amazing what crap comes out of the lines when it's first done. I ended stopping my refill and borrowing some old brake fluid from father and a friend, then flushing all of that through to clean out the "crud" then I went back to using the new Dot 5 I had first intended for it.

Result = grous
With all the air/water and crap out of the lines, the pads deglazed and the drums roughed I nearly went through the windscreen on my first stop.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 4:37 pm 
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Location: Wodonga - Vic/NSW border
I used metho to flush the lines in my cooper, amazing how much brown gunk came out of the disk callipers... I siliconed a funnel to an old brake line and put it in the T-piece on the firewall instead of the master cylinder line and let it run through, and through and through, then did the old, but unused fluid, then a different colour in new fluid - that's the best thing about the colours in DOT3&4, use a different brand and you know when the new fluid has come through

(metho was advised by my mate who is a very excellent mechanic so isn't risky)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 8:27 pm 
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1098cc
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Location: Helensburgh NSW
I think that a lot of complaints with drums could be traced to brake fluid.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 8:42 pm 
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i found out why my car didnt stop, it wasnt over the whole single piston issue, i had twins on there all ready wihout me knowing. but y were'nt they stopping? THEY WERE ON BACKWARDS!!!!!! :roll:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 8:53 pm 
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SnoBall wrote:
i found out why my car didnt stop, it wasnt over the whole single piston issue, i had twins on there all ready wihout me knowing. but y were'nt they stopping? THEY WERE ON BACKWARDS!!!!!! :roll:
But it would have stopped well in reverse! :lol:
Glad that you have found the problem.

I have had a theory of fitting them backwards and using a booster. They would be very resistant to locking up because of being backwards and the booster would lower the pedal effort.

Drum brakes are not bad, there is a few things that can be done to improve them, like drilling the drums.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:14 pm 
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i know drilling them makes them cool down quicker, but surely this would let lots of crap that normally doesn't get into the drums in? i reckon fanned drums would be better if you want to cool them down quicker.

also, drilling reduces the surface area, wouldnt this mean a marginally greater braking distance?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:57 pm 
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Dylan's Clubby wrote:
i know drilling them makes them cool down quicker, but surely this would let lots of crap that normally doesn't get into the drums in? i reckon fanned drums would be better if you want to cool them down quicker.

also, drilling reduces the surface area, wouldnt this mean a marginally greater braking distance?

Never drill them throught the friction surface. For racing, you can drill the backplates, or drill the sides of the drum.
Bit harder to do on a spacer one though.. :lol:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:25 pm 
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drmini in aust wrote:
Never drill them throught the friction surface.


Doc, The yanks have been drilling brake drums for quite a few years with success. It is just like drilled discs.
There is a technique for doing it, it is not just a case of taking to a drum with a drill.

Dylan's Clubby wrote:
i know drilling them makes them cool down quicker, but surely this would let lots of crap that normally doesn't get into the drums in?

also, drilling reduces the surface area, wouldnt this mean a marginally greater braking distance?
The crap that normally dosen't get in will still stay out because of the rotation of the drum flinging it out.
You may be reducing the surface area but you are lowering the temperature and that makes the difference. (they drill discs don't they!)

If you don't like the idea of drilling the disc you can always grove across the surface!


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 Post subject: Re: Brake Fluid
PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 8:10 pm 
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Chris wrote:
When was the last time you changed your brake fluid?


Last week actually 8) Great read!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:47 am 
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1098cc
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Location: Armidale, NSW
Morris 1100 wrote:
You may be reducing the surface area but you are lowering the temperature and that makes the difference. (they drill discs don't they!)

If you don't like the idea of drilling the disc you can always grove across the surface!


Drilling and slotting disks is according to Kieth Calver are more a way to clean garbage from the face of the disk than it is to cool the disks.

Quote:
Disc Mods

Improving the performance of the disc itself has seen three types of modification - venting, slotting and drilling.



Vented discs have become pretty much a standard item on modern cars as a more efficient disc temperature wise can be fitted into a smaller area. This contradicts the 'bigger is better' principle, but modern technology has seen improvements in pad materials, so small cars that are fairly heavy can have good brakes without going to huge wheels to fit them in. The Metro for instance. A smaller vented disc does have slight advantages over a bigger solid disc in the effects of inertia stakes.



Slotting discs has been pretty much misunderstood by many. It is generally believed that the slots are there to improve cooling. They are not. They are there to wipe the pad surface. In operation, the heat creates debris and gases between the disc and pad surfaces - reducing their effectiveness. The slots clear this away. To be totally effective though they need regular cleaning as the debris fills the slots up. Now, it has become fashionable to have loads and loads of slots in discs. AP Racing recommend only four slots in a disc as small as the Mini. Bear in mind that friction area is needed to make the brakes effective - lots of slots markedly reduce the surface area of the disc and thus the available friction area...



Drilling discs is open to the same misunderstanding that slotting is. The same actual reasons apply, except that holes are more effective over time as they are more or less self-cleaning. The only major draw back (apart from going mental on the number of holes - friction area reduction again) is that in discs with insufficient mass - too small in diameter or too thin - they tend to crack and fall apart. I know motorbikes don?t have these problems, but they are a totally different kettle of fish! The 8.4? disc can be drilled - but needs to be done by experts, not at home in the shed - it's your life (and possible other's) that you're fooling around with.

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