My brakes (honda 9") seem 'funny'

The pedal is very firm, yet they don't exactly put my face on the windscreen when I hit the anchors

I have driven other Mini's with discs, and they seem to stop better than mine.

So why would I have a hard pedal, yet no more stopping power than Pops with drums all round?

Hmmmm. strange.. I got no idea... they boosted?

I was going to change the rear cylinders to cooper s ones & fit some green stuff pads.

If I slam my brakes I stop vey quickly.

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61 850
65 DELUXE
69 DELUXE

MY MINI PICS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/morrie850/

Just to help the diagnosis....

New master cylinder. New hoses on all corners. Not boosted. Rear cylinders are standard, but I put kits through them.

Fluid is getting to all 4 corners, and the car does not vere to one side when I brake.

Front pads and rear shoes are all new.

wEiRd!

Not wierd. Unboosted disc brakes need lots of pedal pressure.

You're just going soft
Stand on that pedal. That's why Cooper S had a thicker brake pedal

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Too many cars, and too little time.

Shouldn't you have the cooper S rear wheel cylinders? They are a different size to standard ones, stops the rear brakes coming on too early or doesn't this apply to dual circuit brakes.

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

yes...they did have a thicker pedal!

I can get a booster....original S item. Can you get rebuild kits for them?

How do they essentially work?

I don't have dual curcuit brakes.

I did ask Karcraft about S rear cylinders....and they said there wouldn't be that much difference. But your description sounds kinda right....that the rears are working before the front discs.

I belive you can get reconditioning kits for them I know you can get the diaphrams.

How they work:

Briefly, the manifold vacumn creates a vacumn on both sides of the diaphram when you push the pedal down a valve is open to atomospheric pressure which rushes in and pushes behind the diaphram once you are done braking the valve is closed and the pressure between the two sides of the diaphram is equalized on the engine goes back to restoring the vacumn so you can brake again.

There is an article on how stuff works:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/power-brake.htm

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Not that much difference I tried out my new S discs after I put them on and before I knew anything I was driving backwards down the road - a handbrakey with out using the hand brake now have S wheel cylinders and they are better

Sorry I forgot yours were single circuit brakes I remembered the thread about Jill's master cylinder and started thinking cause hers was dual yours was as well

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Just piss those weird arse discs off & get some cooper S ones, your inlaws should have 10 sets by now.

Doogie

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Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

Yes you have to stand on them if unboosted...
If the rears are not locking up they are OK. S rears will give you even less brakes.
Discs don't stop any better than good drums, they just keep on stopping when hot, and keep stopping straight, and don't need adjustment!
Unboosted S brakes need even more pressure than your BIG 9.1" Honda ones do. But if you really are a girly wuss, fit a servo.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I might be wrong here, but I think servos were introduced for disc brakes and about that time drums were getting bigger with heavy pedal pressures. Size for size drums will stop beter than discs at low speeds due to the way they actually drag the lining onto the drum.

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Chris

Everything I like is either
illegal, immoral or fattening.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

Sounds right to me. It's called "servo effect" I believe. The disadvantage with drums is fade. The heat builds up and braking power is reduced. Braking is all about converting kinetic energy (movement) into heat, and that's why discs are better. And why ventilated discs are better again. Oh, and why superfin drums are finned - to increase surface area to dissapate heat

In NZ, the engineers who certify modified vehicles get you to do repeated stops from 100km/h and it has to be less than 4 seconds or something like that.