hey real numpty question
whats the difference between vented and non vented disc brakes????

The overall thickness of the rotor. Solid discs are about 8mm thick, vented ones are about 19. They're made from two solid sections of 8mm each and the webbing / venting in the middle. The venting allows for better cooling of the brakes in a higher performance situation.

A fairly easy question to answer provided I understand it properly, so an answer in two parts.

Firstly discs do come in two types - vented and non vented. The none vented are just a solid disc (sometimes called a rotor) that bolt up to the hub or flange.

The vented type either have holes drilled into the rotor itself or they are a complex casting of two disc surfaces connected by webbing (fins).

Secondly - Discs do a lot of work and get very hot particularly when the car is being driven at a spirited pace. The single piece discs have no mechanism to disapate the heat and they can warp under the heat. Continued hard work can lead to brake fade.

The vented discs have mechanisms by way of the holes or the space between the two working surfaces to allow air to pass through then to assist in the cooling of the rotors and subsequently, the bake pads and calipers.

It terms of normal city driving I doubt you would notice a lot of difference btween the two types but for spirited driving, racing and even towing a load the vented types are much much better as they cool faster and give a more reliable braking efficiency time after time.

In terms of a mini - the normal 7.5 inch discs are pretty good and they fit under a normal 10 inch wheel. A mini using drum brakes is pretty much under braked at the bst of times. Most of us shake our heads in wonder that BMC didn't adopt discs as the standard brakes for all minis.

Mike

Mike is always excellent at describing stuff accurately & addaquately & you should be commended Mike,,, i don`t take enough time to compliment the guys on here that do give quallity advice & express their knowlege so well

so,,, well done yet again my friend & yes all true & well typed

But,,, one thing that i don`t like about BIG brakes,,, (vented or not) is the weight of them,,, """Usually""" big brakes & especially the Vented type are very heavy & they do tend to muck with the minis suspension response,,,,, too much "un-sprung" weight can upset the handling & suspension a bit too much on a mini (in my books) so i tend to suggest to people who only use their minis as daily drivers, Not to fit big brakes

Big rotors can be lightweight tho,,, their are some excellent rotors avaliable with alloy Hats that botl up to the drive flange which also help dissipate the heat well & there are also some terrific alloy calipers around now-days that are nice & light, produce great pressure "evenly" across the rotor & don`t weigh a tonne,,, but they cost $chunks$ too

sooo,,, yet again i need to say ---> """Horses For Courses"""

the std "S" type 7.5" solid rotor type brakes are great, even for the occasional club race weekends & don`t weigh a tonne & are reletively cheap,,, fit a "decent" set of pads & you`re away happy as Larry

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

say you have a race/ track car, would vented or non vented rotors be the best. ive heard that "race" pads work best when hot. so would the non vented rotors get too hot or would the vented rotors be too cool.

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1975 Leyland Mini: 1060cc - resto/ ex-hsc project.

I use standard disks on my race car. The pads are a high performance type that do not require excessive heat to work - they are great cold. We even use them on the road mini with no issues. I'll try and find out what brand they are.

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1964 Nb Race Car - big bore short stroke & lots of revs - Sold
1969 Mk2 Cooper S - First Car

Its all about compromise.
Ideally youd look at what track your racing at and how much you use your brakes. Finding out whether or not brake fade is going to be an issue and if you can get away with running non-vented discs go for it, your suspension will thank you for it.
Youve got to choose the pads accordingly.

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Simplify and add lightness

thanks heaps for the feedback people
much appreciated
i just ordered a set of 8.4 vented disc drive assemblies for my clubby
i reckon ill go through the window first time i try to brake with them

cheers hoba

By assemblies do you mean:

Metro turbo used complete setups
Metro turbo new complete setups
Metro turbo new conversion setup
Minispares / Minisport alloy conversion?

They're all marginally different and particularly if you bought the first one, it's not a straight bolt on job.

I reckon you'll lock up the tyres, same as you can with drums.
Any type of (functioning) mini brakes will work well enough to lock up even the stickiest of tyres - once.

With a mettty turbo brake setup, make sure you get the geometry sorted.
Should be almost fade free.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

They are carbon metallic pads, equivalent to the ones available from Mini Spares UK.

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Steve

this is the type i got
http://www.minisport.com/acatalog/info_ ... conv4.html
from what i gather they should slot straight in to the old joints.....hopefully
cheers hoba