My 5c

The Booster will help your brakes and body compensate for your brain!

Most brake systems are designed with a driver pedal pressure to deceleration ratio plus the driver reaction compensation during braking time. This means pedal effort may be described by a power lifter as "feather light" and a librarian as "jolly firm chaps!" however they both adequately apply the brakes as they will use them 99.9% of the time in sedate circumstances effectively. ref: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream ... sequence=2 , the other 0.1%, its the brain and that's where the power lifter may fail first if the brake system isn't designed properly.

Not using a booster on a boosted design system means you, need to deliver, the extra effort per time, you and the booster were offering prior, can you do it?
It's not just muscle it's also brain reaction time! that is to be included in the delivery consideration. The problem with using the race track as a basis model is it takes out the 0.1%ers, as your brain is already in a heightened state, you're either braking for the corner or avoiding the nuff nuff who's just came unstuck but your brain is in hyper mode as it's racing! Many "backenders" on the road aren't from bad brakes or lower muscle strength they are from the brain failing to understand it needs to "push that brake pedal harder" as the brain is in other thinking mode and needs to refocus to I'm going to crash unless mode! This isnt just reaction time to activate the brakes it's how to apply the brakes. Using a booster allows the Driver to get upto braking pressure with the mind still lagging. Sounds strange however that's why people practice driving, its brain training, feeling the braking point etc. Havent heard people say I'm getting better at driving because I've been doing power squats.

Use the booster.

Once apon a time master cylinder ratios were different for the same vehicle using boosted and non boosted systems (now it's all boosted). That was to allow for the brain making travel directions quicker then force directions.

ok taking my 5c back now.

The way I see it, my car came with drum brakes and no booster (instead it has a matic heater where the booster would be). The disc brakes are 1000% better than the drums that were on there so already it's a win win scenario. I can lock them up no problems without a booster and EBC black stuff pads, so I don't think I need to put one in. But if you want to put one in, by all means do it.

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Lillee - 1969 Morris Mini K

It's funny, my drums were actually not that bad, I could easily lock them up with a good stomp and had to stop from 100km/hr a couple times. But they were rubbish after a hard stop like that, and needed continual adjustment.

I prefer the feel of non-boosted brakes. If you really need to stop, I find it much easier to hold them at the hard-as-possible-without-locking-up point. I find them more precise.

Here is a serious question, what brakes would you prefer if your mum or wife was going to drive your car?

Or another one, what brakes would you prefer the car behind you to have?

The one's the driver prefers. As above they will both stop you equally well, so I'd just prefer they were the one's the driver likes/is expecting. It' s preference thing, not a performance thing.

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http://www.mini-hb.co.nz

im a little lost but from the jist of it, no booster is fine, but if you seem to not posses fully functioning leg muscles a booster is recommended, it wont provide any advantage to stopping distance just the feel or if you will the amount of pressure needing to be applied to the pedal in order to make the brakes work.. correct?

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My neighbour is a Commodore V8 driver. He has driven my car, once (with no booster). His comment- "It goes hard but WTF is wrong with the brakes?!!!"
After fitting a servo since, I see his point.

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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 would prefer my mum or wife NOT to drive my car. The combination of unboosted brakes and a quick shifter probably guarantees that. Plus I'm the only one that could get the weber started anyway.

And I would prefer the driver behind me to be me. Regardless of whether a booster was fitted or not. Not to say I'm a fantastic driver, but I would have left an adequate stopping distance according to what I was driving.

To me there would be little actual impact on safety imparted by the booster if you knew how to drive without one. It would probably make stopping quickly a lot more comfortable though. I would feel safer stopping my (unboosted) Mini in an emergency than I would stopping my (boosted) Valiant.

Every single person who has been in my Mini has said they never want to go in it again....it has nothing to do with the brakes lol

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Videos - Turbocharged A-Series on Dyno & at Wakefield
Mafs waz not my strong subgeckt at skkol

hahaha im lucky enough to not have anyone want to ride in mine, being a 2 seater kinda helps i guess




i try to do this but i always get someone swerve infront of me, alot of times approaching a traffic light, i fitted nice loud 120DB horns with a relay too my mini scare's the crap out of most people around me

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Wallie, it's not leg muscles! When you need to brake unexpectedly hard the brain is the weak muscle, it needs time to get the job done. So many accidents happen because people don't push the brake pedal hard enough, not because they are wimps, just because their brain is lacking the time to ramp up.

Like picking up a heavy object, it takes time to mentally get ready, the muscles are the same but the brain takes longer. So when you need full brake force non-boosted takes longer, pity this only becomes apparent in an accident where lightning reflexes and a stab to the brake pedal would have saved the day.

Hey, I can already plan my braking for Honda at Philip Island, yet I'm 3 hours away from that corner and don't need boosting for a perrrrrrfect application at maximum decel. But on the way there when that p plater swings out of a side street and I either brake or plow in, boosted will help my brain avoid the insurance claim.

Brake boosters are not marketing features.

Besser, I think you make a very worthwhile point.

I'm reading a lot of unfounded, unproven, opinions on how humans work in unexpected circumstances here. Anyone got some research/facts?

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http://www.mini-hb.co.nz

Well...No research or facts here and besides what's indisputable fact today is fiction tomorrow.
But I do know I have been caught out more than once cruising along and had a need to dab on the brakes
and than suddenly realised I need to stand on the brakes because the 'dab' did nothing.
No accidents or even a fright but given the right circumstances it could end up being a rear ender.
As Besser said if you are truly concentrating absolutely no problem, maybe even better as some members have said.
Do we all concentrate at that level the whole time we're cruising about?
Edit>> I will admit driving with un-powered brakes does raise the concentration levels as does driving an 1100 and a thousand gear changes with a narrow power range with no sycro in first.
But that is the fun ....eh!

After driving the mini for months on end I started driving my mums Daewoo. Not long after I had to brake hard, and accidentally slammed on the brakes and locked the wheels up. It's not about boosted or unboosted brakes being better, it's more about what you're used to.