[DeTomaso] myth of Pantera braking force limiter?

[GW]

Proper adjustments of brakes is key to good braking. A lot of the MG 
guys will defend the drum brakes because they can "lock them up" so they 
must be good. What they fail to understand is balance is key. While they 
say their braking is great they then say something like the left locks 
up before the right which negates good balance and good braking. 6 
months later their drum bias changes again.

Stock brakes, stock car, stock proportioning, stock tires, how much of 
this is still the same?

When I got my Pantera it had a lot of stuff on it like the dual MC with 
balance bar in front of the booster. A pretty common after market set up 
on the Pantera. Like many things on the car when I got it, it was 
installed but not adjusted. My front brakes locked up too soon. The 
result was every time I came to a stop sign, the fronts would skid with 
out the car really slowing down. It wasn't just bad it was dangerous. So 
like amny other things on the car I spent an afternoon adjusting.

Everyone knows you don't want the backs to lock up but it isn't as 
simple as that. With too much bias front or back the brakes don't work 
together. I needed to find the point at which the rears locked up first 
so I could define the threshold. I adjusted the balance bar, went out 
locked up the brakes, came back and did it again. I did so till the 
rears would lock up first.

At that point I reversed the process slowly till I found the spot where 
the fronts locked up right before the rears. What I ended up with is a 
set up where the fronts and the backs worked together. The back pulled 
the car down and really made the fronts dig in. Both scenarios the 
fronts locked up first but before I adjusted them, the car would slowly 
skid to a stop at every stop sign. After adjusted I could slam on the 
brakes and it would throw you into the windshield.

The moral of the story is the ability to adjust your bias is a good 
thing especially if there is anything about the car which is not stock.

G

JDeRyke at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 3/20/10 8:39:58 PM, pantdino at aol.com writes:
>
>   
>> If it seems to lock up in front early I'll put a valve in.
>>
>>     
>
> If it locks up in front under panic-stop force, fine. You won't need a 
> nanny-valve - you can simply modulate your brake-foot force in other-than-panic 
> situations, and add bigger/wider tires at your leisure to take advantage of 
> the excess braking force you already have available. 
> On the other hand, rear lock-up causes spins and car instability, and thats 
> where a "brake control valve" is occasionally needed. Good luck- J Deryke
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