[DeTomaso] Brake Upgrade

Curt Hall cuvee at sbcglobal.net
Fri Nov 11 20:13:35 EST 2011


I know someone over the years has asked...What if you put a set of stock front calipers on the rear? With everything Chuck has tested, adjustable proportioning valve and all, would it be worth the effort? $$$ Maybe not great, but better then the stock rear brakes???  

--- On Fri, 11/11/11, detomasoregistry at gmail.com <detomasoregistry at gmail.com> wrote:


From: detomasoregistry at gmail.com <detomasoregistry at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Brake Upgrade
To: MikeLDrew at aol.com, JDeRyke at aol.com, bjbstewart at yahoo.com, detomaso at realbig.com
Date: Friday, November 11, 2011, 3:46 PM


I'll chime in here, as I'm one of those types Mike refers to below.

(Copied from the text below)

If you elect to try to piece your own system together with various bits 
and bobs, you can still achieve success.   You'll probably have to resort 
to some sort of adjustable valve to do so unless you're smart enough to 
succesfully calculate the necessary piston sizes front and rear to achieve the 
desired proportioning

I pseudo-pieced together bits and bobs (Bob Byars to be specific).

Full details on my brake system (stock calipers and rotors) can be found at the Registry
website here:

http://www.provamo.com/Members/TechInfo/BrakeMasterUpgrade.asp

I tested my stock brakes repeatedly over about 9 months (and two sets of tires -yikes)

I replaced the brake master with a "stepped-bore" master from Precision Pro-Formance
(Bobby Byars).  I also upgraded the booster with one about 1" larger in diameter at the
same time.  I then replaced the stock pressure-limiting (front brake limiting only) with a
manual proportioning valve, and also scuttled the stock (brass) distribution block (with
the shuttle.)

The rotors and calipers stayed the same.  Braking was VASTLY improved.  I could adjust the
proportioning valve such that the rears locked up first (both unsafe and a scary result),
just to know what that was like.  Take my word, you don't want the rears locking up first.
The car swerves like you threw out an anchor.  Where you are eventually pointed even with
the left and right calipers well matched and balanced is tricky.  But hey us engineers
just have to push the limits - right?

Then I dialed the proportioning valve in small increments such that the fronts eventually
locked up first, and the rears generated very limit heat (or stopping power)  This was
over about 10-15 increments.  

In the end I could have not used the proportioning valve at all, as it was sitting at
neutral when in the best setting.

Then, having worn out that set of tires (all 4), I moved to my 17" Campy clones with fresh
Goodyear tires, and repeated a subset of tests.

The end result is what OTHERS say is an impressive brake system (for stock rotors and
calipers).  I upgraded to Porterfield pads, and repeated some testing.

I used to demo the braking system, until I wore out those 17" tires.

Now I'm back to 15" as I have a Drew-like inventory of 15" tires to consume, before I
return to the 17"s and new tires.

Anyway, I enjoyed the experience of making adjustments, testing, and tuning.
I stopped when it was time to move to the track to evaluate repeated and heavy track
braking.  Anyone want to fund my tire fund?

Chuck





In a message dated 11/11/11 13 15 58, JDeRyke at aol.com writes:


> 1)- totally remove the stock non-adjustable proportioning valve that 
> limits
> the front brake pressure, so you rely mostly on the toy rear calipers.
> Removing this and re-plumbing for full use at both ends allows the decent 
> stock
> front brakes to work to full capacity. This alone improves brake power
> markedly and is all some guys decide they need.
> 

This is a complete misconception fueled by a fundamental misunderstanding 
of how a braking SYSTEM works.   This modification will improve the 
performance of the front brakes and screw up the performance of the braking SYSTEM as 
a whole.

The original calipers were badly mismatched, front-to-rear.   I have copies 
of the original braking system DOT certification tests, conducted on 
hand-built preproduction prototype Panteras (chassis number 1007, 1010, etc.), 
where the need for the proportioning valve was revealed, and then the braking 
improved once they were fitted.  

Brakes need to be properly balanced front-to-rear.   Especially in a 
mid-engined car with extensive weight on the back end, and even more especially in 
one fitted with aftermarket wheels and tires (where typically the 
difference in front-to-rear tire width is even greater than stock, and thus the need 
for rear braking is greater than stock), it's crucial that the back brakes 
contribute their fair share to the overall stopping scheme.

The stock proportioning valve is actually a pressure reduction valve.   It 
is designed to reduce front line pressure, relative to rear line pressure, 
so that the front and rear brakes are properly balanced.   

If you remove this valve entirely, as Jack recommends (again and again), 
what you are left with is overly-sensitive front brakes.   To the ignorant, 
this is an 'improvement', because for a given amount of leg pressure applied 
to the pedal, there is a greater apparent braking effect.   As long as you 
are just driving around normally and not attempting to actually stop the car 
with any sort of vigor, this can feel like 'good' brakes.   It's quite true 
that a car so-modified will stop with less effort when coming to a stop sign, 
etc.

However, what this modification has done is actually to disable the rear 
brakes!   That is, the front brakes are now so sensitive, relative to the 
rears, that when pedal pressure is increased, the front brakes simply lock up 
and the tires slide, while the rear brakes are hardly doing anything.

Real-world performance braking (track work etc.) will reveal that cars with 
such a modification have substantially LESS overall stopping power, because 
they are relying almost entirely on their front brakes.   This also will 
lead to rapid overheating of the front brakes and resultant fall-off in 
braking performance (which is what Brent experienced I believe, as I think a 
previous owner of his car followed Jack's advice).

If the stock pressure reduction valve is removed for any reason (on a stock 
braking system), then it should be replaced with an adjustable 
proportioning valve.   Initally the valve should be plumbed wide-open (no restriction), 
then real-world testing should be conducted with progressive adjustment, and 
repeated hard stops.   A hand-held heat gun (thermometer) can be useful, as 
rotor temps will give an indication of braking performance--if your front 
rotors are hot and your rears are not, you don't have enough rear brake bias. 
  

Eventually you'll go too far and the rear brakes will lock up first; then 
back off the valve so that the fronts lock up first BUT the rears are still 
doing their fair share of the work.   Too much rear brake bias is dangerous; 
if the rear brakes lock up, the car can easily go out of control.   So the 
front brakes should always lock up first--but not excessively so.

Jack's advice regarding brake vacuum is quite valid.   If your power 
booster is blown out, or if you have insufficient vacuum to operate the power 
brakes, the brakes won't work well at all.   Some cars can have great braking 
effect with no power assist (the Ferrari F40 is such an example), but this is 
achieved through proper engineering--typically the pedal is much longer, so 
the leg has a much greater mechanical advantage over the master cylinder.

A properly functioning Pantera brake system, equipped with performance pads 
but no other upgrades, should be able to lock up all four wheels.   Sadly, 
many Panteras are suffering from some form of deterioration and this can't 
be achieved.   Rather than trying to band-aid the system, the responsible 
thing to do is identify the actual source of the problem so that the stock 
(which is to say, quite good) brake performance can be restored.

All bets are off when aftermarket systems are installed.   Ideally, the 
vendor will have done his homework, and front-to-rear proportioning will be 
handled via different piston sizes in the calipers (my Wilwood system from 
Dennis Quella has four calipers that externally are identical, but differ in the 
sizes of the pistons on the front versus rear calipers for just that 
reason).   If you elect to try to piece your own system together with various bits 
and bobs, you can still achieve success.   You'll probably have to resort 
to some sort of adjustable valve to do so unless you're smart enough to 
succesfully calculate the necessary piston sizes front and rear to achieve the 
desired proportioning (which I most emphatically am not!).

Mike
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