Jim Hurley wrote:
> I'm thinking about improving the braking of my TR6. I've picked up a few
> hints that there is a simple way to improve the rear brake setup by using
> drums from a Datsun. Can anyone point me towards some detailed info about
> this possibility?
>
> Also, if there are any mods to the front brakes (did I catch something
> about upgrading to a multi-piston caliper?), could you pass that on as
well.
If you're making changes for appearances only, there are several
possibilities but none of them will do much good without wire wheels to show
them off and--as has already been pointed out--you need to be careful that
you don't end up with a braking system that locks the rear wheels first. The
Datsun drums are relatively easy to install and Moss sells vented front
disks. There's information on the VTR website on converting to the Datsun
rear drums.
If you're making changes for performance, there are plenty of options
depending on what you want to do - ranging from the possible improved
cooling of Datsun rear drums to four-pot calipers at all four wheels, with
vented and drilled disks and specially compounded pads.
Road racing brakes and pads operate best at high temperatures - and they
won't work well unless heated to those temperatures. They're worthless for
street or autocross use where the brakes MUST work at high efficiency when
they're dead cold.
If you can lock up the wheels with your current braking system (and if the
fronts lock up first) then you may not need to upgrade at all.
Jim Hill
Madison WI
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