jimmyslr Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Several months ago I did some searching re upgrading the rear brakes to something a bit more effective, less heat soak prone, easier to replace pads on etc etc. At that time there did not seem an elegant solution. The decent calipers seemed to be some 2 pots, but you needed a separate handbrake mechanism which seems a chore. It's now winter upgrade time.... Has anyone identified a better solution yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normans_Ghost Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Not sure if I'm correct on this but I've fitted a brake bias valve and reduced the pressure to the rears. Adjusted by driving on straight road with observer at roadside and kept reducing pressure of rears till the fronts locked just before rears. The reduction is such that I reckon the rears have about 40% of the full pressure now so are hardly working. If this is correct, in theory they need downgrading, not upgrading. norman verona 1989 BDR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 There was some talk about some that were at the Motorsport show, but the company concerned didn't have a production date. They were ali and had a handbrake incorporated which is what we have been waiting for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Biddle Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Hi Spec are developing a system which will allow vented rear discs, and retain the existing style handbrake connection. Should be ready soon I hope because I want to git it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 The Hispec system has been "nearly ready" for 18months now.. still no sign of it.. I've given up and fitted the standard Caterham rear brake upgrade with teh dodgy handbrake caliper. They work fantastically well but you probably also want to fit a brake bias adjuster to ensure you can get the balance correct. Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shn7 Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Rob, Have you gone to vented disks 🤔 Reason for asking is that I'm looking at buying the standalone handbrake calipers in order to get road legal. Car is currently running AP Racing rear calipers with no handbrake but with solid disks. The handbrake calipers I've been offered are currently on vented disks and I'm wondering if they can be configured for solid disks. Or if my rear calipers can be adapted for vented disks, in which case I buy the handbrake calipers and a pair of vented disks to go with them. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asklepios Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Norman, I think you are right here.The rears are too powerful, and balance has to be sought by upgrading the fronts , or /and downgrading the rears. However ,for circuit work, even the de tuned rears may overheat if caned. So for that type of use, Rob, Mike and Steve are going in the right direction (at the expense of adding unsprung weight). Probably the more sensible ,and cheaper route , would be to duct air to the rears if you have overheating probs however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 I have the solid rears Steve with the handbrake caliper, there are small spacers that you can use to dictate how far apart you want the two sides of the caliper so it's probably easy to adjust for solid and vented disks. As an aside I've found that with the uprated rear brakes and a brake bias adjuster the overall braking of the car is HUGELY improved along with the longevity of the rear brakes. I run SLR sized wheels so I have the larger rear wheels, on and off track the braking really makes use of the extra tyre width and you can wind the brake balance to the rear a suprising amount. Just for information I also have the uprated fronts and I think with these the balance is superb. Cheers Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Edited by - rgrigsby on 21 Dec 2003 20:22:59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shn7 Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Thanks Rob, thought that might be the case. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 21, 2003 Share Posted December 21, 2003 Steve N. Great location in this weather! Used to do some work in 'The Bill House'. That's the nursing home about as far south as you can get @ Selsey!!! Anyway, I heard (true or false?) that if Caterham had problem with SVA test in regard to brake fore and aft balance then they just fitted LESS efficient rear pads to compensate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shn7 Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 Apologies for the hijack. Chris C., yep lovely watching the waves crash over the sea wall yesterday. Bloomin' cold this morning though. -8c with wind chill at the moment. Brrrrrrr.... Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyslr Posted December 22, 2003 Author Share Posted December 22, 2003 Rob A bit impolite, but... How much was the Caterham/AP racing rear upgrage, handbake calipers and proportioning valve? Vented discs on top I imagine. I am tempted to go for the full monty and do the lot over the winter. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 Jimmy I think the rear upgrade including the handbrake caliper is about £600 new but I picked up a set second hand, that's probably for the solid disk set-up I think the vented set-up is a bit more. The proportioning valve was already fitted to my car when I bought it so I'm not sure how much they are, it's an AP Racing 5 position one that fits inside the cabin. Cheers Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 We'll have another word with Hi-Spec (well, kit car workshop who are the UK dealers) at the autosport show. I think they know there's a queue of at least 30 odd seveners.... PS this may be the 100,000 th post in Techtalk HOOPY R706KGU Hoopylight R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 The standard Caterham rear calipers are from the Sierra but did you guys know that the Sierra Cosworth and some Granadas used basically the same caliper but modified to fit over a ventilated disk? A pair of these plus ventilated disks should overcome your problems and still give you an integrated handbrake. Has anyone tried this 🤔 Am I teaching my Granny to suck eggs 🤔 Justin Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Beaumont Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 Justin - finding a disc would be interesting unless you went for a custom bell, and the other snag would be that the vented Sierra caliper is designed to chew on a 24mm thick disc, which is overkill somewhat IWHT. Also damned heavy. The caliper's not that cheap either - £216/pair outright from Raldes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul w Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 My deJoux Mini GT has teeny weeny KAD discs on the rear with a CNC machined aluminium hub and caliper, all designed to fit inside the 10" wheels. They are a sliding caliper design with a mechanical handbrake as per most rear disc systems. The braking would probably be less than with a large drum on the Caterham and they would obviously need modification. They are great on my Mini though, I bought them to keep the unsprung weight down and to stop me from having to arse about with adjusting drums. http://www.kad-uk.com/minibraking.htm From what I have heard the seperate mechanical calipers are pants. The most sensible thing to do would be to buy the smallest rear disc set-up you can find off a car that is relatively common in England and have it modded to fit. You'd get a good handbrake and will be able to 'set and forget', them, although you'll prolly need to put a bias valve into the system to reduce the power of them. With my S4 I intend saying originality be damned and put a twin M/C set-up in my car when I rebuild the braking system, that way I'll be able to tune the balance easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMO Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 Paul I had Kad four pots on the front of my Mini. Not bad. Mini racer Peter Baldwin told me the way to set up brakes on Minis was to jack the rear up and get somebody to press hard on the brake pedal. Adjust the bias valve so you can still just turn the rear wheels by hand with a bit of effort. If it rains turn the rear brakes off. AMMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul w Posted December 28, 2003 Share Posted December 28, 2003 If anyone knows it should be him! I'll use that technique myself now, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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