Enter your username:
Do you want to login or register?
  • Forgot your password?

    Login / Register



    View Poll Results: What brakes?

    Voters
    34. You may not vote on this poll
    • Huge brake kit, 14" front-12" rear

      7 20.59%
    • Big brake kit, 12" front-11" rear

      14 41.18%
    • 12" Front and drum rear

      13 38.24%
    Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
    Results 1 to 20 of 29
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Apr 2013
      Posts
      11
      Country Flag: United States

      Four wheel disc or not?

      I will not be road coursing this car, but it will have a high horsepower engine when I finally get done with it. I do realize that 4 wheel disc is the optimal way to get if the money is there however having very good front brakes and well setup rear brakes should do the job just fine. What is everyones thought?

      My car, 67 Skylark currently has non power 4 wheel drums so anything will be an upgrade. Remember this is based on a budget not doing what you could if you had the money.

      Options are huge brakes, big brakes, or big brakes up front and stock rear drums.

      Last edited by FlatWhiteLark; 07-17-2016 at 05:04 PM. Reason: Explaining options


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Apr 2016
      Posts
      186
      I would do disc disc set up at the least

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Dec 2010
      Location
      Fredericksburg, VA.
      Posts
      3,155
      Country Flag: United States
      I wouldn't spend a single penny on drum brakes.
      Steve Hayes
      "Dust Off"
      68 Camaro

      Given sufficient initial acceleration, even pigs can fly!

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2013
      Posts
      11
      Country Flag: United States
      The car has factory drums so it would be converting the front to disk and leaving the rear.

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Dec 2004
      Location
      HILLBILLY HOLLYWOOD, TENNESSEE!!!
      Posts
      2,041
      Spending money on GOOD brakes and a GOOD suspension at the expense of a "High Horsepower" engine is ALWAYS a good trade!

      What good is HP is your car stops and handles like crap?

      I believe they call that DRAG RACING!
      Mike

      Remember, "Drive Fast, Turn Heads, Break Hearts!"

      www.musclecardeals.com

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Apr 2013
      Posts
      11
      Country Flag: United States
      If set up correctly there is no reason a front disc rear drum setup won't stop the car well. But at the same time I have never gotten to see the difference between a front disc car and a 4 wheel disc car in action to see what the difference is.

      The suspension side is actually already taken care of with new springs, control arms, and sway bars.

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Dec 2004
      Location
      HILLBILLY HOLLYWOOD, TENNESSEE!!!
      Posts
      2,041
      Quote Originally Posted by FlatWhiteLark View Post
      If set up correctly there is no reason a front disc rear drum setup won't stop the car well.
      Describe Well?

      If this truly is the case that drum brakes stop "well" the OEM's would still be using drum brakes as they are CHEAP!
      Mike

      Remember, "Drive Fast, Turn Heads, Break Hearts!"

      www.musclecardeals.com

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Apr 2013
      Posts
      11
      Country Flag: United States
      You do have a point there. After doing a little more research I might just do a 12" front/rear kit with hydroboost.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Location
      Chippewa Falls, WI
      Posts
      85
      Country Flag: United States

      Four wheel disc or not?

      Great conversation here. I like reading various points of view, without rudeness. I also enjoy the knowledge I get .

      Thanks Gentlemen

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Location
      Ontario, Canada
      Posts
      167
      For a car that only sees spirited street duty and maybe the strip once in a while, nothing wrong with front disc / rear drums. Properly adjusted drums with a shoe upgrade to e.g. Porterfield R4-S compound will get the job done fine if matched with stock front discs with similar upgraded street compound pads or an aftermarket disc kit. The main issue with drums on a street car is they require more maintenance than discs to keep them properly adjusted and initial fit-up should be matched to the drum for even contact.

      Porterfield R4-S compound (pads & shoes):
      http://porterfield-brakes.com/images...6_02_45_30.pdf

      OEMs are all about reducing maintenance; hence, discs all around. If you look at some of the solid rotor, small diameter discs the OEMs fit, they don't seem like much of an upgrade over drums.

      If the budget allows or planning autocross or track duty, for sure go with good discs all around. For general street use, disc/drum is fine ... just be aware that some of the 12" front disc kits with 0.81" thick rotors may not be any better than a stock 11" disc with a pad upgrade, so choose what suits your budget and application.

      Just remember, if you upgrade the brakes on your street car, it may help to avoid the guy in front, but watch out for the guy behind ...

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Sep 2006
      Posts
      273
      Country Flag: United States
      Before I did the 4wheel disc swap to be like the cool kids..... I had this conversation with my Dad.... He said if disc brakes are so good at stopping your car how come big diesel trucks still run drum brakes. Then the conversation went to what the real question was..... What is the intended use. Everything we hange on our cars..... Worked from the factory. Change the cam.... On a vacuum booster car... New brake issues.... Street pads vs race pads, slotted, drilled.... Single piston..... Multi piston. I did the traditional single piston c3 corvette "factory" swap with Cadillac Rear with parking brake...drilled and slotted rotors... Looks cool as hell... Didn't stop for nothing.. Less clamping surface than the drums..... Definately needed more aggressive pads. No panic stops here. I feel that of the 4 wheels drums on the car were better suited for it....my point is... You know how you are going to drive it. Build the safest system you can. Tobin with Kore3 is a sponsor and has walked me through multiple situations on customer cars. Definately can assist you in the right direction. Cam vaccum wheel, tire sizes. Weight...... Lots of info on this site and lots to read......

      Don't add the go if you don't have enough whoa.

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Houston, TX
      Posts
      33
      Country Flag: United States
      In my opinion, the only real downside to rear drum brakes is that they do not dissipate heat as well as disc brakes and they are not as good looking as a rear disc brake setup. For a daily driver, rear drums are fine because they will not usually overheat. Most of the braking is done with the front brakes. You can save a little money because your parking brake is already set up for your rear drums and you will not have to re-plumb your brake lines near the rear calipers for disc brakes. I would spend my money on the largest front disc rotor and caliper with the largest piston area that will fit inside the wheel. For the money, you can’t beat a D52 Caliper and 12” rotor setup, but I am not sure of all the front brake options available for a 67 Skylark.

      A drum brake setup is usually lighter than most aftermarket and stock rear disc setups. Brake shoes have more friction material than brake pads. Wheel cylinders require less brake fluid volume to operate than a caliper. Brake calipers flex reducing braking performance while wheel cylinder will not flex. Drum brakes are self-energizing which require less force to operate than drums.

      If keeping rear drum brakes, you will need a disc/drum proportioning/combination valve. These types of prop/combi valves have a 10lb residual valve built into them which is required for drum brakes.
      David Schultz
      MalibuDave
      www.manualbrakes.com

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Aug 2010
      Location
      Seattle area
      Posts
      360
      It all depends on your pocket book.Front disc rear drums were on Cars for years.You just need to make sure the car is safe to drive ,And will not over power the brakes.And when the money becomes available .You can then upgrade to rear disc if you decide to do so.

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Feb 2010
      Posts
      150
      If your not pinching penny's then why not go for huge brakes? You can even find a lot of gm brakes from newer cars that are huge and relatively cheap in comparison to wildwood, Baer, etc.

      If budget is a concern, you can function completely fine onow discs up front and drum in the back.

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Jul 2015
      Location
      Santa Barbara
      Posts
      95
      Country Flag: United States

      brakes

      I am on the same boat building my 69 LS nova have drums all 4 corners on a budget plan on front disk and drum rears for now and when I can afford it I'll do the rears I know you can find fbody 99-02 camaro rear backing plates calipers and rotors from junk yards fairly cheap it's been a proven set up for many

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Sep 2015
      Location
      Rockvale TN
      Posts
      402
      Country Flag: United States
      My vote goes to the disc upgrade up front and keep the drums out back.

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Oct 2013
      Location
      H-Town, TX
      Posts
      356
      Country Flag: United States
      I would be fine with disc/drums if it's not going to see a road course.

      You need to look at the wheels you are going to run- if you are going to run wheels that have a lot of space discs definitely look better than drums. Only reason my 72 is getting rear disc brakes is because of all the space in the wheels

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Aug 2010
      Location
      Seattle area
      Posts
      360
      It depends a lot on your budget,The main type of braking system during the Muscle car era was disc/drums other than the Corvette.The four wheel disc came later on the newer cars. And was an option on the 1980-1 Firebird /Trans Am.And the later Camaro s/Firebirds 1LE package.And since the cars are about the same weight you can go with a system similar to that.And that means if yours already has disc brakes in front all you would need to change is rear brakes ,Master cylinder and proportioning valve from those cars.
      Attached Images Attached Images  

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Feb 2011
      Posts
      284
      I took the GTO on a tour through the mountains this summer, including a 20-mile run pounding through the twisties trying to keep up with a ZL1 Camaro and a new Mustang 5.0. Dead stock power front disc/rear drums. I was a little worried at first but the brakes never gave up once. The only real difference I noticed was that I couldn't use the brakes as a driving tool; they were either on or off. When I roadraced the 92 Formula with 4-wheel discs I could work on trail-braking etc.

      I am considering going to 4-wheel LS1 brakes this winter.
      70 GTO - Alum 5.3/4L80e, 7875
      17 GT350

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Aug 2005
      Location
      Hamilton, NJ
      Posts
      4,291
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by AMC Racer View Post
      For a car that only sees spirited street duty and maybe the strip once in a while, nothing wrong with front disc / rear drums. Properly adjusted drums with a shoe upgrade to e.g. Porterfield R4-S compound will get the job done fine if matched with stock front discs with similar upgraded street compound pads or an aftermarket disc kit. The main issue with drums on a street car is they require more maintenance than discs to keep them properly adjusted and initial fit-up should be matched to the drum for even contact.

      Porterfield R4-S compound (pads & shoes):
      http://porterfield-brakes.com/images...6_02_45_30.pdf

      OEMs are all about reducing maintenance; hence, discs all around. If you look at some of the solid rotor, small diameter discs the OEMs fit, they don't seem like much of an upgrade over drums.

      If the budget allows or planning autocross or track duty, for sure go with good discs all around. For general street use, disc/drum is fine ... just be aware that some of the 12" front disc kits with 0.81" thick rotors may not be any better than a stock 11" disc with a pad upgrade, so choose what suits your budget and application.

      Just remember, if you upgrade the brakes on your street car, it may help to avoid the guy in front, but watch out for the guy behind ...
      Exactly what i am running now. My second gen has third gen 1LE rotors, r4s pads and porterfield shoes out back. Since i am running 15" tires still, my brakes now outperform my tires. Ive got maybe one more year on those tires then i'm moving on up.
      Scott from NJ.

      Vent Windows Forever! ...

      Feather-light suspension, Konis just couldn't hold
      I'm so glad I took a look inside your showroom doors

    Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast




    Advertise on Pro-Touring.com