adjustable or stock style PV

[Doodler]

I just finished installing a set of 6-piston (12.19 rotors) and 4-piston (12.19 rotors) dynapro brakes in my 65 Falcon. It's 80% street car (20% drag racing with a couple of auto-x events max). It has a Strange master cylinder under the car so I know I need a 2lb residual valve in the front and rear. This is the first car that I've put a large aftermarket brake setup on, so I'm in pretty unfamiliar territory. I've heard that the adjustable ones are a pain in the ass to get set correctly and that I should just go with a stock style one instead. I was looking at wilwood #260-11179. If I plan on basically keeping it set at one position, is there even an advantage to spending the time on the adjustable one?

Thanks in advance!
-Dan

[Apogee]

Dan, the advantage to an adjustable unit versus an OE fixed type unit is that you can tune it specifically for your car, your weight bias, your weight transfer, your tires, your driving style, your pad CoF's, etc. The fixed units tend to be overly conservative for most pro-touring applications with lowered CoG's, higher spring rates, etc, which they should be...they're set to make sure the rear's won't lock-up prematurely under a range of operating conditions, applications, etc.

The Wilwood 260-11179 is a good adjustable unit if you want one with an incorporated distribution block, otherwise you could consider the 260-10922 or something similar as the APV is the same either way. As for setting it, you basically set it and forget it, so I wouldn't exactly call it difficult.

Tobin
KORE3

[Doodler]

wow! Great information Tobin! Thanks a ton. So while testing the bias, is it as simple as just go and hit the brakes? Obviously starting slow and working up?

[Apogee]

Yep, find a safe, open space where you can focus on how your brakes respond under heavy braking in a high-traction environment for maximum weight transfer. You can start slow and careful or you can throw caution to the wind if you don't mind looping out, it's up to you. We recommend that you set the APV for maximum pressure reduction and then attempt to threshold brake the car. Keep adding rear brake until you feel the rears start to want to lock simultaneously with or slightly before the fronts, then back it off about a turn and run it. If or when you make any major changes to the car after that point, you'll want to do a quick threshold brake check and make sure that everything is still good, but if not, just adjust accordingly.

Tobin
KORE3

[79-TA]

Here's a more complete discussion:

http://stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/proportioning-valves