Manual Brake Configuration

[John McIntire]

I'm really thinking about going with manual disc brakes on my Camaro, mostly for aesthetics. I think that the engine bay and firewall look a lot cleaner and uncluttered without a big booster in there.

I'm going to be running Baer brakes and was wondering if it would be necessary to run some sort of proportioning valve to balance the front and rear.

Let me know your thoughts and what you guys with manual brakes are running.

Thanks!

[ilikeike]

You most definitely need a proportioning valve. If you don’t you’d be dangerously locking the rear everywhere.

Call Baer, or whoever you go with to get the correct matched set up.

I run a manual 4 wheel disc setup.
Very happy accept that I did not go with a floating rear or floating caliper. $800+ mistake.

[jetmech442]

Are you planning on using a tandem MC or dual with balance bar?

What is the piston surface area of the Baer Calipers?

I agree that it looks cleaner, and a dual MC setup looks totally race car. But if the piston surface area isn't high enough(as is usually the case with 6 piston calipers), then the dual MC setup can only meet the required brake force numbers with really high Coef pads.

I've heard that even if you run a balance bar, it's a good idea to have a prop valve if you run on the street. I'm not an expert here though.

[Sbeck09]

I would recommend a prop valve just because these non-oem brake systems along with all the different configurations of suspension/chassis really change everything. I have the Remaster from Baer and they offer a fantastic little prop valve that bolts straight on. If you have the same master I would recommend getting that ordered. Otherwise, they have a standalone prop valve that will work as well.

It's not expensive enough to avoid doing while you are thinking about it.

[65 drop top]

As mentioned above, the calipers piston area and master cylinder bore size is absolutely critical if planning on manual brakes.

And yes, you will need a proportioning valve. I mounted mine in the rear brake line down on the frame rail so its hidden.

On my 65 Chevelle with Wilwoods, (which doesn’t matter the brand name but rather piston area) I have 4.04” piston area with a 7/8” master and 14” rotors. The brakes are just ok, definitely not super car type brakes. Some sort of brake booster would be needed to really make it stop fast. Now on my current build, which isn’t on the road yet, I have 5.40” piston area and a 15/16” master. The brake calculations say they will produce enough brake torque to rip your eyes out. When I asked if I could add a booster if I ever wanted additional stopping power, they almost laughed and said it would be actually dangerous. My point is that if you match the system, then manual brakes can work great.

[Tsaints1115]

Moral of the story: Contact the brake manufacturer and get a complete matched package from them.

[John McIntire]

Moral of the story: Contact the brake manufacturer and get a complete matched package from them.

Solid advice!

Thank you all for the replies!

[jetmech442]

Moral of the story: Contact the brake manufacturer and get a complete matched package from them.

I totally agree here. when it's possible to get an entire system that's designed together or yank a full setup off a donor car of similar nature, that's ideal.

But a lot of what I see in protouring and hotrodding in general though, is mix and match of when you can afford it(myself very much included here). choosing the best parts as you build the customized system requires either understanding how to calculate the expected performance or asking for help/advice from the guys that can walk you through it.