Updating rear wide 5 brakes

Those "Samba" guys.......

 

Always dancing to a different band.

I don't know how much it will improve the braking. I did this on my Spyder, changed from 30 to 40mm shoes and got the bigger wheel cylinders. My drums were already clearanced.

Still faded on me, but of course I was driving really hard, lots of hard braking before the corners at that little state park road on the Pumpkin Run. The fading was severe, and the road was only 2 miles long.

I don't think it would be a great competition upgrade, Danny, as the heat-soak limitations haven't changed; you're still using the same drums, so they'll fade at the same point as they did before (as you found out). They would be more effective until that point, though, and in a street car they would now more closely match a set of front discs' capabilities.

I did notice reduced lockup from the front, so it did make an improvement in overall braking. I thought it would do the trick since my car only weighs 1450 pounds. Or maybe I just drive too frackin fast?

I have yet to really push the new 4 wheel discs.

So it would be worthwhile! Thanks for the observation, Danny. Once drums reach that point, they're done until they cool down, as they're overloaded and just can't get rid of any more heat fast enough to be effective. Porsche tried larger aluminum finned drums (with steel friction inserts) and while they did perform better, eventually threw in the towel and went to discs. 

Today I played with a late-model M5 a bit. I'm sure it was the driver, the car is SO much more capable. Anyway, he had me on acceleration by a little, but wimped out early in a sweeper and I late-braked HARD and caught up to him easily. He appeared to be pushing 450-500 hp. And it sounded pretty good too.

 

New brakes are darn good, way better than I've ever had. No lockup, just momentum robbing goodness.

One of the reasons that discs are more effective than drums- more surface area

 

PS- Danny; what exactly did you do for discs again? solid or vented in the front? Calipers- 2 or 4 piston? Regular discs and what calipers in the back?

 

 

Solid, drilled rotors front and back. 4 pot Wilwood front calipers and VW/Varga single piston with e-brake.

 

Drilled rotors make noise, never had them before. And they make a bit more dust, but they don't seem to fade and have nice bite and modulation.