Disk brakes and local driving habits

[pskipper]

On raising the question about plumbing in disk brakes the same old arguement was started again!

However I noticed the 'don't bother with disk brakes' comments came from up North! Having lived up North and down South I've always found the driving up north less stressful and with fewer "slam the brakes on now, some moron just cut me up" type moments!

As a result I am wondering whether these people are advocating the drum brakes because they don't understand just how hairy it can be driving a minor down south with the rush rush rush attitude of people.

Help me bury the disk brake arguement for once an for all (I hope) by proving that disk brakes are necessary for southern driving!

[Willie]

My disc brake kit should arrrive from JLH TOMORROW! As someone who lives
in London I will feel more on level terms with my fellow motorists when I am
using the same ammunition and do not have to worry about the dreaded fade. One emergency stop from speed (unavoidable in this area) and there is very little braking effort left by the time I stop. It will save me having to change down on all the local hills and I am going to keep my brakes on all the
way down the hill just to fall in line with all the other drivers!

[wibble_puppy]

I am going to keep my brakes on all the
way down the hill just to fall in line with all the other drivers!

lol yeah my husband has never heard of engine braking either, willie!!

interesting poll, pskipper, liking yer work

[Dominic]

It will save me having to change down on all the local hills

But that means the exhaust won't be making that wonderful noise that scares cats and old ladies! I go out of my way to find long downhill stretches so that I can peg the car at 30 in 3rd (or 40 in top) to get the over-run "fart".

Since fitting one of MGM Spares stainless exhausts (nice quality by the way), the exhaust has even more of a sharp edge to the crackle! Wonderful.......

[chickenjohn]

I live in East Kent- very crowded road conditions and I have never felt the need for disk brakes in any of my Minors.

Just keep them well mainained and drive the car bearing in mind it is a 60 year old design.

[Onne]

and surely all the other drivers know that!

Where should I vote?

[Cam]

Either / or is fine with me. I have JLH Ford disks on the front of my 4-door modified car and Ford 8" drums on the rear and it stops very very well indeed. I also have bog standard drums on my '63 car which has recently completed the JOGLE run, numerous other rallies and gets me to work daily (40 mile round trip) with no problems at all in the braking department.

Disks are not NEEDED generally, but they do help if your driving style dictates that you are using the brakes a lot in a short space of time.

Also, if you are carrying large loads frequently then either larger drums or discs will help.

[d_harris]

on a well maintained, standard car. The brakes are more than adequate, but I wouldn't want to use them with the trav when its done, as that will be mildly warmed over and I'd feel more secure with better stoppers (I voted south/love drums as wouldn't change them in a standard car)

[Tris]

My drums are OK, and you will class me as very north being higher than manchester

[grahamt7]

I voted "I live in the Midlands and love my drums". Although this opens up a whole series of debatables.

I voted Midlands meaning "British Midlands" for I am Scottish , although I live in Manchester .

Also, I might quite like some disc brakes at some point.

And finally, I'm probably cheating, for my drums are servo-assisted.

Hope all this helps!

[Kevin]

Help me bury the disk brake arguement for once an for all (I hope) by proving that disk brakes are necessary for southern driving!

A lot of it comes down to personal choice and your local driving conditions my drum braked saloon is quite happy on the M25 around London and my local driving is also very heavy but you do need to keep your wits about you especially for the overtaking and pull in suddenly and brake hard to take the turn off they almost missed merchants, so if you feel happier with Discs go for it as there are plenty of drivers who cant cope with my local driving conditions in a modern car.
Then one thing I dont have is too many big hills so I dont get that panic feeling from serious brake fade (well not often)

[Tris]

Graham - Mine are servo assisted too

[minor_hickup]

It seems East Sussex has some of the worst drivers, the other day i drive from my house in e.sussex to Surbeton in London, then to Horsham West Sussex and back. The only idiots I encountered were in dear old East Sussex.

[pskipper]

It's starting to look like there is a definite north south divide
My problem isn't my driving style, it's the style of the people around me who don't care and probably don't even consider that the car is a 60 year old design.
I have driven the M25 in a moggy and agree with Kevin that drum brakes are fine on it (failed water pumps however grrr) so there is definitely something to be said for regional variation.
Looking forward to the final result (the poll is open for 1 month)

[Peetee]

My problem isn't my driving style, it's the style of the people around me who don't care and probably don't even consider that the car is a 60 year old design

That's the single drawback to owning a Mog in my humble opinion. but then it's the same for any vehicle that doesn't fit the 'local mould' whether it be older car, horse box, bike etc. Drive out of Bracknel on a Friday afternoon and anything without 150bhp and ABS is a mobile roadblock. In fact anything with a lesser badge becomes a target as GT's take on GLS's and GLS's take on LX's in the traffic grandprix. Mogs are no exception - it's just more obvious when you're behind the wheel.

[Tris]

yep! its true, i guess its more noticeable when your driving a modern car also... which i'm not..

[millerman]

A lot less maintenance with disks, change the pads and thats it. I found that I was always adjusting /checking drum brakes.
Time moves on and as far as possible the Minor must do as well!!

[rayofleamington]

Drive out of Bracknel on a Friday afternoon and anything without 150bhp and ABS is a mobile roadblock. In fact anything with a lesser badge becomes a target as GT's take on GLS's and GLS's take on LX's in the traffic grandprix.

Rush hour is the same pretty much anywhere in the country when nearby a major town / city. Too many people in a rush on too few roads leads to a more agressive driving style, and people in a rush don't waste time thinking about the other driver's space.
On driving the 'otherwise pleasant' A46 at rush hour I get a little road rage as I am forever getting overtaken as I accelerate from roundabouts by cars driven with no higher average speed (usually lower) - these tend to be 'ego-badge mobiles'.
The advantage of being an experienced driver in a Minor is that I can make use of the (non existant) middle lane and regain my previous position when the cars who just overtook me get stuck behind the same line of traffic that I was in ;-)
If I drove that road at rush hour every day I'd need disk brakes as sooner or later my stretch of 'middle lane' would run out unexpectantly
Driving the same road at any other time of day can be very pleasant unless you get stuck in a line of 100 cars behind an agricutural vehicle at 15mph - the guys in front in the ego badge mobiles insist on hogging the middle of the road even though they are not even thinking about overtaking so nice narrow cars like the Minor have to get stuck like everyone else.

anyway - standard brakes on standard cars are fine by me but not if they will be driven hard during rush hour battles. Disk brakes are also fine and I'd gladly have them on a standard car if they cost the same as standard brakes, and definately would have them on a modified car.

Having driven the traveller around Bath with 4 people in on the day after the MOT, I would go for disks if I lived there! Stopping at the bottom of a steep hill from 60mph fully loaded (because the car in front wants to turn right) is NOT easy. However I'm happy to say that despite the brakes not being fully bedded in, we DID stop soon enough, but an inexperienced driver may not ahve been as heavy to get down the gears and that would have been a different story

[bigginger]

Ah Bath - scene of my last drum brake total failure... It's taken until now to even consider a drum equipped car again, but I'm putting one together at the mo

[Pyoor_Kate]

Aye Ray, the hill in Bath is normally enough to make most people (with a fully laden car) think 'hrm, disks might be handy'. As is the one down the back of the BRI in Bristol...

I've driven both, and I know which I prefer, but then my car(s) have tended to be driven very hard. I found drum brakes were adequate, but disks gave me the 'I need to stop right NOW' feeling that I like to have from brakes. That and I drive an *awful lot* and people only take into account that my car is 36 years old when they're (attempting*) to overtake me.

* It may take me a touch longer to reach 70, but just because you've decided to attempt to squeeze past in the short distance between two roundabouts on the ring road doesn't mean I'm going to stop accelerating to let you cut me up...