Improving brakes

[surfergirl]

Hi Folks,

Been looking at the forum for info on improving the brakes on the van, I only pootle about locally, but theres a long downhill run into the cove where we surf. The brakes overheat and smell by the bottom and the sea comes up real quick!
I try and feather the brakes to stop them overheating and use the engine in low gear to help, its just passed the mot with no problems, the brakes went through the test first time on the rolling road.

Would a servo help or would that increase the pressure and make the problem worse, better quality shoes? The front drums are the later 8 inch diam.

Cheers[frame][/frame]

[dalebrignall]

all a servo will do is allow you to put less pressure on the peddal to get the brakes to work ,i have this on mine and dont have any issues . but to really improve things go for wolsey 9 in brakes or go for disc brake conversion .

[beero]

That is the problem with drums, they overheat more than discs. A servo will not help. It seems a big job to convert to discs for just one hill. Try a lower gear when going down that hill, or stop for a while half way down.

[surfergirl]

Thanks,
I bet Wolsey drums are getting hard to find, I guess you need back plates and what not to match? Any ideas on where to look for these?

Cant stop half way down the hill , we'll miss the killer waves!

[bmcecosse]

Sounds odd that the 8" brakes don't stop you! What speed are you at the top of the hill? 100 mph??? I would try better shoes - and are the rear brakes doing anything? Are they 'warm' or even HOT when you get to the sea?? But yes - long term - look to the 9" W brakes. ebay - and asking on here - they are very easy to fit - one hour per side max. Discs of course are available - but not cheap and not so easy to fit......

[surfergirl]

Just rolling down in second gear taking it slow. All brakes are working as they were tested on the rolling road for the mot. The local garage is very up on getting the brakes up to standard as its a single system.
I did notice that the engine idle is a bit fast and may not be helping to brake on downhills.

[MarkyB]

Less weight in the van will help, leave the spare cylinder heads, dynamos and coils at home.
Feathering the brakes wont give them any chance to cool down, I tend to brake a bit harder to bring the speed down then take my foot off the pedal for a bit so they can shed some heat before the next application.

[bmcecosse]

Really - they should cope with that, and yes as slow an idle as you can. Indeed I would have thought second gear alone would be enough unless you are going down a ski slope! Don't worry if the brakes smell a bit - do worry if the pedal heads to the floor. And do report back on the rear brakes please - because if they are not carrying a share it won't be helping. If you are friendly enough with the MOT garage - perhaps nip in and ask them to put the van on the rollers to get the wheel readouts and report back?

[surfergirl]

Just checked the front brakes, took the drums off and found the shoes were cracked on the passenger side and a very slight weap from one wheel cylinder. Also found the tie rod rubber bushes had play when the wheel was rocked, which may explain the vibration through the steering on braking.

So any suggestions on good quality brake shoes and has anyone tried the poly bushes instead of the rubber ones?

[aupickup]

mintex prob the best brakeshoes or lockheed if you can get them

and superflex polys

[bmcecosse]

On the tie-rod - best to only fit ONE poly bush each side - on the outside, with a rubber bush on the inside to preserve some flexibility. And yes - good 'make' shoes. The weep won't have done any harm as long as it hasn't got on the shoes. Put a new seal in it - and check all 4 are moving ok.

[surfergirl]

Thanks,
Just been pricing the parts online, Bullmotif and ESM seem best value. Front brake shoes at local car parts place are £38.00 !

[aupickup]

well all that has been said

i had a van with marina discs, andi know what route i would take
am going with discs next year another maintenance free thing

[MarkyB]

Mintex Front pads for my modern are £41.35 from Amazon, I'm scared to see how much a main dealer will want

[aupickup]

mintex front shoes £18.00

[liammonty]

Well worth getting the Mintex shoes. I'd avoid the cheapest- you'll find they are more likely to fade quicker, and it sounds like that's what you're trying to avoid!

While you've got the brakes apart, check the non-leaky cylinders are moving OK, as sometimes they get 'sticky'. With the drum off, you can put a G-clamp on one, and gently press the brake pedal a little to check that the other is free and moving. If it is a little sticky, you might get away with removing the piston, cleaning all the old gunge off it (and the cylinder bore) and replacing it with a little bit of brake grease on it. If in doubt, just replace the cylinders- it's cheap enough. You'll be surprised how well the standard brakes work when they're all sorted.

[bmcecosse]

Marina discs are far from being 'maintenance free' - but if doing decent mileage (as you do Denis) they are probably the way to go. But not inexpensive !