Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi I've seen conflicting views on the forum about servo units , good and bad ,how can it be pointless if your trying to upgrade your braking system ?? Wouldnt mind some views before I part with hard earned cash

It can reduce leg effort - that's all - doesn't make the brakes any better. And well maintained Minor brakes don't make for a 'heavy' pedal. But it's your car - do as you wish......

Do the brakes not get better at all ? I thought the servo would have given you more braking power so I suppose it would be pointless if the brakes were not more powerful

It won't stop any quicker, it just means you can lock the wheels with less effort.
Took a servo off my MGB and I prefer it, you get more feel or feedback, if you know what I mean.

There is an easy way to get better brakes........

So it's a guessing game Bmc , don't keep me in suspense what is it ????

All the rest of the Forum knows already.......... a set of lovely 9" Wolseley 1500 drum brakes bolts straight on......less than an hour each side. The snag is - they are not easy to find these days.......

As above a servo wont actually improve your brakes, just make it easier to push the pedal. If you actually want improved braking, going for a disc brake conversion kit is the obvious way forward.

But unfortunately a very expensive conversion - and it WILL need a servo!! Just a point - if your car has the early 7" front drum brakes, then the later 8" brakes are a very worthwhile upgrade for little money. And if you have the 8" brakes, and the pedal is heavy - then they need a good overhauling........

so does anyone out there have a set of wolseley drums for sale ?? i do have the 8" front drums fitted and the brakes do work adequately but just looking for a bit better

Not true about it always needing a servo! Lots of people run happily, myself included, without a servo.
But agreed, unless you can pick up a second hand kit, its not cheap.

Don't need a servo for discs... my Allegro never had one (think it was an optional extra).

i run my car with discs and without a servo. no problems at all.

Well done all - I agree - a servo should not be necessary on a small car like the Minor, but many insist it is necessary when fitting discs..........

The reason for discs coming with servos (most of the time) is that disc brakes require more pedal pressure than drums, which equals pressing harder on the pedal.

I'm pretty sure early mini coopers were not fitted with servos despite having discs as standard.

But - they did however have a completely useless 'brake intensifier'........... and the pathetic 7" Cooper discs were worse than useless anyway. Later Minis with 8.4" discs also had no servo (initially) and they were fine !