Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 11:25:17 -0400
Reply-To: Gary Stearns <gstearns@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Gary Stearns <gstearns@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Stainless Steel Brake Lines...brake performance tips
Are you referring to braided stainless bake hoses? If so, don't think
they'd have much value in a Vanagon. They are intended for racing and high
performance applications. The "braided stainless" part refers to the
stainless wire mesh cloth that surrounds the rubber hoses inside. The
intent is to keep the rubber hoses from expanding or bursting under very,
very high pedal pressure. They do add some brake "feel" on a street driven
car, but only in extreme applications.
If better brakes is what you seek, there are so many other places you should
go first.
Cryogenically frozen rotors, drilled rotors, slotted rotors, bigger rotors,
rear discs, metallic pads, carbon pads (try www.carbothecheng.com ) ,
silicon DOT 5 brake fluid, etc., etc.
As with so many other Vanagon issues, it's the heat built up by the brakes
that causes them to feel inadequate and makes the pedal feel like it's
headed for the floor. The easier places to start are: get the moisture out
of the hydraulics (brake fluid is "hydroscopic", it attracts and is
contaminated by moisture even in a closed system). When contaminated by
water, the water near the caliper boils when the system gets hot. This
boiling creates vapor bubbles that are compressable; hence mushy brake
pedal. Similarly average quality brake pads also vaporize under extreme
use. This creates a layer of gas between the pad and the rotor lubricating
the friction area. Result: you gotta push much harder. This gas buildup
is the reason for drilled or slotted rotors. The holes and slots give this
gas a place to go. You could then get better pads/shoes. Semi metallic or
carbon pads have higher friction coefficients and don't "gas off" 'till much
higher temps. The exception here can be the semi-met. pads which sometimes
feel like you have no brakes at all until they warm up. Can be scary.
Finally, rig some dryer hose or vent hose from the two intakes in the
air-dam so that they blow on the back of the rotors. This is a racing
technique that requires cutting an opening in the brake backing plate and
attaching the hose. On the Vanagon these air-dam openings are pretty much
just decorative, but this is where the look originated.
I found that simpy thoroughly flushing and bleeding the brakes and clutch
hydraulics made a big difference in both.
Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Dorm <mark_hb@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2000 3:34 AM
Subject: Stainless Steel Brake Lines
> Has anyone put stainless steel brake lines in? We're none of the Vanagons
> equiped with them? So how are they?
>
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