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Re: MGB Brake Pads

To: malcox@sonic.net, vintage-race@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: MGB Brake Pads
From: WSpohn4@aol.com
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 10:36:42 EST
In a message dated 1/16/01 12:27:45 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
malcox@sonic.net writes:


> I am trying to sort through MGB brake pad choices.
> 1) Victoria British "competion brake pad set"
> 2) VicBrit MGC brake pad set, (25% larger)
> 3) Moss brake pad set, high performance semi-metallic
> 4) Moss "oversize" brake pads, presumably MGC style
> 5) Various Hawke blends
> 6) Various Porterfield blends
> 

OK, Malcolm, we have established (through Mark) that you race an MGA.
It would be of some use to know what calipers you are using on it, as the B 
and C are not interchangeable, nor are the pads. In fact the disc is a 
different thickness on the C.

I assume that you have a reason for modifying the MGA and not using stock 
calipers - that would in fact be illegal in many racing organisations. 
Presumably availability of pads has steered you away from the stock 
Lockheeds, for there isn't any performance reason that they wouldn't be just 
fine. You might want to give consideration to going back to stock calipers, 
so as not to get the tech guys at least potentially ticked off - many of the 
pad manufacturers can bond pad material to your old backing plates. Consider 
yourself lucky that you HAVE backing plates - my Twincam is even more 
problematic without a traditional backing plate to bond to.

I don't know your car or what speed you run, but assuming that you are a 
competitive racer, I'd suggest a couple of things. Stay away from Victoria 
and Moss - they are almost certainly selling some other proprietary pad, and 
the specification will change as supplies change.

You could do what I did for many years and use Ferod DS11, but you can't find 
the damned stuff anymore, since the ban on asbestos in pad material (I think 
I used up every NOS set I could find).

Some of the Repco pads are quite fade resistent - the ones that look like 
compacted steel wool, but if your car is hard on brakes, the carbon kevlar 
seem to be the best for stopping, and have the added benefit of not needing 
warming up like the DS11s did. As the guy with the MGB said - discs are 
relatively cheap (sadly not the case with my Twincam!), and depending how 
many races a year you run, the pads and discs should last sveral seasons (or 
one conventional racing season).

Next time, when you ask a question, please give more detail - like what kind 
of car you have, for those of us that don't know you, what kind of calipers 
you have, etc.
It would certainly enhance the chances of getting useful information back.

Bill Spohn
(who's still wondering what MGC has to do with MGB brakes on an MGA)

PS - any of you MGA racers need a brand new set of competition rear shoes 
(assuming I can find them)? THEY look like compressed steel wool, and will 
not fade. They will, however, eat drums for breakfast. I picked them up years 
ago, but I'm not sure why, as I have 3 MGA's but all are Dunlop braked.

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