Mark,
Here are two main reasons why drum brakes would be out of place on a circuit:
http://www.tpub.com/basae/170.htm
Excessive water and heat. On several occasions in my chequered past I have seen
drum equipped cars lock up on one wheel and dart across the track and off into
the bushes during heavy rain in competition. Also, during hot summer days on a
track with elevation changes I've seen cars drive off the run-off lane with
faded brakes or ram other cars. Also, cars driven at LeMans and Sebring weren't
driven by weekend drivers.
Cheers,
Mike
Mark Palmer wrote:
> Mike,
>
> AS this debate goes on, your arguments make less and less sense to me.
> Comparing disc brakes/drum brakes to Spitfire swing axles is, well, they're
> two completely different things. Claiming that drum-braked cars (or any
> sports car)were never intended for track use is gratuitous -- they were, in
> fact, raced and raced hard in their day. One need only to consider LeMans
> or Sebring fields to realize that. They were dual-purpose vehicles,
> obviously not as capable as a pure sports-racer or formula car but they were
> certainly not limited to street duty only.
>
> Your assertion that inexperienced drivers should have "the extra safety of
> disc brakes" is simply begging the question.
>
> No one is claiming that drum brakes are superior. However, they are
> ADEQUATE and safe for racing on most (perhaps not all) of the cars
> originally equipped, when properly maintained and adjusted. I have still
> not heard any argument that convinces me that disc brakes are always
> necessary for safety in racing.
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