[Mgs] Moss Big Brake Kit

[WSpohn4 at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/2/2007 10:14:59 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
doddk at mossmotors.com writes:

Comment:  No stock engined MGB needs anything more than  properly
serviced stock brakes.

And they also thought you couldn't  drive faster than 40 mph or you would
asphyxiate. Sorry, but this comment  is hogwash. Today's bargain basement
tires have a lot more grip than the  original design specification and
many owners are going to 15" wheels  specifically to be able to use high
grip modern performance tires. Our cars  are on the road with vehicles
that have insanely good brakes so if I'm  cruising at 70 mph I'd like to
be able to stop in an emergency without rear  ending the modern car in
front of me. For safety sake any brake improvement  is a positive thing.



 
____________________________________


Uh, Kelvin, I think that the hogwash comment applies  to your statement and 
my original one is accurate.  If you can lock  the wheels with reasonable feel 
and modulation and you can do it repeatedly from  high speed, no amount of 
upgrading, including fitting Formula 1 brakes is going  to improve the situation, 
though it will certainly lighten your  wallet.
 
MGBs were always built to function to100 MPH so your comment  about 40 MPH is 
gratuitous.
 
The fact that modern rubber has better grip enhances braking,  it doesn't 
challenge the braking components. With dead stock perfectly  functioning original 
components (I keep repeating this because so many people  seem to switch from 
thrashed original components that are hardly working and  then swear that all 
the improvement was due to the new brakes, which hardly  gives the original 
equipment its due), modern rubber will give better braking  than in the 1960s.
 
The other area where braking technology has improved  considerably is brake 
pad material.  Use a decent pad that is specified for  the sort of driving you 
are going to do. Don't put in a stock street pad and  then complain if it 
fades when you come racing down a mountain.
 
If you want to be ready for extreme use, put in some modern  carbon-Kevlar 
pads. Unlike the Good Old Days, a real racing pad won't decline to  stop with 
the first couple of tries, that is they don't just work when they are  up to 
operating temperature, they work pretty darned well from the first  stop.
 
If you want more details, see my article on braking equipment  scheduled to 
be published in the September issue of the Namgar  magazine.
 
There are some cars that have substandard brakes for modern  driving. I would 
include just about any front drum brake car like the MGA 1500  in this, as 
well as some disc braked cars with inadequate brake specification -  Mini 
Coopers, for instance. 
 
MGBs are not among these, and SCCA racers have been running  for years with 
stock equipment, optimised by attending to selection of pad  material and 
suitable cooling measures.
 
I understand that many people want to convert to neat  brakes, but let's not 
pretend that these conversions are necessary for  safe braking performance.
 
Bill S.