who all is still running drum brakes up front?

Discussion in 'Technical' started by maverick7072, Dec 14, 2013.

  1. Crazy Larry

    Crazy Larry Member

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    All very good points.
     
  2. groberts101

    groberts101 Member

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    yep.. and many are also the main reasons why I can drive around older cars like these on the freeway as if they're their sitting still. ;)
     
  3. MSmithPDX

    MSmithPDX Member

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    After rear-ending someone in a situation where a big contributing factor was the 2 months I spent being unable to figure out why my drum brakes wouldn't apply evenly. The Comet isn't being driven again until it has disk brakes.
     
  4. AppMaverick

    AppMaverick Member

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    Just had the new discs bled out well for the first time... Night and day over the previous drum setup. Night and day! :thumbs2:
     
  5. injectedmav

    injectedmav Member

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    Read what I wrote again before blasting my opinion. I think discs are far superior than drums for driving in any kind of traffic and most situations. The reality is that some folks may want originality or drive their cars occasionally to shows and what not and might not justify the expense of upgrading. I use 4 wheel disc currently and I LOVE my pedal feel and stopping power but for spirited runs through the mountains, I would even step it up to 6 piston wilwoods if cost wasn't an issue. The only reason I made the above statement was to justify the need for a splash shield, nothing more
     
  6. groberts101

    groberts101 Member

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    lol.. and... here we go again. :ignore:
     
  7. Crazy Larry

    Crazy Larry Member

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    'Just making a point. That kind of thing gets stated on these forums all the time. Same for air-shocks on a Maverick. Totally bad idea, yet someone will defend it by telling you that they've been running them for 10 years and "never had a problem".

    The difference between disc & drum is in fact "night & day" as stated by someone in a previous post. I personally consider stock 11-inch Maverick/Granada discs a "basic" safety upgrade, as spending even more money on 13-inch, 6-piston 4-wheel disc brakes would be even better. I know most of us are on a budget (I certainly am). I just personally believe that the basic 11-inch disc upgrade should be a higher priority for these cars than some owners make it.

    I don't always choose the best words to express my thoughts.
     
  8. Dave B

    Dave B I like Mavericks!

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    Without either, you'd be in a lot of trouble.
     
  9. sportyfamilycar

    sportyfamilycar ElMaverick

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    If you own a Maverick or Comet with drum brakes up front, use caution. Keep more distance between you and the other driver. That simple.

    If you own a Maverick or Comet in general, use caution when roads are wet. These cars are small and tend to slide easier.

    I went from driving my 2 door Maverick to recently a 86 Dodge Ram. Both have disc up front and drums out back, no braking assists.
    I have a deserted parking lot a couple blocks away from my house. I usually do any test driving up there, especially after swaps to get a feel for things.
    I can say during my 45mph braking test (in the rain), my 5,500 pound truck didn't even remotely slide. Where as my Maverick acts like its on ice.
    Weight is the biggest factor in my opinion.

    Personally I would keep drums on a Maverick if the car was a weekend driver or I used strictly for shows.
    Driving to work everyday in heavy traffic, interstate travel, and the like calls for a disc brake swap just for mine and others safety.
     
  10. iraceitall

    iraceitall Member

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    I still have drums up front, but its a drag race only car, and I do it for the weight savings and a tight budget. If the car ends up faster than 14-flats, and I go max-effort on it (NHRA Stock Eliminator) it will get lightweight discs for sure.
     
  11. olerodder

    olerodder Member

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    As I've mentioned before, when I turned the 9.801 in the 1/4 I had drum brakes on all fours (as the car did when it raced NHRA B/SM back in the late 70's/early 80's.........) and tried to stop at the end of strip (Redding, CA drag strip has 1 return road............at the end of the strip which is short, well there is a fairly flat field..................how do I know it is fairly flat....because I went off the end of the strip into the field. The drum brakes had just been redone and were good.........just not good enough to stop the car at 133mph on the very short strip. Oh..........and the chute wouldn't deploy...............drum brakes are fine, just don't expect to stop on a dime and get any change..................IMHO
     
  12. MSmithPDX

    MSmithPDX Member

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    I always expect to stop on that Dime as long as I put a Fifty Cent piece up front for a down payment.
     
  13. Crazy Larry

    Crazy Larry Member

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    Yeah, it's weird. These cars start out with understeer, and as you try to correct for it, they get tail-happy. I supposed better tires would help. Maybe "GrabberGT" could shed some light on this.
     
  14. groberts101

    groberts101 Member

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    It's all just basic physics.

    As I'm sure GrabberGT will attest to.. lowering and stabilizing body roll with stiffer springs and sway bars will make a world of difference in any old unibodied car.

    And despite their harshness for roadgoing cars.. shorter stiffer springs are best(which also reduces the wild camber changes these particular suspensions are known for as well) since they store less energy and reduce dive.. and even more importantly reduce the subsequent rear end lift.. that results from sudden/hard turn ins.

    It's pretty sad to say.. but EXACTLY like the drum brake deficiency you often speak of.. the rear end sway and lift on these cars has killed many people through the years in street racing and during emergency meunevars. Even ones considered to be more experienced and highly skilled drivers. Regular folks don't stand much of a chance for skid recovery at higher speeds due to the severe squat and lift variations during such an event.
     
  15. injectedmav

    injectedmav Member

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    No doubt!

    Late this summer I decided to make a mountain run from NC129 around the Cherohala hwy loop, as they call it, and found out real quick that a quick brake application nearing a turn at significant speed will unsettle the rear end VERY quick. :character0182: I rode it out, but I slowed it down significantly for the remainder of the trip. And I am certainly no highly skilled driver, I was just having a little more fun than I should have but I experienced something that most newer cars don't do as bad as the old leaf sprung Maverick does. I have no trouble controlling the slight oversteer at lower speeds but the higher speeds coupled with the semi-aggressive braking seemed to really unsettle the old girl.
     

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