The V8 Owners Forum -

I have been pondering a few things about brakes for my new project, Most modern cars use single pot sliding calipers, the reason I think they are used, they are easy to make, Modern cars have the disc sandwiched between the wheel and the hub, the wheel makes a superb heat sink as the caliper has very little metal to lose heat from,
Older cars, Like I tend to have a penchant for tend to have the disc mounted inboard of the hub, and rely on disc/hub and calliper to dissipate the heat, and use full bodied calipers to help with this.
I cant ever remember seeing a single type as a factory fit on a inboard mounted disc, only on hub mounted discs.
If I am right in my assumptions, would I be right in not using single pot floating calipers, especially as I am limited on my disc size. I would be better off using a 4 pot alloy caliper with the largest pad area I can find??

Hi Ian, how are the sea rats?
I have some Granada Cosworth sliding calipers with nice cooling fins on the piston housing. This would help with your heat dissipation concerns.

As you say the sliding caliper single piston idea were a cost saving device.

However unless you are using deep inset wheels such as used on FWD cars, the piston housing of a sliding type caliper will probably cause clearance problems on full lock. They do tend to be bulky towards the inboard direction and of course move in another 6 ish mm as the pads wear.

BTW, what's the project.

Denis

What car, what usage, what diameter disc etc etc etc

Brakes on modern cars are very very good, and even a simple pad upgrade on most will give brakes capable of doing a lot of hard work. And most modern cars are bloody heavy too.

Sliding calipers are cheaper to make, and the floating nature probably helps mask any warpage etc a little. they are also generally fairly thin as far as wheel clearance goes too.

Whatever caliper you decide upon, just make sure there are a good range of performance pads available for them, and at sensible prices.

Later P6 Rovers had single piston inboard discs. The calliper didn't slide, though - it swivelled.

Devonrod wrote:http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_in ... s_id=13593

Hello Dave,
Front brakes mate, You must have a pair of calipers tucked away in your garage, I know you have everything else, including a washing machine 27 engines, and 3 cars last time I was up there,

Ian, I dont know what you are suggesting !, My garage is uncluttered and spotless-

Cool, makes my garage look spotless !!

Hell yes, even mine suddenly looks good.

That garage is a bit of a Tardis, You need a map to get from one end to the other, I can Remember when you could walk from one end to the other.---- 30 years ago!!!!!!

ian.stewart wrote:That garage is a bit of a Tardis, You need a map to get from one end to the other, I can Remember when you could walk from one end to the other.---- 30 years ago!!!!!!

That was before the two Devons got together and had a third named Dorset.


Dave, can I borrow the workmate and the step ladder please? Oh! and the Dorset

DEVONMAN wrote:

ian.stewart wrote:That garage is a bit of a Tardis, You need a map to get from one end to the other, I can Remember when you could walk from one end to the other.---- 30 years ago!!!!!!

That was before the two Devons got together and had a third named Dorset.


Dave, can I borrow the workmate and the step ladder please? Oh! and the Dorset

Sorry Denis, need the workmate as I work on it on the pavement no room to work in the garage, no kidding !!!