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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/27/2017 in all areas

  1. williaty

    Big Brake Upgrades

    So, I design performance suspension and brakes for a living. 1) Yes, doing a BBK almost always screws up MANY things, including the ABS/TCS. I say nearly always because a VERY FEW aftermarket BBK manufacturers design intelligently around this problem. 2) Doing a BBK almost always INCREASES STOPPING DISTANCE. There's two reasons for this: a) almost all modern disc brake systems are capable of locking any wheel/activating ABS if you're man enough to push on the pedal that hard (most people won't push hard enough, weirdly) so the car is traction limited, not brake limited. The BBKs alter the brake bias/balance, which pushes one end of the car into lockup/ABS activation sooner while allowing the other end to do less work. Result is that your braking performance gets worse. I say nearly always because a VERY FEW aftermarket BBK manufacturers design intelligently around this problem. 3) BBKs are NOT about getting more braking force, they're about having more rotor surface area to dissipate heat. Unless you already have high-temp brake pads and high-temp brake fluid and you're STILL getting brake fade, you DO NOT NEED A BBK. 4) BBKs reduce suspension performance, even when you're not touching the brake pedal, because they increase unsprung mass and unsprung mass is ALWAYS bad. BBKs are almost never a good idea. If you're doing a race build and you need more cooling, your first step should always be to duct air from the high pressure zone in front of the front bumper into the center of the brake rotor to provide cooling. Only once you can't get any more air blowing over the rotor should you finally give up and put a bigger rotor on there. There are extremely rare exceptions to this and they all revolve around putting a larger rotor on the rear to shift brake bias rearwards since all production cars today have a heavily front-weighted brake bias. Shifting the bias rearwards reduces understeer and allows more brake force to be applied to the road before any tire locks up/activates ABS. THIS IS A RARE CASE THOUGH.
    1 point
  2. No portholes, no crushed velvet, if I still had my 65 econoline, then yes to both. night 2 in the van on this trip. Happy that my fan doesn't leak in the rain. We're just shy of 1000 miles from home. Also, zero condensation in the van, very happy about that. materials wise for the next phase, I have the sound deadener I used earlier, then it will get some MLV, then 3m thinsulate. As for panels/covers, it'll all be grey, various shades, and likely a stiff cloth, maybe vinyl. Going to add some storage pockets to the back upper panels for stuff like wallet and keys etc. thanks for riding along.
    1 point
  3. What's next? I am currently 500 miles into a 5000 mile road trip, heading to Asheville, NC for Overland Expo East. So, what's next is some seat time. my foam cushions are too firm, should have listened to the foam guy, but I was stubborn, so what's next is likely new foam for my bed cushions. After that, I'm planning on more sound deadening and some insulation, as well as finishing off the interior space with panels/upholstery on the back walls, and filling in "where windows would be" on the sliding doors. And a headliner. As time and money allows.
    1 point
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