12 replies to this topic

[tobiasnugent]

basically looking at the conversion kit and seeing that it is £700+ pounds
wondered if there is any other way to do it ? bit of a DIY job ?
using other cars brakes or something ?


has any one done it

[tobiasnugent]

thanks very much i wouldnt do it to save some pennys but my dad insists.

[Grayedout]

but my dad insists.

Why?

If its a question of safety then concentrate on the front brakes as they do all the work ! The danger of greatly uprating the rears is locking them whilst braking which can be very dangerous.

[Bungle]

as above


is dad trying to kill you off ?

[dave21478]

Well maintained rear drums are the perfect balance for the rear of a mini under all braking conditions. Massively upgrading them is actually very dangerous. Under braking, the weight of the car transfers forwards, so the front brakes do most of the work. As this weight tranfers, it leaves the rear wheels with much LESS grip than normal, so having powerfull brakes on the rear will cause the back wheels to lock up before the fronts, which will make the car spin very easilly. If you go with rear discs, you MUST fit an adjustable bias valve and have it set to avoid locking up the rear wheels. Thing is, doing this gives the rear discs the same stopping power as the original drums, making the conversion pointless.

Rear discs CAN be an option if you want to reduce unsprung weight on the car in the quest for better handling, but the hassles of doing this conversion outweigh the benefits under braking massively.

[Natalie]

Does a 998 need rear discs? |

[tobiasnugent]

its not the 998! and cheers for the info ill just get better drum brakes

[taffy1967]

Well serviced rear drums work fine, I had my shoes and cylinders replaced for the MOT and what a difference it makes now.

[THE ANORAK]

as already said, you really dont need disc brakes on the rear of a mini.

i would strongly suggest that your dad reads up on these things before he starts "insisting" on them

[tobiasnugent]

thanks every one,saves me a large amount of money

[minidan]

yea minifins or superfins are good. and just keep the drum very well maintained .

but most of all make sure they are frequently adjusted to keep them working at their best. i just re-adjusted mine after about 3000 miles (because i forgot lol )
and the brake pedal feels a lot better and the car stops better.

i considered the rear discs thing for my project but im really glad i did some reading up first because i think they are a big waste of time for a road car.

maybe a race mini would benefit from the reduced weight and reliability but thats it.

[M44K TS]

also, drum brakes are better for handbrakes as i found out one day with my mothers car, pulled onto the drive, handbrake on, went inside, came back out an hour later to find the car resting against the front door.

When the handbrake was on, the discs cooled and shrunk, effectivley loosening the handbrake

Mind you, this was a Citroen Xantia and the handbrake works on the front wheels