OP
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,140 |
Originally posted by Rara:
Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
I know how this works, guys. I know "balance is the key", Rara. I was just wondering if there was any little part that could make adjusting bias easy. I'm not going to hack up the proportioning valve, I need it to be reversable.
If you REALLY wanted to do it, you would need to gut the stock valve so it is just a pass through, and then install aftermarket adjustable prop valves in the rear lines. One for each side, because this is a diagonal split system.
Thanks. That's what I wanted to know. I was afraid that was the only way to do it. I've been poking around for a used prop valve in good enough shape to pull. I might end up getting a new one if this goes wrong. In any case, I want to keep costs down and be able to revert to stock.
Originally posted by Rara:
Quote:
I plan on testing any mods I do carefully, and backing off when I go too far.
Um, do you have your own proving grounds I don't know about? How would you go about doing high speed dynamic testing???? let alone safely . . .
A friend of mine owns a restaurant a litte out of town. It has a long paved parking lot that I romp around in to keep sharp. 60 mph stops are no problem. And I can interpolate data for higher speeds, to a certain degree. I won't be messing with the stock knee too much, I don't think.
Originally posted by Rara:
Quote:
I know what happens in a car when the rears lock up first. I know I don't want that. I also know that Ford really played it safe with the biasing,
If Ford played it as "safe" as you claim, they would have cost reduced out the rear brakes entirely. Ford still has performance targets, both internal, and regulatory to meet. So, rear brakes are biased as much as they safely can be with the factory brake components.
I told you, I've done quite a bit of research, and I believe that it is common to see a car with less than optimum biasing. Some Sentras are too rear biased, for some assinine reason. Also, if I do this, my car will not be on stock suspension for long. I'm still debating making the Contour my track car, and holding off on mods for now.
Originally posted by Rara:
Quote:
and that while 70-80% of the weight is still on the rear tires under hard braking, only 10% or so of braking force is applied there.
This is damn near the funniest thing I've ever read. A car w/ a 80% rear weight dist. wouldn't be able to steer around a corner, it would understeer like mad even under mild cornering.
Sorry, typo. I meant 70-80% of the weight is up front under threshold braking.
Originally posted by Rara:
Quote:
I want a better match, so that when I threshold brake under worst-case scenarios, I put just a tiny bit less than makes the rear go first. I know how brakes should be set up for racing, I just wanted to know how to get them there.
Get more aggressive pads then. Better performance all around. Are you going to be actually racing your contour? on a track? Do you have high performance driver training? Do you have brake development training to know how to actually tell where you are when modifying the bias?
Probably not on most if not all of those accounts. I'd recommend sticking with street parts, or at the very least stuff available from reputable brake upgrade suppliers.
I'm running bendix right now. I will go with a track pad when and if this becomes a track car. And yes, I Solo 2 as much as possible now, and am looking to get into Solo 1 this summer. I just haven't decided on a car. I keep going back and forth between the contour and a miata. I know the Miata is a better race car, but I want to prove how fast a Contour can be. And I won't be on the track much, it's all auto-x and hillclimbs around here. But hillclimbs are close to the track. I have taken an auto-x focused school, and am taking a full-blown school as soon as I pick a car and get it track-ready. I am an engineer, and understand braking systems very well. I have a friend who tracks his 94 and 03 Cobras and will help with the setup. Rara, you are one of the few people I fully respect here, please realize I'm not a stupid punk kid who just pulled an idea out of his ass. I wanted to get your take on this now since this will all happen over the summer when I will be on dial-up, when I have a comp at all, and so I'm doing research now. Do you really think there is no more braking to be had by doing this?
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