Useless brakes

[Anthraxnz]

hi there

i know that VNs have the worst brakes on the planet, but mine are exceptionally bad.

i got new rotors and pads on the front and they didnt seem to make any difference.

if i try to do a burnout for example, brake push down as hard as i can the car just rolls forwards reluctantly.

could it be that my master brake cylinder is rooted? im thinking about putting twin pot calipers from a SS on the front with the 290mm rotors.

apparently you need a 1" bore to use these brakes, and according to my gregories manual all VNs have the 1" bore, is this true and how could i tell without pulling it off?

Cheers

[TVR-190]

u need the VT brake upgrade

burnouts aye, hopefully on a track

[Anthraxnz]

lol yeah always on the track or my driveway.

VT upgrade requires hub adapters which look dodgy, and they cost like $1500 for some vague description of what your getting

[hakhawk]

vn v6 had 15/16", v8 had 1"

most of them have 15/16 or 1 stamped on the front of the master cylinder.

and something that i think everyone should do, is a stronger bracket that bolts to the front of the master cylinder.

get someone to push the pedal to the floor, while you watch the master cylinder from the side. with firewall flex, mine moved around 4mm. they say 5mm of movement equates to 25mm of lost pedal travel.

if youve got a hacksaw, hammer, vice and a drill, you can make your own bracket for the price of a small piece of 3mm aluminum.



http://lowagz.sytes.net/pictures/brakes/IMAGE_00042.jpg
http://lowagz.sytes.net/pictures/brakes/IMAGE_00043.jpg
http://lowagz.sytes.net/pictures/brakes/IMAGE_00044.jpg

[Anthraxnz]

Cheers for that ill have a look at it when i have a spare person and time

[LowVp]

if you are pushing the pedal hard to the floor to light the rear bags thats half your drama as you are starting to pull on the rear brakes too

[Pub247]

I think you need to bleed your brakes properly. Vn's are far from the worst brakes out there ever driven a car with 4 wheel drums?

[88GreenVN]

Power booster can be knackered too.

[Chirpstr]

VN V6 S-Pac had a 1" M/C

[VrWagz1]

+1 for Hawkhawk, iv got a stronger one in mine to try and take some of that flex away. Its slightly disturbing how much flex you get.

And possibly you have a booster thats dying maybe. I'd be doing somthing about them soon, the brakes suck as they are let alone not working properly

[jas98]

did putting the stronger bracket on help with breaking? like was it noticeable??

cheers

[hakhawk]

did putting the stronger bracket on help with breaking? like was it noticeable??

cheers

was a bit hard to tell for me, as i swapped to v8 rotors, calipers and master cylinder and the bracket all around the same time.

[immortality]

can you hear a sucking sound when oyu apply the brakes? if you put your foot on the brake and start the car does the pedal sink? non/ a little/ a lot? if you have your foot on the brake and switch the engine off does the pedal come up or stay where it is?

hakhawk. nice job on the bracket. working on something similar for mine at the mo

[Dan355]

lol yeah always on the track or my driveway.

VT upgrade requires hub adapters which look dodgy, and they cost like $1500 for some vague description of what your getting

They cost less than $500 a pair and many people use them without any dramas. Try bleeding the brakes as mentioned first. It probly hasnt been done for years.

[Anthraxnz]

na i've done the fluid.

what needs to be done for VT calipers? they bolt onto the standard mounts on a VN but what sort of rotors? will the VN V8 ones do?

[VrWagz1]

vt rotors^^^

[savage1987]

I just got slotted standard size front rotors, to be honest they work just fine for me. That's what I'd be looking at doing first if I were you.. don't expect miracles, but it's definitely an improvement. Plus you're increasing the front bias (effectively) so burnouts become that much easier if you're that way inclined..

Sam

[immortality]

They cost less than $500 a pair and many people use them without any dramas. Try bleeding the brakes as mentioned first. It probly hasnt been done for years.

thats in aussie, once you land em here in NZ with the difference in exchange rates and tax's and duties a AU$700-800 kit easily becomes NZ$1300-1500

try these guys http://www.twobros.co.nz/catalog/pro...roducts_id=161 (hubs only) so would still need to find new rotors, calipers/pads and new brake lines. they are about the cheapest i've seen in NZ

[Anthraxnz]

are billet hubs dodgy? or are they just as good as putting the proper rotors on; strength wise?

[Anthraxnz]

Braided Hoses	208.89	http://www.twobros.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_95&products_id=159
2nd Hand VT Calipers	146.67	http://www.twobros.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_99&products_id=39
Hub Adaptors	440	http://www.twobros.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_122&products_id=161
Master Brake Cylinder	330.7	http://www.twobros.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_96&products_id=42
VT Brake Rotors	70	
Total: $1196

[Anthraxnz]

i now think i have a leaking Master Cylinder, when i pump the pedal and hold it down then turn the engine on the pedal drops, then continues to fall slowly.

my manual said this could be a problem with the Hydraulic system

[Dan355]

thats in aussie, once you land em here in NZ with the difference in exchange rates and tax's and duties a AU$700-800 kit easily becomes NZ$1300-1500

try these guys Two Brothers Performance Parts Ltd (hubs only) so would still need to find new rotors, calipers/pads and new brake lines. they are about the cheapest i've seen in NZ

Fark... Didnt realise that!

[Paiste402]

i now think i have a leaking Master Cylinder, when i pump the pedal and hold it down then turn the engine on the pedal drops, then continues to fall slowly.

my manual said this could be a problem with the Hydraulic system

na mate thats ur booster i belive thats loosing pressure. Is it getting really hard to push the pedal as well? Any hissing noise? If u have these then its ur booster, not too hard to change as ive just done mine myself not long ago.

[immortality]

i now think i have a leaking Master Cylinder, when i pump the pedal and hold it down then turn the engine on the pedal drops, then continues to fall slowly.

my manual said this could be a problem with the Hydraulic system

if the pedal drops when you start the engine then the booster is fuctioning. if the pedal pushes your foot up when you stop the engine then you have a problem with the one way valve on the booster.

if the pedal drops and then keeps going down you either have a leak somewhere or your MC is kaput.

last night my booster failed completly. started braking going down a hill and the pedal was almost completly solid. could hear lots of sucking noise, changes when you apply the pedal. when i switched the engine off the pedal pushed back up under my foot. very odd sensation. think i'm up for a new booster. think i'll fit a late model one so that when i upgrade to VT brakes it's all sorted.

don't forget to add GST to those prices for the brake parts.
i figure i only need the hubs and lines. i can get the other stuff elswhere cheaper

[Anthraxnz]

i pulled the valve off and theres suction, i blew into the manifold side and it didnt leak or allow air to pass through.

the pedal does come up when i turn the engine off, so is the valve stuffed and my mouth doesnt have enough PSI to test the valve with?