Front disc brake question

ragtag · May 03, 2011, 07:36:32 AM

Guys ... I don't have much experience with front disc brakes brakes on a hiboy. Take a look at the disc brakes/14" wire wheel combo in the picture. To me they don't look tucked in under the wire wheel very much. I guess my question is what can be done to change the look? Would, say a 15" steel wheel with a different back spacing improve the look? Or can you get wire wheels with different offsets to tuck the brake assembly inside the wheel more. What do you think? [/img]

Charlie Chops 1940 · May 03, 2011, 09:28:20 AM

You would need a major change in wheel width and back space to cover the caliper. I run 15x6 steel wheels with 3-3.25" back space and the caliper inboard of the mounting bracket still shows. I'm okay with that.

A 15x5 or 6" wire wheel that is front laced might get you there but I don't have a lot of experience with them.

Charlie

ragtag · May 03, 2011, 10:52:15 AM

Thanks Charlie. That's what I was affraid of. The wire wheels are from Wheelsmith. I guess I need to call them and see what they can do in a 15" for me.

wayne petty · May 03, 2011, 11:08:55 AM

thats a really great question...

that is a seriously large brake caliper for that exposure....

some really creative person with a CNC machine could possibly come up with a new pair of sleek calipers for open wheeled cars.....

something that looks stylish.. the problem would be how many would they fit..

just had a side thought .. how about a faring like small aircraft wheels..

back to the main idea... a multi piston caliper that drapes over the top and partly down the back of the rotor.. perhaps the outer shape would be tubular by starting with a much larger block of material.. and removing the blockish exterior after the bores and rotor gutter were completed.. it might require several sets of pads that are pin retained.. or perhaps just hockey pucks.. that fit into circular notches above the pistons...

geeze.. i feel like i am describing a

i would look at various caliper manufacturers.. see if they offer anything sleek... think brembo.. i used to have a contact there.. i don't know if he will remember me..

some of the exotic calipers i have seen have used small diameter 1"+ pistons.. in multiples.. so the force applied is the same and proper ratios are still kept.. in the surface inches of hydraulic apply area... or what ever its called...

i seem to recall. that one caliper had multiple sized pistons.....

it really depends... on cubic money.. or having a mill or CNC .. i have neither so all i can do is post my ideas... and some rough drawings... i have done 2 dental office interior designs.. and it's wild when you walk through a building that you drew the entire design of.. knowing were everything is even inside the walls is really neat.. worst.. i did not get pictures.. no cameras at that time.. and current occupants are freaked when i stop in and ask for photos.. think i am some kind of lawyer ... going to take them to the cleaners.. best joke about it.. we had a second store front when the second one was done.. who could we get in that office.. dental on one side.. i thought proctologist.. call the group .. one end or the other. it did not fly.. it was a stinker of a joke..

i push the send button with the hope that crosley will reappear as i have not seen him post since i posted the rough draft of the transmission crane.. perhaps he is just bent over laughing so hard he cannot type.. ...

GPster · May 03, 2011, 02:37:11 PM

Quote from: "wayne petty"some really creative person with a CNC machine could possibly come up with a new pair of sleek calipers for open wheeled cars.....

Years ago I had a '77 Harley Superglide and the caliper mount for the front brake tended to make the mounting braket in the front forks lower leg sloppy. It was a single piston caliper. Performance Machine made billet 2 piston calipers that mounted to the front fork that could be mounted solid and braked from both sides of the disc. I just Googled them and I see they also seem to now make calipers for SUVs. Maybe you can look around on their site and get som ideas. GPster

wayne petty · May 03, 2011, 03:14:10 PM

http://www.xtremediesel.com/images/products/detail/A1931R.jpg

a miniature version of the above caliper..

look at how sleek the cover image of the top catalog caliper is...

http://www.brembo.com/US/RacingProducts/SportsCar/New+Sports+Car+Catalog.htm

well those are mostly big giant endurance calipers... section 4 shows some sleek calipers... still big monsters...

ragtag · May 03, 2011, 05:47:42 PM

Here is the same car with Wilwood brakes and they don't seem to tuck in under the wheels either. I sent some pictures to Wheelsmith so they can look at it and hopefully give me some good ideas. Rich

wayne petty · May 03, 2011, 06:11:46 PM

i wonder.. and i don't want to get kicked off this board...

what would happen... just for a trial run... with some of the wide later model mustang or crown victoria rims on the front.. the ones with the big offset..

some nice wide tires on the front.. the brakes tucked deep inside... taken out for a drive... see how much better it steers around corners.. how much faster it stops during a panic stop...

done as night so nobody will see it..... unless you have some moon discs to stick on the outside...

this is just a sick and stupid idea.. and should be ignored.. if you want the front brakes hidden.. you have to hide them with a wheel large enough to do it.. with enough offset to cover it...
with the center of the tire patch that far out from the king pin center.. man.. if you hit something with one wheel... i might break your fingers or thumb if you have them inside the spokes of the steering wheel..

what... think leverage... fulcrum points..

this is just for a trial... not for a finished car... i don't know what your bolt pattern is.... i should know.. but i don't..

something with the offset like this corvette rim and tire....

http://www.zorly.com/images_corvette/09-06-08/Michelin%20Pilot%20Sport%20PS2%20-%20tyrereviews.jpg

Charlie Chops 1940 · May 03, 2011, 06:49:40 PM

It's the same problem encountered with 45 fin Buick drums. They require a steel 15" wheel with right about a 3.25" back space which is usually a 6" wide rim.

Charlie

ragtag · May 03, 2011, 09:18:37 PM

Here is the same car with 15" x 5 wide steel wheels and the rotors tuck in pretty good like Charlie said they would. I guess that size wire wheel was the problem. Rich

Warpspeed · May 04, 2011, 08:01:20 PM

I am not so sure really wide front wheels and tires would look any better than a protruding brake caliper.
Unfortunately the required lacing of spoked wheels sets definite limits on what can be done with width and offset.

Only solution I can think of right now might be to use two smaller calipers per wheel, maybe from a motorbike ? Not a brilliant idea, I know, but it should be able to give you reasonable total piston area and caliper rigidity without sticking out as far.