Power Brakes vs. Manual which do you perfer

6

65racecoupe

Founding Member

Mar 24, 2002

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Tempe, AZ

Jul 23, 2004

#1

• Jul 23, 2004

• #1

That power brake thread got me thinking.

How do you guys like power brakes? Do they feel good for performance and not just the street?

I have a 4 wheel SSBC manual brake set up. I have the slotted rotors, etc. that fit 15 inch wheels or bigger. I don't have the Force 10 kit or anything.

The SSBC brakes are pretty good, but I am not sure if it is enough. I was thinking of adding a booster. My car is going to be pretty fast (that 14.2 was tuning issues people!!!!). I want to make sure that I can stop it. I just have to be judicious with my brakes. If I want to stop, I have to push them hard.

 

S

streetgrande69

Founding Member

Nov 2, 2002

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16

Splendora, Tx

Jul 23, 2004

#2

• Jul 23, 2004

• #2

power!

 

2nd Mustang

Founding Member

Feb 24, 2002

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46

Southern California

Jul 23, 2004

#3

• Jul 23, 2004

• #3

For street driving, I definitely need a booster, makes stop and go a lot easier on the foot. I would be afraid to use it on the strip though, as my "grabby" stock discs are scarey at times. I've only driven two cars on the drag strip and both had manual drums, and one only had rear brakes!

 

bud4660

Founding Member

Apr 14, 2002

459

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Mesquite, Tx

Jul 23, 2004

#4

• Jul 23, 2004

• #4

65racecoupe said:

That power brake thread got me thinking.

How do you guys like power brakes? Do they feel good for performance and not just the street?

I have a 4 wheel SSBC manual brake set up. I have the slotted rotors, etc. that fit 15 inch wheels or bigger. I don't have the Force 10 kit or anything.

The SSBC brakes are pretty good, but I am not sure if it is enough. I was thinking of adding a booster. My car is going to be pretty fast (that 14.2 was tuning issues people!!!!). I want to make sure that I can stop it. I just have to be judicious with my brakes. If I want to stop, I have to push them hard.

Click to expand...

I just did the SSBC slotted rotor kit on mine. I dont plan on using a booster. Had one on one of the other stangs like this one and the cam was too big. So it didnt work all that good to start with. Plus was in the way most of the time since I run the FE motors. And I am shooting for low to mid 6's in the eighth mile to start with. That might take a couple motor changes to get there. But we will see.....

 

3

390Fe

Founding Member

May 14, 2002

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Pottstown PA

Jul 23, 2004

#5

• Jul 23, 2004

• #5

My vote would be for power... one panic stop should convice you

 

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bull999999

New Member

Jun 26, 2004

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Jul 23, 2004

#6

• Jul 23, 2004

• #6

Edited to include the full quote.

The SSBC site states that:

"Many of the early muscle cars did not have power brakes. Power brakes were an option on 1967 and later models. Because of the increased valve overlap used in higher horsepower engines developed in many cars, there was not enough vacuum to run the boosters. Many of the restored muscle cars have the same problem. Manual disc brakes work fine. Boosters are designed to use less effort to stop. We offer many kits with manual or power disc brakes.

18” of vacuum is required to allow a booster to operate correctly! "

So if you are planning on going for a wild setup, the power brake will be out of the question, unless you run a vaccum pump.

 

Hack

15 Year Member

Mar 23, 2004

1,945

13

69

Minneapolis

Jul 23, 2004

#7

• Jul 23, 2004

• #7

I think manual is by far superior. New cars have fairly good power booster systems, where you still have some brake feel. Older cars' power brakes and power steering are too overpowered for my taste.

I used to hate my manual brakes when I had 4 wheel drums. Now that I finished the Granada disc conversion, everything is great!

 

Tim65GT

Active Member

Feb 24, 2004

1,149

2

39

West Texas

Jul 23, 2004

#8

• Jul 23, 2004

• #8

I much prefer power

I added a power booster/dual MC kit to my GT with a combination valve and I love it. I mainly wanted to get rid of the unsafe single MC, but figured since I was upgrading, I might as well go with power. If you don't mind standing on the pedal for a quick stop, go with manual, it has a better feel. If you want comfort and confidence, go with power.

 

dodgestang

Active Member

Dec 15, 2003

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37

Cecil County, MD

Jul 23, 2004

#9

• Jul 23, 2004

• #9

I have 4 wheel disc from SSBC with slotted rotors on the front.

With manual brakes they slowed the car from 5500 in OD (.68) with my 25.5 tall back tire to 2600 in OD pretty darn fast

 

zookeeper

Founding Member

Aug 25, 2001

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109

Rogue River, Oregon

Jul 23, 2004

#10

• Jul 23, 2004

• #10

The power brakes on my '88GT work very well as far as stopping power, feedback, etc. Now you need to remember, those cars weren't exactly known for stopping ability, but for the street I think they're top-notch. The manual discs on my wife;s '69 Corvette are less than great. You need to be pretty stout-legged to haul that car down from speed. I refer to them as "the original ABS system". That being said, I plan to install non-power discs on my '68. Why? Simplicity. The less crap you put on the car, the less crap there is to break. Willwood uses 2 small bore master cylinders rather than one bigger bore to increase stopping power and decrease pedal effort, so that's what my '68 will have. that is if I ever get the damn thing painted...

 

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gt/cs

New Member

Dec 11, 2002

105

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SW California

Jul 23, 2004

#11

• Jul 23, 2004

• #11

I have manual brakes, the SSBC 11" slotted rotor kit on the front and stock drums in the back, 225/15/60s all around. I've practiced threshold breaking in the car (gotta make sure the brakes work ) and I don't have any problems maxing the available traction on the tires.

My only complaint is that when I'm driving a newer car that does have power brakes I sometimes forget and about snap my neck off

 

G

gp001

Founding Member

Jun 30, 2001

4,401

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66

So. Cal.

Jul 23, 2004

#12

• Jul 23, 2004

• #12

POWER. I have the Trans Am Racing master/booster setup, SSBC 11.75" standard disk front, and 11" Explorer disk rear. My car stops absolutely quick with little effort. I always know I have more brake than I need.