High initial bite parking brake shoes? or just get stockers?

[biggreen96]

I play hard and now my parking brakes are at their end. It's almost prime time for donuts and sideways hijinks in the snow! Has anybody even ever heard of better parking brake shoes? I sure haven't...

I really really want to fab up a WRC style hand brake lever too, that would be sooo cool. Label it "pull this handle for fun"

[555BCTurbo]

I really really want to fab up a WRC style hand brake lever too, that would be sooo cool. Label it "pull this handle for fun"

Do a hydraulic setup...


Look at a VW parts supplier for the lever/master cylinder setup...as I recall, they are like $50

[biggreen96]

sounds like a cool project, but how to convert the rear drums to hydros...? Or would you just leave the internal working of the drum parking brake alone and replace the majority of cable with hydro fluid?

[n2x4]

Doesn't yanking the ebrake hurt the tranny? Front wheels still spinning, rears stopped?

[tris91ricer]

Yes, but only if you leave it engaged for a long time. Even though we have AWD, there are still certain maneuvers that cannot be done without the assistance of the ebrake.
So, what I've heard is that you yank it just long enough to get a slide going, then drop it real quick and hit the gas.

[biggreen96]

Yes, but only if you leave it engaged for a long time. Even though we have AWD, there are still certain maneuvers that cannot be done without the assistance of the ebrake.
So, what I've heard is that you yank it just long enough to get a slide going, then drop it real quick and hit the gas.

yeah I do ebrake slides alot, I haven't ever held it longer than maybe 1 second. I don't have any issues.

[Murphy]

thats what the center differential is for isnt it? to all the wheel speed to vary

i need to check my e-brakes out, i think they are shot, only one wheel locks and it only locks if you pull the lever further than its actually supposed to go

[mgroshong]

my e-brake has been mia sence i got the car. i'm interested in the hydraulic set up, more info on this.

[biggreen96]

yeah thats what it's for, but it will roast if you vary the speed too much for too long. Otherwise I'd be doing the lunch tray trick all the time!

[biggreen96]

ok I did more searching about this and found more of what you were talking about Nick. http://www.driftcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4374

That page has some links to some cool pre-made solutions. But since I have a nice new tig welder I think this will be an eventual project. Just need to score a little hydro cylinder from the junkyard and some inventive bracketry, lines and a flare tool I'll be bustin' donuts with less effort.

this looks like it would go in the stock location maybe, and look stockish... but I think I would still go for the "near the wheel lever" wrc style.

[skid542]

Just throwing this out there...

There is a reason that the ebrake is on a cable - a second fully independent redudant braking system. Having had a car that threw a brake pad while braking and consequently loosing all brake line pressure the only way to stop was the cable actuated ebrake. For a street driven car, the ebrake really should be fully independant. Cars that have the rear brake caliper as the ebrake have it setup such that you have to rotate the piston as you push it back in it. I do not fully understand how their system works but it is independent.

So if something happens and you break a line you may be in a world of hurt without that cable. Just a thought.

That said, it would be nice to have a smooth very controlled ebrake system.

[555BCTurbo]

I'd say run both systems in parallel...since the hydro system would actuate the rear service brakes

[biggreen96]

Yeah I like the idea of keeping the cable brake for actual parking and emergencies. That just makes the "WRC near the dash style lever" more attractive.