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Sat May 19, 2012 1:42 pm

I need to install front brakes on my buggy. Front suspension is KP. I will post photos. Got any suggestions?

Sat May 19, 2012 1:45 pm

Got any suggestions for good ways to put brakes on this? disk vs. drum?

Sat May 19, 2012 3:31 pm

What you have is KP with backing plates removed, and the drum shaved down into a disc. Most would tell you to go with the KP or wide 5 type 3
front brakes, superior stopping power to the stock type 1. I myself
would be looking into an inexpensive front disc brake set up.

Sun May 20, 2012 11:19 am

This is what i have found so far...
http://www.appletreeauto.com/product.php?productid=19146&cat=662&page=1

http://www.appletreeauto.com/product.php?productid=19584&cat=662&page=1

The first one on this page
http://www.dansperformanceparts.com/buggy/tcbh/buggytcbh1.htm

Wasn't sure if these were the cheapest or most efficient options. I am probably putting new brakes on the rear also b/c i need an E-brake.

Sun May 20, 2012 5:39 pm

Another thing, would anyone recommend this master cylinder for a 4 wheel brake application? It's one of the only ones that will fit my pedal assembly.
http://www.appletreeauto.com/product.php?productid=16650&cat=10&page=1

Tue May 22, 2012 6:40 pm

Quote: Most would tell you to go with the KP or wide 5 type 3
front brakes, superior stopping power to the stock type 1. I myself
would be looking into an inexpensive front disc brake set up.

I wouldn't recommend that...

Stick with the stock front drum brakes. On a sand rail, which has a VERY light front end, you don't want all that stopping force up front. The front tires will lock up and slide long before the rears will. Once your front tires stop rotating you lose your ability to steer, and believe me, that is a scary thing when you are still moving!

Cars generally run the stronger brakes up front. This is due to weight transfer during deceleration. Even the VW Beetle, which has a static rear weight bias, used the strongest brakes up front because of the weight transfer during deceleration. What happens is that the mass of the automobile above the level of the axles carries a lot of momentum. When you hit the brakes to slow the car down, the momentum of that mass will bear down on the front tires. This increases the effective forward weight bias of the car. This extra downward pressure on the front tires increases the force of friction between the road and the front tire. The opposite happens to the back of the car. To compensate for the uneven forces, different braking forces must be applied in order to have the same net effect on the front and back wheels to keep the cars handling in check.

A sand rail is a very extreme case. Not only is there a crazy static rear wight bias, but there is not much mass above the axles to net much weight transfer. Because of this, we need more brakes on the back, and less on the front to maintain a good balance for the best handling on deceleration.

Here is another tip. Swap the front and rear cylinders. The front ones have a larger bore than the rear ones do. By swapping them, you effectively bias the brakes towards the rear of your sand rail where they are most needed.

Long story short, don't run disks up front on a rail unless your using equal or better brakes on the back.

Tue May 22, 2012 7:26 pm

I am putting new disk brakes on the rear and I was thinking of putting new disk brakes on the front and just using a proportioning valve on the front. I've heard this works just fine.

Tue May 22, 2012 7:53 pm

That will work fine. Personally I think disks on the front are still over kill...but thats just me. What's the point of using a nice brake up front if you have to de-tune it with a proportioning valve?

The only thing I can think of is less brake wear...but honestly, I just don't see that being worth the extra cost.

I vote you spend your money on a set of new disks for the back, and get some stock drums up front.