brake knockback

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n1gzd
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brake knockback

Post by n1gzd » Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:10 pm

It appears in this foot cam video of a V8 supercar driver that he sometimes taps the brake with his left foot a moment before he brakes hard with his right foot in order to ensure that there are no knockback delays:



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Re: brake knockback

Post by jeffw » Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:02 pm

Yup. I do that at corners where I know i've had issues, or if i feel like i've hit the curbing particularly hard. Well worth it.
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brucesallen
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Re: brake knockback

Post by brucesallen » Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:29 pm

He needs better brakes. Floating calipers would prevent this. Doesn't happen in Formula 1.
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Re: brake knockback

Post by Chrispy » Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:09 pm

I think you meant floating rotors? A full floating setup does greatly reduce knockback but I don't think it's a guaranteed 100% solution, it just increases the allowable flex in the system.

He may not even need to do it in that particular car, but old habits die hard.
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wizzman
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Re: brake knockback

Post by wizzman » Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:40 pm

I have yet to notice this at all, even at Watkins Glen where this is supposedly experienced due to the big boy rumbles.
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Mick
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Re: brake knockback

Post by Mick » Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:18 pm

I think the size of your master cylinder is a factor in how much the deflection can be felt in the pedal.

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Re: brake knockback

Post by wizzman » Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:35 pm

Mick wrote:I think the size of your master cylinder is a factor in how much the deflection can be felt in the pedal.
That's what she said
Last edited by wizzman on Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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horizenjob
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Re: brake knockback

Post by horizenjob » Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:24 pm

Maybe it's because of the fenders, they cause all sorts of problems. I don't even think I could do this because the steering shaft goes between the pedals. Good brakes are so nice to have and one of the best brake upgrades is getting rid of a couple thousand pounds of your car. Fenders on a car are like lead weights on a dancer... :)
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Re: brake knockback

Post by CP » Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:03 am

I've experienced this a number of times in my Spec Miata with the stock braking system. Left-foot tapping has become second nature.
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Re: brake knockback

Post by brucesallen » Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:26 pm

horizenjob wrote:Maybe it's because of the fenders, they cause all sorts of problems. I don't even think I could do this because the steering shaft goes between the pedals. Good brakes are so nice to have and one of the best brake upgrades is getting rid of a couple thousand pounds of your car. Fenders on a car are like lead weights on a dancer... :)
racers with fenders are wussies.
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horizenjob
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Re: brake knockback

Post by horizenjob » Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:08 am

racers with fenders are wussies.
It's fun to bash the other guys. I really want to encourage people to get in cars that are made for track use though. It's difficult to describe how much better car's like ours work. If you're having to left brake before you even get to corners, just to know if you have brakes or to pump up the pedal - how do you really know that you don't have a big problem just waiting to bite you?

I have both a total brake failure and a throttle jam wide open and neither was a fun experience. I am glad the throttle jam happened on my FF though, I was able to come to a full stop before the wall. I don't think a street car would have been able to carry that off. Their weight, momentum and generally over loaded components really reduce safety factors.

My FF runs the front wheel bearings with a lot of play, enough so that it's often mentioned in tech inspection in street car clubs like COM. The wheels can probably clunk back and forth 1/8" or so. It never has pad knockback though, or not that I have ever thought about anyway. The brake pedal has always felt like it has a brick underneath it when I use it.

I don't think braking zones in that car last for more then 1 second, often less. When you hit the brakes it feels like a gorilla tossed you against a wall, then you turn. It's so quick that that is what you have to learn to get it right.
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