BRAKE PROBLEMS !!!

[Bob Holley]

Have Mark Willams carbon fiber brakes.
If brakes are used hard (no cute)they stop the car but as soon as we start to tow back to the pit area the brake handle will become soft and you can pull all the way in and it will not even slow the car down while towing.
We are using hi temp fluid and have cleaned the rotors and roughed up.
As soon as everything cools down the they work fine.
Any ideas????

Bob Holley

[ October 22, 2003, 08:08 PM: Message edited by: Bob Holley ]

[kosky racing]

just pump them back up they usually are fine in a miute or two. never had any problems . Always that way after using them hard after a run. But allways came back to normal after arun.

[Will Hanna]

maybe its still boiling the fluid. in reynolds this year jason dropped a valve about half track, and blew the blower off. he was pissed and didnt throw the chutes, just stopped it with the brake, albeit pretty hard. the nosepeice paid the price as the brakes went away on the return road, the tow truck stopped, and the car didn't until the tow rope violently stopped it when the car pulled along side the truck, cracking the nose.

could be the same thing if glen is stopping it with no chutes, even on mid 6 run.

btw bob, did you get my email about the clock box cover?

[Gary Mangiafico]

What brand Brake Fluid? I have gotten bit by using Wilwood Hi-temp brake fluid it is just a DOT 3 Fluid with a mis-leading brand name. Just using Wagner Dot 4 now and that fixed the problem.

[Bob Holley]

Thanks,
I am using Wilddwood.
Will flush system out and change fluid.

Bob Holley

[Bob Holley]

Will,
No email about clock box cover????
Bob

[Will Hanna]

bob i must have left the cover off that clock box over at your pit or at carl's.

[Funnycarbob]

I had a problem like that. I found that the rotors were not flat and would twist after a run. This would push the pads back to far after a run. When the rotors cooled, the rotors were near flat. This made it hard to find. The rotors would also bind up on the hats.

[Will Hanna]

i could be wrong, but i've never heard about a carbon fiber rotor warping tho...

[Bob Holley]

Will,
Didn't see anything like your cover around when loading up. Keep my eyes open though. I have Carls ph.# if you want to hive him a call. He has a new #. If you need it just past a reply and I will email to you.
Bob Holley

[Randy G.]

I just serviced the all carbon brakes on my TA/FC and here's the dope from Strange and Lamb Components.

I replaced the rear pads and Lamb resurfaced the rotors. Lamb sells a pressure residual valve to be used on the rears. I installed a new Strange master cylinder with the remote reservoir. Howard recommends a residual pressure valve on the rear with a proportioning valve to regulate the fronts. Recommended pressure at 1,000 pounds pressure to the rear is 600-700 to the front. This is the setup we've run for years and the car stops on a dime even when the brakes are cold. I had brand "SP#" on my previous car and had nightmares after watching the Weaver's trip to the sand traps at Pomona more than once which totally destroyed their cars.

I watched Shelly Anderson safely make the turn at Pomona with no chutes after running 298 miles per hour in a dragster which had rear carbon fiber brakes only. I told myself after seeing that I will NEVER have another car without carbon fiber brakes.

Good luck.