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Second thought, a little off subject, is if torsion bars were such a great thing, why don't cars today use them? Or do they?

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Second thought, a little off subject, is if torsion bars were such a great thing, why don't cars today use them? Or do they?

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My 98 chevy pickup uses them.

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It seems like the best way to improve an old cars braking, even with stock drums, would be to install some kind of ABS system. But I have never heard of anyone doing that. Is it too expensive/complicated to design/install?

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I did it to a Camaro, but it was the really long way around to get ABS and traction control in an old car

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2682662/1969-chevrolet-camaro

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Second thought, a little off subject, is if torsion bars were such a great thing, why don't cars today use them? Or do they?

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It seems like the best way to improve an old cars braking, even with stock drums, would be to install some kind of ABS system. But I have never heard of anyone doing that. Is it too expensive/complicated to design/install?

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ABS does not actually improve the available braking capability.

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it seemed like one second i was doing 110, and the next second i was doing 60. no dive, no swerve, no sway, it just felt like instantaneous deceleration! i gained a whole new respect for brakes after that.

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ABS does not actually improve the available braking capability.

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No but it does prevent you from locking the tires, and in theory locked tires on pavement slow down less rapidly than when ABS keeps the tires at their point of maximum traction.

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Well the comment made was "the best way to improve an old cars braking"....and ABS does not improve braking.
If you're saying that braking with non-locked wheels is better than locked wheels, then yes of course it is, I doubt anyone is arguing that. But it doesn't take ABS to avoid locked wheels - proper set up and threshold braking.

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ABS makes stopping faster in panic situations for people who haven't practiced panic braking and keeping the brakes right at that threshold. Every winter on an empty stretch of slick road I'll practice how fast I can punch the brakes and stay on the edge of locking them up.

The current set up on my truck ('72 W200, discs all the way around), I can't lock up the fronts. But that may be more due to the 32s and dry pavement This spring I'll get a pressure gauge and do some more testing.

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ABS makes stopping faster in panic situations for people who haven't practiced panic braking and keeping the brakes right at that threshold.

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I think that very important point is worth repeating, and to state the obvious is ABS "cycles" brakes between near lockup and release, and that actually increases stopping distance over the experienced driver as you mentioned.

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ABS makes stopping faster in panic situations for people who haven't practiced panic braking and keeping the brakes right at that threshold.

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I think that very important point is worth repeating, and to state the obvious is ABS "cycles" brakes between near lockup and release, and that actually increases stopping distance over the experienced driver as you mentioned.

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ABS makes stopping faster in panic situations for people who haven't practiced panic braking and keeping the brakes right at that threshold.

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I think that very important point is worth repeating, and to state the obvious is ABS "cycles" brakes between near lockup and release, and that actually increases stopping distance over the experienced driver as you mentioned.

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Here's a video of the SLR's carbon ceramic brakes glowing after a single stop from 120 mph.

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That is pretty cool looking.

I need to make up some duct work for mine actually...the front spoiler I have already has the opening for the brake cooling ducts (the touring/road race cars used them) Just need to run some hose from there to some sort of mount behind the rotor.

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Locking the tires is rarely desired. Most of the time it'll lead to VERY long stopping distances. Those are closely followed by insurance claims, personal injury attorneys, and a couple months of waiting for your car to get out of the body shop.

When I see the guy in the 4 wheel disc equipped Ram with the 12,000 lb camper jack knife in the middle of the road and dump the rig on it's side, I want to know that my 4 wheel disc brakes will stop me before I slam into the roof of his overturned truck and squash him like a grape.

No, I don't need 14 inch rotors on the front of my 65 Belvedere. However, it is the best performing brake package I've had on the car AND it was the most affordable at the time. There is a noticeable difference between these and the standard old Mopar disc brakes. These are MUCH nicer, even in daily use.

Let's not bring up the 4 wheel drums and single pot master cylinder this car left the factory with. They were horrible.

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Don't worry Feet's; firstly, I'm not going to be jacknifed in the middle of the road, and secondly, your little car isn't going to squash me like a grape!

for the record, I have nothing against you building your car as you like with 16" brakes if that's what you choose. The point I'm making is that you don't need that to be safe driving amongst traffic.

Dave