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TR6 TR6 super excelent brakes.

skikir

Jedi Hopeful
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I don't know what else to subject this question. I've had three TR6s. My first 1970 had brakes that were to die for. When I first took it for a test drive back in 1982 I skidded to the first stop sign and thought "Oh, power brakes!" It was not that they were bad but they were just strong. After the first stop I got used to them and just thought that's the way they were. I actually had a trailer hitch put on the car and pulled my sailboat with it and never felt under braked. I took a trip over to Reno, Nevada from Eugene, Oregon for the Reno Air Races. While there the booster/servo diaphragm popped and when I would come to a stop the engine would die. I disconnected and kinked the vacuum hose and ran it that way all the way back to Oregon through the mountains and until I could find a good used servo. The brakes were stiff but not bad for no power assist and didn't feel dangerous. Over the years I rebuilt the master cylinder and I think I replaced the pads, but not sure anymore but they looked like they were stock calipers.

Well I got married and of course the first thing to change is the car and we got a "respectable" one. It was not long before her Karmen Ghia convetable became the garage queen and the respectable Mustang convertable became her car and I was stuck with the van or motorcycle. I started to pine for another TR6 which was located and bought. To make a short story long I now have my third TR6 which I have put fancy cross drilled rotors, creamic pads new calipers and new master cylinder and upgraded Morgan rear wheel cylinders. I have driven a couple of other TR6s and none of them have brakes anywhere near as good as that first one.

I just wish I could figure out what made those brakes so great. I know the guy I bought it from had been using it for road racing and upgraded the sway bars but that was all I knew about. They were strong, controllable and had good feel. If anyone out there has a white TR6 with a fiberglass fender, 14 inch turbine style wheels last seen in Eugene, Oregon with a trailer hitch, let me know will you?
 
tires and pads. Those have the largest affect on braking performance on a properly working braking system.
 
Are we safe to assume you know how to break in new ceramic pads? They are NOT to be coddled for the first 150 miles or so like metallics -- run 'em hard. The car needs to be run up to 50+ and then braked very hard to a stop 5-6 times in quick succession in order to properly seat the pads to the rotors. I haven't had the opportunity to do this on my TR6 yet, although it's in the plans. I'm running ceramic pads on my wife's Regal GS, and that's how I broke those in. They were literally smoking when I got finished, but after that they've been very noticably better than the original metallic pads.
Worth trying if you haven't already done it.....
Steve
 
What did you drive before the TR6 with excellent brakes. It could have all been relative.
 
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