Braking Test/Distance

Davidljones88

Well-Known Member
Has anyone measured braking distance?

60/70mph to 0?

Stock vs Brembo/other comparison

You'd think you wouldn't need to upgrade from the original brakes due to the weight reduction.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
While I haven't actually measured it to testing standards, I can tell you it's the most impressive stopping vehicle you will ever encounter. At least ours seems to be. This is all in stock form. Brembo brakes aren't going to get you any appreciable improvement over stock and are only good for trying to impress someone with their looks.
 

Davidljones88

Well-Known Member
While I haven't actually measured it to testing standards, I can tell you it's the most impressive stopping vehicle you will ever encounter. At least ours seems to be. This is all in stock form. Brembo brakes aren't going to get you any appreciable improvement over stock and are only good for trying to impress someone with their looks.
I kinda was thinking the same about Brembo. Their advantage is heat dissipation on a track.
 
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Rttoys

Goblin Guru
Brake proportioning is more important than the brembo‘s. The stock brakes are far more than adequate, once balanced out properly. Even if you want more braking, better race type pads could be used. You will be need some very sticky tires to make all that useable though.
 

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
You'd think you wouldn't need to upgrade from the original brakes due to the weight reduction.
You don't.

The stock brakes were designed for a 3200 lb vehicle. We put them on a 1600 lb vehicle. They are oversized for our application.

If anything, I find them too touchy. They are easy to lock up at about half the foot pressure you are used to, even after the brake balancing valve is in place. In a 20 minute track session, I've not experienced any fade at all yet. They don't even smell hot when I'm done. Maybe with 500 hp and a better driver you could test the stock brakes, but not with a modded LSJ.

The stock brakes are plenty on this car.
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
The brake booster can be dialed back by using a vacuum regulator, allowing full use of the brake pedal, but the brake bias should be done first.
If you want more performance, you should be thinking about smaller, lighter brakes and rotors, like the sprint race cars use.
 

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
At one point I think I bought all of the pieces to do the vacuum regulator mod, but then abandoned the project. I thought I would simply get used to the touchy brakes. For the most part, that has happened. Daily driving, and even autocross, is no problem. It's not like I'm accidentally locking the brakes coming up to a stop light.

The only time I've actually run into trouble is in panic situations. That "oh no" feeling you get when you're 15 mph too fast going into the chicane at the track. That extra little shot of adrenaline is always enough for me to lock the brakes, temporarily at least.

It would be nice if I could use more of the brake pedal, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort or not to do the mod. It might be a good winter project though when I have nothing better to do anyway.
 

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
The only time I've actually run into trouble is in panic situations. That "oh no" feeling you get when you're 15 mph too fast going into the chicane at the track. That extra little shot of adrenaline is always enough for me to lock the brakes, temporarily at least.
none of us have ever done that. :D Especially at autocross, when those cones come up a lot faster than when you walked the course earlier. :oops:
 

Gtstorey

Goblin Guru
Regulator mod is easy. Get the correct fittings and it pretty much is cut the nylon tubing and plug it into the regulator. Hardest part is finding somewhere to mount it.
 

Dsteinhorst

Well-Known Member
you should be thinking about smaller, lighter brakes and rotors, like the sprint race cars use.
To build on this recommendation, you can use the smaller four lug rotors and caliper brackets on the front. Saves 2 lbs each and also helps with the front/rear balance issues depending on what you have in the back. Only mod required is turning down the OD of your front hubs about .070" I've been running this way about 2 years without issue. I do have a fairly small and light wheel/tire combo. You could probably take another pound off each front rotor on the lathe, but I'm not that hardcore.
 

k.rollin

Goblin Guru
Regulator mod is easy. Get the correct fittings and it pretty much is cut the nylon tubing and plug it into the regulator. Hardest part is finding somewhere to mount it.
I mounted mine on top of the pedal box using the included bracket. I don't remember seeing anyone else's mounting solution.
 

GoblinGuyZ

Well-Known Member
I would imagine proportioning valve, tires, brake pad material and technique would be where you need to focus on improving your stopping distance but as mentioned the brakes are possibly already more impressive than the speed or handling.
 

Robinjo

Goblin Guru
I would imagine proportioning valve, tires, brake pad material and technique would be where you need to focus on improving your stopping distance but as mentioned the brakes are possibly already more impressive than the speed or handling.
Mine stops very, very quickly.
 

TravMac

Well-Known Member
My car setup is a bit against the grain of a lot of folks. I did retain the front SS calipers/hardware (non Brembo) and have the parking brake solstice rears. It's currently using the SS EBC yellow pad and SS EBC slotted/dimpled rotor on front (and I think also SS rear rotor? Might be Solstice? I have to find that...). With the proportioning set up to balance the car, it's incredible. It's progressive, it's got instant bite, and there's no fade or temp issues like the actual car used to have using the same setup of rotor/pad. Yes, less mass to slow down, but also more thermal capacity overall for many quick, hard stops in autocross. I also don't run any brake booster either: having run with both, I find there's more feel in pure manual brakes. Honestly, between manual brakes and the correct bias for the front/rear, it's some of the best changes I've done on the car.
 

95Blitz

Well-Known Member
TravMac your using the stock MC without the booster? How hard is the pedal to push?
 
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Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Because you need to apply too much pedal pressure? For a Goblin, a smaller MC piston diameter requires less pedal pressure for effective braking versus a larger piston that reduces brake effectiveness for 'grabby' or over braking (locking) - for the same pedal pressure.
 

TravMac

Well-Known Member
TravMac your using the stock MC without the booster? How hard is the pedal to push?
I took the booster out and bolted the stock MC right up to the pedal box. It fit perfect! Had to make a small adjustable rod to mount to the pedal, but that was it. Even did a capture loop to make sure it wouldn't fall out from the MC even though it's adjusted to the right length. I got a pretty good picture of it below:
PXL_20220827_205649058 (1).jpg

It's not hard to press at all. Kind of hard to quantify... I had a buddy drive it and he didn't realize they were manual brakes if that says anything. Just good feel and stops really well.
 
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