Manual Brakes that Don't Suck!

Ok, "without getting into all the math's".

Single MC's have 2 pistons in line, one for the rear and one for the front. How is this any different than having 2 single pistons side by side?

A 3/4" single MC still has 2X3/4" pistons in it. Granted the rear piston has a little less area due to the shaft going through it but it's still 2 pistons.

You can achieve the same thing on a dual set-up by going with a 3/4" and a 5/8". If you 2X or not locked into 4X the bias adjuster comes in handy. Or if you have a center diff.
 
I've got K20 brakes on all 4 corners on my EB and I can lock up my 43's with my 76' F250 Camper Special master cylinder. Cheap and affective. I scale in 5500lbs+ too. I am strong though, so I don't mind giving it a bit of pressure. I like that the braking is identical running or off.

Bronoc Rocks.jpg
 
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KyleQ said:
I've got K20 brakes on all 4 corners on my EB and I can lock up my 43's with my 76' F250 Camper Special master cylinder. Cheap and affective. I scale in 5500lbs+ too. I am strong though, so I don't mind giving it a bit of pressure. I like that the braking is identical running or off.
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where was that photo take? Cool looking terrain!
 
BustedKnuckle said:
Looks like Iron Range Off Road Park
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You got it, I'm a little sad that I didn't get to get up there when you were filming.

Next rig will have some serious brakes as it will see some road time, obviously the 74' doesn't see much.
 
BustedKnuckle
Any input on a one system per side setup? Just slash every number in half?

Some people use this as an alternative to cutting brakes in crawlers or buggys for more technical trials where speeds are generally low. You want to brake only the left or right side of the vehicle.
It's often achieved with a single brake pedal and hydro/electric cutting brake valves but the low tech variation of that is a two pedal setup.
 
KyleQ said:
I've got K20 brakes on all 4 corners on my EB and I can lock up my 43's with my 76' F250 Camper Special master cylinder. Cheap and affective. I scale in 5500lbs+ too. I am strong though, so I don't mind giving it a bit of pressure. I like that the braking is identical running or off.
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Did you ever run the stock dana 60 brakes for comparison before switching to the k20 stuff?
 
While we're on the subject, anyone know a good source that includes master cylinder stroke for various off the shelf applications?

Bore is listed everywhere so it's easy to find. Being able to use a long stroke master cylinder would be really helpful for people who are trying to get a lot of pedal travel but can't change the pedal ratio or run a super long pedal for packaging reasons.
 
Hydraulic ratio and mechanical ratio are linked. The calculator is only listing the hydraulic ratio. When you go from a 7" pedal to a 9" pedal the total ratio is thrown off.

For instance a 7' pedal with a 3/4" MC creates the exact same fluid volume and pressure as a 9" pedal with a 7/8" MC if you keep the foot travel the same distance.

The 9" pedal only looks better on the chart because it is not showing the increased pedal travel or the reduced fluid volume as a trade off for more pressure.
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Did you ever run the stock dana 60 brakes for comparison before switching to the k20 stuff?
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Yeah, I ran the big dual piston stuff and with K20 rears and it didn't work nearly as good as the 4 wheel K20 stuff even with a big M/C. It was easier to front dig, that's for sure, now with the K20 all around it's a bit tougher, but stops better.
 
KyleQ said:
I've got K20 brakes on all 4 corners on my EB and I can lock up my 43's with my 76' F250 Camper Special master cylinder. Cheap and affective. I scale in 5500lbs+ too. I am strong though, so I don't mind giving it a bit of pressure. I like that the braking is identical running or off.
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The only thing I recall with my Camper special master Cly (I was using 1/2 ton GM brakes) was it took 2 feet to push that pedal.

I'll also agree with busted Knuckle that I too have never driven a dual master cylinder setup with a balance bar that had not even good, but decent brakes.
 
KyleQ said:
Yeah, I ran the big dual piston stuff and with K20 rears and it didn't work nearly as good as the 4 wheel K20 stuff even with a big M/C. It was easier to front dig, that's for sure, now with the K20 all around it's a bit tougher, but stops better.
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I am running a corvette master with stock k30 diaphragm. 3/4 ton rear brakes and stock k30 front....it does ok....I want to upgrade it and really debating the lugnut 4x4 k20 swap.

In all fairness, we did the lightweight kit from BKOR on my dads buggy and it is awesome. I would even entertain that on the k 30 if i had a way to adapt the calipers.
https://bustedknuckleoffroad.com/collections/brakes/products/bkorsdbrakepackage
 
I run a K20 calipers with 7/8 dual masters, residual valves mounted right at the masters and a CNC cutting brake. I can lock 40's no problem on my buggy but it's probably 4k or less. Planning on dropping some weight and going to 4 piston Wilwoods and solid rotors over winter.
 
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pennsylvaniaboy said:
I am running a corvette master with stock k30 diaphragm. 3/4 ton rear brakes and stock k30 front....it does ok....I want to upgrade it and really debating the lugnut 4x4 k20 swap.

In all fairness, we did the lightweight kit from BKOR on my dads buggy and it is awesome. I would even entertain that on the k 30 if i had a way to adapt the calipers.
https://bustedknuckleoffroad.com/collections/brakes/products/bkorsdbrakepackage
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The K20 fronts are far better than the stock dual pistons stuff for whatever reason in my manual brake setup.
 
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