Re: Repairs vs Fun?

[STEADIRIC@aol.com]

>and no response from cadence braking

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH................

That is the WORST way to stop a car. Cadence braking set's up a 
unfavorable weight transfer oscillation.  First you load the front's, 
then you unload them, then you load them but you have less availble 
traction (Due to the weight transfer) so they wheels lock sooner, so you 
get off the brakes ad nauseum.

ABS does this only faster so the weight transfer is smaller, Still not 
the best way to stop quick.

The fast way to stop is by Threshold Braking where you keep the wheel at 
the "Threshold" of lockup thereby working the tire at it's designed slip 
angle where it can generate the most traction.  How do you get to this 
threshold you ask........    

Well, at first it ain't easy.  This will be a VERY frustrating excercise. 
Find yourself a nice empty sealed asphalt parking lot.  Sealed asphalt 
will not chew up your tires as bad as something grippy.  Get 10 one gal 
PLASTIC milk jugs and fill them halfway up with water.  Place them in a 
line with 20 ft of seperation between each jug (200ft  total).  Now give 
your self enough running room to get up to 40 mph and as your front tires 
cross the imaginary line at the first jug get on the brakes and stop in 
as short of a distance as possible.  Now your looking for some clues to 
recoginize evertime that your stopping, they will be: 

1)  The brake pedal will get hard when your tires are at slip when they 
lock the pedal will soften slightly, 
when this happens GENTLY lift one or two TOES not your leg until you get 
traction back. When the wheel starts to roll again (Big audio clue 
here.... it get quite again!) Gently add that slight pressure back to get 
that wheel to threshold.

2) If it gets real loud or real smokey that a big clue that you've got it 
wrong.  What your looking for here is either a SLIGHT haze comming off of 
the tires or "Big Audio Clue Here" the tires should sound like 20 grit 
sandpaper on VERY soft pine..... a low grumble.

3) If the steering wheel get light all of the sudden you've locked a 
wheel.  The way the wheel turns will tell you which front locked.  Snatch 
to the right you locked the left and vice versa.  The sterring wheel will 
wiggle from side to side as each front fights for traction, this is a 
sign that your nearing the threshold.

Work on this until it's second nature it WILL take a while to get it 
right.  But it's worth it in the long run.  At Skip Barber we teach this 
on the first day in combo with the downshift excercise and some guy's 
still will not have it figured out at the end of three days.  

Hope this helps!





Later!

Eric Fletcher
'87 5KCSTQIA2RSR2B

STEADI RIC@aol.com