Does anyone have some insight into parts interchange for front brake conversion to drum?

I'm setting up a 750cc CRX for high fuel mileage and drum brakes offer lower resistance.

 

good luck with that.

 

Cool idea. But I think you're on your own with this one....

might want to look into CRX HF or Honda insight aluminum drums (if you didn't already know)

you can compare PNs on http://www.hondapartsnow.com/

Good Luck.

 

your not gonna get drums on the front.

 

with enough money and a good machinist all things are possible...good luck with this one though its gonna be expensive

 

This doesn't make any sense... There is already a CRX HF with intricate duct work and tuning getting over 100mpg... The goal you are trying to accomplish has been done and is already out there. You won't gain that much by switching to drum brakes in the front... Now I am just going to sit and wait for the "I couldn't stop my car - WTB: CRX front end parts" thread.

 

I'm with N3va on this one, any gains would be so minimal that it wouldn't be worth the reduced braking ability (or the effort). The only reason to do this would be for some kind of hypermiling competition, not for driving on public streets.

 

What I'm saying is that's a lot of effort for such a minimal gain. I'd be willing to bet that a roll of duct tape would give more gains.

 

are you to the point already where this is the next logical step cost-wise for picking up better mileage?

I've never thought to investigate, but in all my years as a technician, I've never seen a FWD with front drums.

you're not going to be able to find any off the shelf parts for this one. Not anything even close.

By the time FWD started becoming popular (around the 50's in small foreign cars) they were already using discs in those applications.

prior to that there were a few cars here and there with FWD that possibly had front drums, but they were very small production.

 

The Toronado was FWD with drum brakes up front.

 

this thread is spiraling helplessly down the tubes

 

+1 haha

 

The only reason drums would give any benefit is because they retract and have zero friction between pad and drum.
The friction you get on a disc is really small. It's certainly not enough to stop a rolling car.
Maybe just add springs to disc brake pad so it pulls in just a little?
But seriously - how much gain are you thinking you are going to see?
I'm thinking zero gain. Pulling over to the side of the road and taking a nap when there is a 5mph headwind would save you more gas than the reducing the friction of the pads.

 

Can anyone out there explain why 800+ horsepower NASCAR "stock cars" go faster in qualifying laps than actual racing?

Then please explain why that principle won't extend fuel mileage?

 

lol nice.

so OP,
there you go.
just swipe some front running gear from a Toronado and you're set! hehe

 

Yes - with ease... This is only a few examples why they can go faster in qualifying...

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-r...at-nascar2.htm

http://www.buildingspeed.org/blog/20...rs-in-a-draft/

Also - I answered a very similar question earlier in a different thread... (given the reason is different but the rules apply).

https://honda-tech.com/forums/want-buy-68/where-can-i-get-crx-carbon-fiber-doors-2989069/

It will - but it is still a waste of time if you do the math. Not only that, but there are many other ways to accomplish your goals that have been proven.

 

part of the reason is that when qualifying, the fuel, tires, yada yada only have to last a few laps or whatever so they can just go for it.
The actual race requires a certain amount of conservation and strategy balancing performance with longevity

 

exactly, if someone drove in the race like they did in qualifying they'd be lapped several times over more than likely, pit stops take time and running full out takes more pit stops, it's easy to apply just 5% more throttle to take you around the corners faster, but it also eats tires faster and burns more fuel. they do drive conservatively as odd as it is to worry about conservation in a race, but slower is faster in the long run, but qualifying rounds are hardly endurance events, don't have to worry about conservation when you're only going to be running for a few laps.

 

Dear OP,

HT is only nice to you if you're doing something that 500 other people have already done.

 

I see no one figured out yet what front brakes have to do with faster qualifying speeds.

 

it's the qualifying time that counts, not the speeds...the fact that there would be drag could potentially be enough at that speed to be able to let off the gas and not use any braking at all on some higher speed corners, therefore you can't really say any brakes are better for let's say nascar in the case you brought up, and is subjective to the track, conditions, and driving style/ability. So to answer your question. it has nothing to very very little to do with anything concerning 800 hp rwd fiberglass v8's. This is a thread about the op's desire for better mpg through use of drum brakes, not whether he can post a better oval track qualifying time with them.

 

^^^ What's sad is that IS the OP... Even worse is the fact that he is obviously clueless... The proof is in his metaphor...

Then he brings up something that has nothing to do with the original metaphor.

From these two facts we can disentangle this mess. The OP thinks that NASCAR vehicles can go faster in qualifying because during that time they use drum brakes on all four corners. After they are done with qualifying they switch to four wheel disc brakes thus making them slower - due to drag on the brakes.

Wow, thanks for teaching us a valuable lesson in NASCAR, "jrnsr".

 

mileage or safety... hmmm.....

look up the corvair's safety record, that had front drums. basically slam on the brakes and immediately lock up all the brakes

 

disc brake drag is insignificant to most drivers, but when striving for high fuel mileage, it becomes an area of concern.

Pay attention... in Nascar, the mechanics spread the pads out so there's no drag from the disc brakes and the drivers know not to touch the brakes until completing the qualifying laps, so they can achieve speeds higher than during the race.
They also know they have to pump the brakes after qualifying; those who have forgotten have been known to wreck.

__________________________________________________ ____________________
"One day, in the far future, you'll be half as good as me..."

"That assumes you'll outlive me, for when I die, and my brain has zero function, you will then be twice as good as me!"

 

This is how you do it. 118mpg. I love the combo of aero mods and race suspension..

http://ecomodder.com/blog/20-yearold...l-economy-run/