Triumphrat

vonbonds · 12-21-2004

Way back when people were wondering if the Thruxton front brakes could be put on a Thunderbird. Has anyone looked at that more closely and if so is there a swap opportunity there?

Tom

TBSstunta · 12-22-2004

Seems like a whole lot of expense for not much improvement over stock brakes and ss lines.

cafetbird · 12-22-2004

Floating rotors, right? It looks like 320 mm - so the disc would fit on a standard Bird - not sure aboot the caliper. It wouldn't fit to a standard Bonnie - so the front forks have to be changed up a bit.

Floaters are nice - I think EBC makes them that would fit up to the Bird for about $135. Whay not just go that route?

MickMaguire · 12-22-2004

From what I could find out (just as the Thruxton came out) the caliper is the same unit as the Tbird and the rotor couls be swapped onto the Bird. However it is likely you would gain very little improvement (it's still a stainless rotor) all you would get is lack of coning - which I doubt that you would see on a TBird anyhow.

IIRC Scot the EBC units for the TBird were not floating, or at least they weren't when I looked, has this changed?

Mecatwin do a floating rotor for the TBird that I think is cast, this may be a better route.

cafetbird · 12-22-2004

One of the sites that I was looking at recently listed a floating EBC rotor for the Bird - but it could have been a typo.

The Thruxton rotors I have seen are definitely floating - just look at the pics. These would give you a little better braking response.

MickMaguire · 12-22-2004

Yes the Thruxton rotors are floating, but made of the same material as the TBird's solid rotors. I was saying that the only way I could see them performing better woudl be if you were experiencing coning (what floating rotors were designed to combat). I'm not sure that the calipers on the TBird would be strong enough to generate that kind of heat/friction, but I may be wrong.

However, Beringer and Mecatwin offer cast floaters which (like the EBC units - if they exist) will provide much better braking than the stainless.

cafetbird · 12-24-2004

Hmmm.... "coning" occurs as the front end flexes and the braking system refuses to flex accordingly, thus wearing the top of the rotor faster than the bottom, correct?

Floating rotors allow more flex, and therefore more continuous, balanced and steady friction on the rotors. I may be wrong, but my understanding is that this results is more effective braking... allowing later braking and better setting up for cornering. For this reason, I think that the addtion of floating rotors would result in better braking on a T-Bird.... but probably not as good as a 4 or 6 pot caliper addition. That might be a better use of your money!

cafetbird · 12-24-2004

Hmmm.... "coning" occurs as the front end flexes and the braking system refuses to flex accordingly, thus wearing the top of the rotor faster than the bottom, correct?

Floating rotors allow more flex, and therefore more continuous, balanced and steady friction on the rotors. I may be wrong, but my understanding is that this results is more effective braking... allowing later braking and better setting up for cornering. For this reason, I think that the addtion of floating rotors would result in better braking on a T-Bird.... but probably not as good as a 4 or 6 pot caliper addition. That might be a better use of your money!

vonbonds · 12-24-2004

How much would a 4 or 6 pot caliper cost? Is Jack Lilley the only source for brake upgrades like that?

vonbonds · 12-24-2004

How much would a 4 or 6 pot caliper cost? Is Jack Lilley the only source for brake upgrades like that?