How many of you run or have run without front brakes?

I love the look of spindle mounted wheels for my T. The car will be light.
How well/ safe will the car stop?

 

You have zero replys because all the guys who tried it do not have access to e mail. Think about it.

 

I had my front brakes fail once at about 120MPH ( not on the street ), does that count?
I didn't really like it...

 

i think the ratio 80/20 should mean something to this question.

 

hmmm, i thought alot of guys were running no front brakes on their rods....

i wouldn't though but it's cool on bikes.

 

Ya dont want look like your avatar, do ya?

Found out my front brakes didnt work on my 61 and it wasnt a fun ride around the block.

 

Back in the 70's my first Hot Rod had spindle mounted American 12 spokes. Following another Rod, I almost drove up the back of an A coupe when he panicked stopped! The next winter I modified a set of corvair front brakes to be able to run 13" rims on the front. Big difference in braking. Of all the Hot Rods I have owned, that was the only time I ran no front brakes. Your choice!

 

Suicide front end.............thats what it's called bet you can't guess why? I ran it on my roadster when I first got her built.......ohhhhhh but it looks SO cool, then I went thrashing her about in front of my shop and forgot she didn't have breaks, hit my Uncles water truck and put a hole right thru my fuel cell and radiator. Oi! What a way to learn a lesson. Scares the bejesus outta ya. Lost my fronts on my 58 Chev once, sailed thru a red light waving like Princess Di, almost pissed myself over that.
x
Brandy

 

If you run without front brakes, even on a bike, you're holding your *** in your own two hands. If you want to live past the tender age of 31, forget about the spindle mounts.

pigpen

 

I'm figuring this out right now as well. My intention is to offset that 80/20 weight ratio through a thick steel (heavier) bed floor on the A' pickup I'm building.

...or I may do something different.

 

No it's not. Maybe on a show trailered type bike. But not on the street. C'mon man, can you even imagine a Norton Commando with out front binders?

How do I know this? In the 60s I ruint a '46 Bonneville Chief with a peanut tank, loooong extended springer, suicide clutch and a spool front hub. I was an evil handeling ******* and not particularly fast. But it was WAY too fast for it's brakes. It is a wonder that we survived the era of weird choppers.

Put brakes on it. If you want to kill yourself use a gun and don't involve other folks.

 

If you decide to run without front brakes, would you be so kind as to give me a call when you are going to be driving your car? I want to make sure my wife and kids aren't on the road at the same time!

 

Check out the disk brakes that can be adapted to spokes.
No front brakes wouldn't get you past a safety inspection.

 

Yea... what slide said.............

Jersey Skip

 

In the early seventies I used to run all my bikes without front brakes, if that is any indication I would never run a car without them. With good brakes on my A it still is a little scary at times in traffic on a panic stops. You have to remember regular car brakes are so good nowdays that if your following someone you will never stop in time if he panic brakes in front of you.

 

Thanks Brandy... now i need to find a towel and some windex to clean off my keyboard and monitor,,, get to that after Brandy hooks me up with a fresh cupa kawfee!!

that said... ya ever wonder why a semi will jacknife and end up trying to turn itself into a 70' long pretzle? because any one of the four (or more) axels behind the steer axel tried to outrun the steers. why would it do that? cause the breaks on the skidding axel LOCKED and sliding tires always go faster than rolling ones. and thats the same thing that'd happen on your car. now think about doing that with a real light car,,, spin brodies till ya either puke and pas out, run into something more solid and stationary than your car, or grab some decent traction and flip the thing on its head.

i'll rather have an inch cut off my **** than run a car with no front brakes...just me

Traves


Traves

 

An inch huh? Well there goes yer stir stick Suicide front end suicide front end,,,,,just keep repeating that. You think the Princess Di bit is sad, I've done it twice, at the same intersection, in my ******* Chevy......I just sit up on the back of the seat and steer as I wave and smile.
x
Brandy

 

I thought a suicide front end was one where the tie rod was in front of the axle and spring (and frame horns) like on a lot of t-buckets. I didn't think it had anything to do with the presence of brakes.

As for spindle mounts, they make some dainty-looking disc setups that don't look too bad with skinny spindle-mount wheels... no experience as to how well they work, tho.

 

well, before last week i would of thought most run front brakes, but doesn't jimmy white's hemi have no front brakes? maybe it was just an old pic.

every single pic of a bike has no front brake here... but i agree, more brakes the better!! i wish i could upgrade my norton brakes to discs, especially once i found out that drum brakes seem more trouble in the building process than disc brakes.

 

had it that way on my 40 g***er NEVER again , my poor heart'll never take that kind of excitement again, but a scooter w/o em ? ya, i can deal with that , at last ya can steer your way out of **** or between it, if iyt don't work you'll never know it anyway ;(

 

Has anyone else here taken dynamics or physics?

Your front brakes do more of the stopping than the rears ever will (that's why 99.9% of cars have larger brakes in front from the factory).

There are more important things than looking cool.

You could do it, but I wouldn't run it on the street.

 

I ran my 2800 pound 57 chevy wagon for two years with only rear brakes & spindlemounts. With a 4-speed trans, I barely used the brakes anyway, just downshifted. The cheater slicks I ran were 40 years old & liked to skid if I panic stopped, the newer all weather tires stopped the car MUCH easier with no skidding. Once you know how your car handles & stops, you shouldn't have any problems, especially on a real light car. In the end, it's whatever YOU feel comfortable with. WWS

 

They do look cool and there IS ALOT of hambers with cars that don't have front brakes on they're smaller rods but it is safer to have all four brakes but on a light rod like a roadster you could do it but you would have to learn how to drive it and shut it down I have a buddy with a t bucket that doesn't have front brakes on it and I've seen him shut that car down faster than I can stop my 60 and I have all my brakes. But he slows it down by down shifting and braking. The only thing I will tell you about is gravel roads **** with rear brakes and wet roads because if your not carefull it will turn around on you.


There's Older hambers that I have seen running spindle mount wheels that you might try to find and ask about it. You might put disc brakes on the rear to help in the braking also.

 

**x

 

Without front brakes, the first thing that happens in a panic stop is the car switches ends.....you back into the crash.

BAD idea !

 

The only thing I ever ran with no fron brakes were my Dunebuggies, much lighter, and I had turn brakes to keep them straight, but that would be all I ran with no front brakes!!!

 

Thanks guys.
It was kind of a silly question. I've just seen enough cars without front brakes to get me wonderin'. Too much of a gamble.