I agree. There is no way id drive my old Tbucket today in heavy traffic at the 80mph there running now. Hell im worried in a 3/4 ton truck LOL. Going to work the slow lane was doing 83 last week.
There is a learning curve for whatever we drive. Sometime it's very short and sometimes it takes a lot of time for someone to develop those seat of the pants skills that will save him when the limits are exceeded. Porsche opened a drivers school for new owners because they were tired of being sued by the surviving family. In the 70s NTSB cleared the Corvair as "Unsafe at any Speed". They said it was as safe as any other car on the road. By then Nader had built his reputation as an "Expert" and the Corvair was dead.
I get the whole "it's traditional" as an answer to most things done to vintage cars. But as to no front brakes on a street car? Pure ignorant idiocy. Only rear brakes in a lot of cases is actually more dangerous than no brakes.
I never even question front brakes or not . Stopping to me is more important than , goin fast . I really think that moment when one would blow a brake line in a single master cylinder system the pedal hits the floor the car actually speeds up ! You want to question this more in-depth jump on an early Harley manual “ rod “ actuated rear brake , no front brake and try to haul it down to a panic stop from 35 mph . Just not worth the look to put one’s self or others at risk to me . Discuss this mod with your insurance man after the first out of control crack up .
If most all would follow 1 car length for every 10 mph , thang's would just be safer Air bags and anti locking brakes have change how people drive
I put a lot of miles and my old Panhead with no front brakes, I thought it look better, it sure wasn't safer but that's youth for you, when I built my 56 panhead I installed brakes, made a big difference. I wouldn't want to drive a car with no front brakes, even brakes on all 4 wheels didn't prevent me from hitting my friend Mikes pickup, I can't imagin the damage if I only had rear brakes. RRP
I realize this is a hotrod forum, but in response to HRP's post i still build and ride choppers with no front brakes. Why? Because its a fkn chopper. As with any hotrod you drive, I ride my bikes differently than i ride a bike with front brakes. I hope ya'll drive your hotrods differently than your hondas. Head on a swivel, eyes open, keep a good distance between you and any other vehicles, try and leave yourself an out, and fingers crossed. The fellas posting here with no front brakes seem to know what the hell they are doing. In closing, I'm sure the same argument could be made from the squares asking how anyone can drive a car with 800hp, or with 15" wide rear tires, 6" chopped top, etc. You have to drive/ ride appropriately for the vehicle you are driving. As far as the % conversation... front brakes are 40, 50 , 60% of your braking power, if you have no front brakes your back brakes are 100% of your braking power
maybe I’m showing my age, but I remember when I first started trucking the maximum GVW was 73,280 pounds. Many trucks had either no front brakes or a front brake pressure limiting valve that cut the pressure from 120 to 60.psi. Trucks today are light years safer than they were in the 50s and 60s
The main reason many big rig drivers preferred minimal to no front tractor braking was vehicle control (or loss of it) during hard braking, due to large drum air brakes not always performing equally, and/or no power steering. The advent of stringent DOT brake performance requirements in the mid '70s/'80s mandated front axle braking, which brought power steering, improved drum brakes, air discs and eventually ABS that greatly improved heavy truck braking performance and control.
You haven't lived until you slide thru an intersection in a bucket with fat rear tires and no front brakes!!
My 66 KW doesn’t have front brakes but it has 4 sets on the rear . My 1942 45 HD has a front brake but it’s almost nonfunctional. So you ride it accordingly
This is not true. I am a Porsche driving instructor and was formerly the chief instructor for the local chapter of Porsche Club of America. High Performance Driving Events (HPDEs) are put on by various chapters of Porsche clubs all over the world. These are so that owners can experience the capabilities of their cars without being unsafe or illegal on the streets. Obviously these also teach how to drive on a race track but aren’t specific on how to drive a rear engine car. Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) also has customer events and their own drivers experience programs but again these are to allow customers to experience their cars full capability in a safe environment on a closed course.
What I learned when I did a defensive driving course for work was 4 seconds following distance. It's a generous amount but I find it works well. After doing it for a while I find it's automatic. The 2 seconds I was taught when I learned to drive just results in someone always in your braking zone, and car lengths per speed can be difficult for some people to visualize. The problem with setting up your car with significantly less brakes than other cars on the road is that other road users don't expect you to only have rear brakes, especially on a customized vehicle. They just ***ume every car will stop as quick as them, which is why people think nothing of cutting into others braking zone.
My 32 Roadster has spindle mounts and no brakes on front but 9" rear stops it when you stand on brakes. California built car from long ago. Neat, but not recommended. MantuaJohn
When I bought my 29 A roadster 65 years ago, it had Ford flathead V-8 brakes front and rear -- and they weren't the best no matter what I did with them. And 25 years later, when prepping it for Bonneville, I skipped the front and put the huge Ford 9-inch Thunderbird brakes on the back of it. Those 2 were far superior to the original 4.
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