brake balance

[skyrangerman]

I have the Willwood pedal box with 0.7 inch bore master cylinders front and rear, standard focus rear calipers and Willwood front calipers with grooved and drilled solid discs. I am wanting to get the balance bar welded before final fitting of the pedal box because it is easier to do out of the car.
Is it correct that i need the bias as far as it will go towards the rear or have i heard wrong.
Cheers Jonathan

[juddyjuddster]

Hi Jonathan I have just had my rocket past it's IVA by the guys at RTR and they have not welded the balance bar. They put a note on it to say it is not to be adjusted.
I would look into that as it's the best option.
Cheers Ian

[martinw]

Hi Jonathan

I used plain nuts, crossdrilled through the balance bar and then lockwired rather than welding. I got thru IVA last week with that solution. My reading of the manual is that the bar must be locked out by some means (and the inspector asked how I'd done it too...), and must additionally be labelled to say if the locking device is removed it may then contravene construction & use regs. You're right - whatever you do to lock it out is a pain in the a*se in situ, although I did manage to do mine.
I've set my brakes with the balance well to the rears following advice from on here, and it sounds like we have the same set up. So far that seems ok on the road, and does mean the fronts lock before the rears for the test. Issue I had (and others before...) is getting the new pads and discs bedded in without any miles on them.

Good luck :-)

Martin

[roadtrackrace]

I can verify that you do not need to weld your balance bar, it simply needs to be fitted with a locking device and this can be a locknut.

We normally put one on either end to be sure and you do need the little notice that states the following:

WARNING
ADJUSTING FRONT/REAR BRAKE BIAS
MAY INVALIDATE APPROVAL
AND BREACH CONSTRUCTION AND
USE REQUIREMENTS

We normally print it and laminate it and then stick to the bulkhead close to the balance bar.

RTR

[skyrangerman]

Many thanks for your help, all i need is some locknuts, does anyone know the thread of the balance bar.
Cheers Jonathan

[martinw]

Hi Jonathan

Thread is 3/8" UNF.

Just as a word of caution - when I was at the first IVA with my Sonic the inspector asked how I'd locked my balance bar, and commented that a car earlier in the day (which spookily happened to be a Rocket...) had used nylocs. Impression I got from him was that they weren't adequate .

That said, I know that RTR have loads of experience of getting MEV products through IVA now, so I'm in no way saying their advice is wrong . It may be this is an area where different inspectors / different centres (I was at Chadderton in Manchester...) have a different interpretation.

The manual says in section 09B, Note 5 "Bias bars and other mechanical adjusting devices fitted to twin master cylinders must be rendered inoperable by mechanical means e.g. lockwiring of components".

Cheers

Martin