Why aren't front and rear brake systems interchangable?

[GabrielKnight]

Why do you have to buy one type for front and another for back*?

<*ffs>

 

[DrR]

Unless it's a 1*2 rear is drums and front is discs.

Also rear brakes do far less work than rears, so to keep cost down they make them smaller.

 

[Fred@BTM]

what are you on about? Lucas and Bosch i assume?

 

[GabrielKnight]

I'm not 'on about' anything.

Just looking to buy some disks / brakes, and the front ones are sold seperately to the rears, suggesting that they are not interchangeable.

I was simply wondering why the brake systems on cars are different front and back.

DrRollos answer was good. I have a Clio mkI 1.2 (95~), so where does that leave me? Front brake system is different to the rear, or the same?

 

[cat171]

How many threads on brakes do you want ???
i've already put why in one of your others.

 

[GabrielKnight]

11 please.

 

[Henry]

what are you trying to do?

haven't read everything but have you got to change your pads for the MoT and you're wondering if you should go for uprated parts?

if so, TBH, i'd stick with standard

 

[Mackerfly]

front brakes do 60-70% of the braking and the fron hubs also have to feature the steering while the rears have the handbrake and the rear suspension is a tursion beam and the front have the macpherson strut assemberly. this is the cheapest way the manufacturer can make an effective set up.

 

[GabrielKnight]

front brakes do 60-70% of the braking

Thanks. That's really helpful info.

At the risk of further boring other readers, can anyone explain why the front brakes are more efficient at braking, out of interest?

Would the front brakes still be more efficient due to mechanics / physics, even if all wheels had the same hardware, or is it because cheaper components are traditionally used for the rear in the first place?

 

[cat171]

If the rears were more efficient you'd spin the car.

 

[GabrielKnight]

If the rears were more efficient you'd spin the car.

Comedy! Think I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Henry]

if the rears performed as the fronts do, you'd end up with locked rears.

this is fairly simple to visualise if you imagine a car braking: the tyres are the only point of contact with the road and, due to the action of the springs in the suspension, the body mass shifts forward under braking. the majority of the braking force is required at the front of the car, as that's where all the weight is. the rear end is very light under braking and *needs* to be weaker.

 

[cat171]

Are we all sorted now ??

 

[GabrielKnight]

if the rears performed as the fronts do, you'd end up with locked rears.

this is fairly simple to visualise if you imagine a car braking: the tyres are the only point of contact with the road and, due to the action of the springs in the suspension, the body mass shifts forward under braking. the majority of the braking force is required at the front of the car, as that's where all the weight is. the rear end is very light under braking and *needs* to be weaker.

Yes, with the considerations of suspensions it makes sense. Thanks for infos.

 

[izard-industries]

front brakes do 60-70% of the braking

Thanks. That's really helpful info.

At the risk of further boring other readers, can anyone explain why the front brakes are more efficient at braking, out of interest?

Would the front brakes still be more efficient due to mechanics / physics, even if all wheels had the same hardware, or is it because cheaper components are traditionally used for the rear in the first place?

think about it, if u ppull the handbrake up, that only on the rear, te back locks up, and if your conering you spin out. plus when you brake, weight transfers to the front....



for example braking to hard on a motorcycle does this:

making the back end lighter

 

[GabrielKnight]

|Damn. Reminds me of when I applied the front brakes too quickly on my BMX when I was 7. Flew over the top going downhill - still have cracks on my front teeth where tghe previous milk teeth landed on the tarmak and pushed up into my developing ones. : (

 

[Lunner]

|Damn. Reminds me of when I applied the front brakes too quickly on my BMX when I was 7. Flew over the top going downhill - still have cracks on my front teeth where tghe previous milk teeth landed on the tarmak and pushed up into my developing ones. : (

I did that but i just landed on my head with my bike on top of me