Advice on Initial Wilwood Balance bar & Master Cylinder's Strokes

[CP82AERO]

Hi All,

Newby nearing completion on my MKIV. As the body is in SoCal getting painted I have a couple of months to complete most of the chassis. I'm keeping an eye as to what I won't be able to access--or at least easily--and this includes the Wildwood master cylinders and the related adjustments between the two that sets the optimum front to rear braking bias.
I purchased and installed the Wildwood remote balance bar adjuster, and in fitting that I simply eyeballed the illustrations in the Wildwood instructions to set pushrod lengths and to bias the balance bar for front braking strength/caliper cylinder volume.
I would like to hear from those of you who have this same Wildwood option what settings you ended up with in the pursuit of optimum front to rear braking bias.
My roadster is a Dart-block 427 Windsor--and so about 80# heavier than a normal 351W--and with the staggered 18" wheel option. I'll be running Nitto NT05's, 255/35-18 (F), 315/30-18 (R).

Thanks!

Brian

[scrubs]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?46602-Brake-bias-and-testing

[edwardb]

Start with the adjuster in the center. That's what the Factory Five instructions show and has worked for me on multiple builds with only minor adjustments. Since you have the remote adjuster, easy enough to make changes from there without concern for access.

BTW, it's Wilwood. No "D."

[CP82AERO]

Start with the adjuster in the center. That's what the Factory Five instructions show and has worked for me on multiple builds with only minor adjustments. Since you have the remote adjuster, easy enough to make changes from there without concern for access.

BTW, it's Wilwood. No "D."

Thanks--I certainly trust your experience; what about setting the pushrod lengths?

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Thanks--I certainly trust your experience; what about setting the pushrod lengths?

Would also appreciate this info. Place where I am stuck in a system rebuild. Body is on the chassis since 2014 so have to work through the little access plate.

[edwardb]

Thanks--I certainly trust your experience; what about setting the pushrod lengths?


Would also appreciate this info. Place where I am stuck in a system rebuild. Body is on the chassis since 2014 so have to work through the little access plate.

Setting the pushrod length is basically a function of where you want the pedals to be in the footbox. Once you have the balance bar located (I center it as already mentioned) with the proper spacing per the manual and Wilwood directions, then install the master cylinders and adjust the pushrod to get the pedals where you want them. Typically it's necessary to trim a bit off the ends of the pushrods. The manual gives an amount but I always mock things up before cutting. The brake pedal can't be any higher than the frame crosspiece in the area. It has to stop short of that in order for the MC to work properly. I personally like the clutch pedal to be the same height as the brake pedal. So set it that way. But some set it higher. Plus depends on your clutch setup itself. Obviously has to completely release when pushed down and you may need the extra height whether cable or hydraulic. A clutch stop is often installed with a hydraulic setup to prevent overextending the system.

[CraigS]

Once you have the pushrod lengths set to get your preferred pedal position consider staggering them some. Since the MCs and calipers are different sizes the F and R MCs will usually travel a different distance brakes off to brakes on hard. Several trusted sources I have come across recommend setting the pushrods so the bias adjuster shaft is at 90deg to the pushrods at full hard brake application. That means that, at rest, the bias shaft will usually be at some angle. Sometimes that angle could be too much for the shaft to avoid binding inside the top of the pedal. In that case adjust pushrod length so the shaft doesn't bind. You may have the shaft at some angle at rest and move through 90deg to a slight angle at full application which is fine.

[CP82AERO]

Thanks All. I have the front pushrod a bit longer than the rear, a nice high pedal, and a slightly biased bar toward he fronts. When I press the pedal hard not much changes wrt the bar angle and so I guess there's not significant volume difference between the front and rear calipers. Anyway, I'm going to terrorize the neighborhood with an overpowered go-kart on a few 40-0 mph runs and report back to you all what I find out.