could someone explain turning brakes to me.

i thought they were just parking brakes but at a closer glance they seem more complicated than that.

Yes, one brake will hit each rear wheel. you can use them like a fake posi. If a wheel comes loose or spins you can tap the speed down with the brake to free the car. you also use them to help you turn in the loose stuff. You hit the brake on the inside wheel of your turn and stay on the gas and you will get a real nice turn out of your car. Most new cars have this added to it, but the computer will do the work. You run the brakes your self. Last you can do some real cool spins, just lock one of the brakes up and turn into it and the car will flip 180' in a turn and it's that fast. Brakes is realy the wrong term for them, they should be called turning aids.

now if i buy the dual handle turning brakes do i replace my parking brake with these or is this another brake setup on it's own?

The parking brake is a cable and if you can try and keep it as it's a good thing to have. I do not have a parking brake my car is a wheel disc with no option for the parking break. The turning breaks ket spliced into your normal barke lines.

my understanding is that they used to sell cable turning brake handles. those are long forgotten though. you have to cut your break line goin to the rear and install the break splitter. perrty much its a "Y" for the break line.


go here:

www.chircoestore.com/c...ds=+brakes

i thought a single handle turning brake setup would control both brakes with a pull in one direction, but i just noticed that the single handles have little hydraulics(please tell me the name of these things as i'm sure they're not called hydraulics but you guys know what i'm talking about) on both sides of the pivot point.

so does a single handle turning brake control the tires simultaneoulsy or individually?

what do all you desert racers prefer? single or dual?

The single is forward for one brake and back for the other brake. some racers like this set up as you do not have to remove your hand from one brake to the other brake when racing.

term would be master cylender.

thanks for the clarification

to answer the questions about useing the hand brake as a turning break. Yes you can there is a kit in empi or bugpack. I can't order the bug pack but i can order the empi one. If you look at the safty brake cables there is one per side. Ie the kit comes with two handles, which activates the brake that you desire. So instead of the hydrolic pressureyou have to use brut stregth. the hydrolic ones I would only suggest in a sandrail. Because driveing in deep sand is like driving a boat the front wheels will act as rutters, and back wheels do the turning of the car.

personaly. if your car is fully (cage and harneses)set up then go with it, if not leave them alone. WHY you ask, with the turning break people tend to stop and think about what the back end is doing in the sand. alot of people will try and take a corner fast and hit the leading wheel break, which makes the inner wheel have the traction ie pushing the backend around like driffting. the problem is that the sand or loose dirt or rocks gathers on the leading wheel. Now if there is enough momentum and it doesn't take much, it will roll over or simply enough roll the wheel off the rim. two things that will trash your car and your self. So personaly learn how to feel the car with your ass, if you feel the car wnatin to go a certain way you can correct it or power through it, because if the wheels have the power it will not gather the dirt but to push it under the wheel.

anyway thats my .15 on the subject.

well i guess i need to start on that cage

It was Bugpack that made the old mechanical steering brakes. I had them on my first Baja and a set came on my Manx. They worked out quite well for the Baja for slow speed trail running. They came in real handy when trying to climb out of a wash (off camber) or while negotiating rugged terrain.

I have actually been looking for another set for my new Baja but it looks like no one is selling them any more. They suit my current style of off-roading (mostly exploring) and are a real easy install.

do they put a lot of wear and tear on your brakes?

speedtrash wrote:

do they put a lot of wear and tear on your brakes?

I suppose it would depend on how often you use them. In my case, I used them only rarely when I needed to direct traction to the opposite tire. It's kind of like insurance; you may not need it all the time but when you do, you're sure glad it's there.

Since they operate using the emergency brake cable they only activate one brake shoe where as the current "hydraulic" type cutting brakes activate both shoes. If you are intending to use them a lot at the dunes, especially in a rail, I would definitely go with the hydraulic type.

For slower speed, desert or mountain use - crawling through the rough stuff, the mechanical brakes are a cheap alternative. They are also a very easy install and still retain the use of the stock emergency brake.

Now if only a set will show up on eBay.

you can make them. flat steal and some elbo grease.

69bapbaja wrote:

you can make them. flat steal and some elbo grease.

I'm keeping that as my last option. No sense reinventing the wheel if I can pick up a set at a reasonable price. If I can't then it's time fab some up.