Brakes Shoes, Newbie Question

[sagero]

I'm an experienced road racer in sedans and production cars but now am prepping a Vee for my first event with it. I'm wondering about brake shoes.

I've heard about some using stock shoes but want to know whether race compounds offer a significant advantage. If so, do you run them front and rear, or recommend different compounds for front and rear,?

Any comments appreciated.

[enrikerace]

HELLO,

I would go with the normal compound. The car is not heavy
and it does not manage high speeds to need better brake performance.

The formula vee weights almost 50% less than the original weight
its brakes where designed for.

I havent really used a performance compound so i cant tell the difference.
Maybe they will help when you start looking for pole lap times.

[Tiago Santos]

The race compounds do make a bit of a difference, but they're incredibly expensive compared to the stock shoes. You'll likely have a couple of other things to get used to before you're running at the front, so I'd save the money for now.

That said, I hate that patronizing BS and if you feel a few hundred dollars on brake shoes is not a significant expense, go for it

[bugcollections]

I am pretty much a rookie in vintage vee racing: In my third season. Started out with stock shoes. Poor choice. Changed to Porterfield RD-4 linings. Great difference. On some tracks probably not much difference because you don't need that much braking. But on others where you need it: The race prepped linings make a world of difference. But no, they are not cheap.

[Hardingfv32]

Stock shoes are subject to heat cracking and thus frequent replacement.

Brian

[FVRacer21]

I will jump in here with a lot of ifs....

If the car you bought was run competitively, and if the brakes on it are at least 1.5 times the thickness of the shoe webbing, then go with what is on the car.

You don't need to be messing with mounting and breaking in new shoes while learning to drive the car. Even if you have to put new shoes on the car, sticking with stock shoes will not slow you down much (pun intended). In fact you could probably find someone with a cashe of good shoes to give you if money is a problem.

What is probably more important is:
Is the hydraulic system in good shape?
Is the mechanics of the pedal and bias bar correct?
Are the shoe springs and hardware correct?
Do you have the right shoes for the adjusters? Are the adjusters matched per axle and are you sure they are in the right way? Caught me out once when I was flipping shoes to even the wear.
Are they adjusted properly and are the drums round?

I have grooved stock shoes to prevent dust buildup. I suspect people are cooking the brakes but adjusting them too tight in order to get what they think is a high pedal. Also, don't adjust them every session, once they are broken in. They should go 2 to 3 sessions depending on the track.

Could you fill us in on what car you have and its history, and what tracks you plan to run on?

Chris Z

[sagero]

Car is a one-off built in the late 80s, the "Viper" built by Mike Wietzes. I've been told it's similar to a Lynx. Was last raced in the Challenge Cup series in 2014. I plan to run Mid Ohio, W. Glen, Mosport and Pittsburgh.