Drag racing?
Big-bore rear wheel cylinders shift brake bias toward the rear, improving braking when running big rear tires and front skinnies and/or different OEM front brakes.
The typical Mustang has more braking power up front than the rear-typically 70-75% front bias. That's way too much for a drag race tire setup with skinny front tires and fat sticky meats out back! The front tires will lock much sooner than the rears in that situation. Braking more lightly to avoid front lockup will lead to longer stopping distances. The solution? Improve braking by taking advantage of the fantastic grip provided by those big rear tires.
The easy way to shift braking force from the front to the rear with drum brakes is to install these wheel cylinders having a larger bore diameter. When coupled with stock Fox front brakes (excluding SVO) or 1999-2004 GT/V6 front brakes, the rear brake bias will increase 17%. Stopping ability goes up because the front tires will no longer prematurely lock, and the big sticky rear tires can support a large increase in braking effort.
Swapping Calipers?
For Fox Mustangs equipped with these big-bore rear wheel cylinders, there will be varying effects, depending on the exact combination of front brake parts and tire sizes used.
Recommendation table for MMBK-16
This table lists typical combinations of front brake and tire configurations. All tire and front brake combinations assume installation of the MMBK-16 big-bore wheel cylinders. "Yes" means the combination works well and is recommended; "No" means the combination should be avoided.
| |
|
Tire Configuration |
| |
|
Bigs and Littles |
F/R Same Width |
| Front Brake Configuration |
1979-93 GT/LX |
Yes |
No |
| 1994-98 GT/V6 |
See Note Below* |
Yes |
| 1999-2004 GT/V6 |
Yes |
No |
| 1984-86 SVO |
No |
No |
*This combination of brake parts will have too much front brake bias for use with bigs and littles. While installing the MMBK-16 will make the brake bias better, we still do not recommend this combination.
If your brake system isn't listed...
The brake setups most likely to have poor bias are those put together by DIYers. These systems are often done following dubious Internet directions, or simply because the parts were readily available and easily bolted up. Good DIY mechanical skills don't always coincide with good brake system engineering. MM can help you by evaluating your brake system and recommending how to improve it. Go to the Technical Services page, select the Master Cylinder option, and we'll run the numbers for you.
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