Disk brakes with standard drums at the back

[btetley]

I'm putting 8.4" discs on the front but planning to keep standard drums at the back. Has anyone done this. How does it feel when driving? . My
reason for doing this is because the group2 arches I have wont keep the tires under the flare at the back if i use a spacered drum. The front arches are wider than the rear and accomodate the increased track width. The arches came as a set.

[minibitz]

Aside from the additional built in spacer on Cooper/GT drums they are otherwise the same internally as regular drums so will give exactly the same level of braking,

[mab01uk]

How about using standard rear drums but with separate thinner solid alloy spacers to exactly suit your rear arches/wheel offset therefore reducing the front to rear stagger to a minimum?
Minispares spacers:-
http://www.minispares.com/shop/classic/ ... spx?200104

[Alex]

The disc setup is wider than the drum setup, I found the handling was distinctly different and odd until I widened the rear track too.

[btetley]

How about using standard rear drums but with separate thinner solid alloy spacers to exactly suit your rear arches/wheel offset therefore reducing the front to rear stagger to a minimum?
Minispares spacers:-
http://www.minispares.com/shop/classic/ ... spx?200104

Unfortunately using thin spacers adds an extra layer of compliance during certifibation and those spacers wont comply as is.

[btetley]

The disc setup is wider than the drum setup, I found the handling was distinctly different and odd until I widened the rear track too.

Im quite annoyed that the rear arches atent as wide as the front. I might have to add fiberglass to widen them.

[minibitz]

How about using standard rear drums but with separate thinner solid alloy spacers to exactly suit your rear arches/wheel offset therefore reducing the front to rear stagger to a minimum?
Minispares spacers:-
http://www.minispares.com/shop/classic/ ... spx?200104

Unfortunately using thin spacers adds an extra layer of compliance during certifibation and those spacers wont comply as is.

Are you in New Zealand by any chance? Sounds like the dumb rules applied here.

Most brands of arch are narrower at the rear so nothing unusual there.

How about getting cooper drums and then machining the outer spacer portion down to the appropriate width for your needs?

[mab01uk]

Another possible solution for using the correct spacered rear drums is to buy a set of Group 5 arches which are the same style as Group 2 but wider and then just use the wider rear arches from the set along with your existing Group 2 front arches.
Minispares - WORKS GP5 WHEEL ARCH SET PREMIUM QUALITY:-
http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... |Back%20to

Minispares - WHEEL ARCH SET GROUP 2 PREMIUM BLACK:-
http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... |Back%20to

[Peter Laidler]

This is just another example of not knowing where the questioner lives, making answering the question impossible...... Where are you based Btetley?

[Polarsilver]

Also to consider when changing to front disc set ups from oe front shoe brakes there is a need to look at what size rear brake cylinders are in use .. as the rear subframe mounted Brake Bias Valve & the Master Cylinder to be used will need to be evaluated.
Just remember that Rear Brakes must NOT Lock up

[gs.davies]

Wouldn’t it be a bit tail happy with such an exaggerated difference between front and rear track?

[AndyB72]

Wouldn’t it be a bit tail happy with such an exaggerated difference between front and rear track?

I'd be interested to know this too as I'm considering using S discs on the front of my GTM with non spacer drums on the rear to help with clearance issues.

[Peter Laidler]

I thought about this while day dreaming on my drive back from Carlisle yesterday. Ignoring the braking issues, while the front and rear track is well thought out mathematically, I'm not too sure that the 1.5" (?) we're talking about here will make any real difference for a normal road car/vehicle. Chuck it about on the corners and it might get a bit skittish as they say. It's almost a convention for the F and R to be the same...... ALMOST!

You'll see no end of lorries with a narrower rear track than the front. Skinnier tyres, small dia tyres, front wheels on dual axles narrower track etc etc. It's not as if you'll be putting a set of radials on the front and cross-plies on the rear