Brakes, How to Have Fun Safely!
Lets face it, most classic cars have inadequate brakes at best. With help from BCC, Project Shop can give you modern stopping power with no other alterations to your braking system.
With Brakes, Quality Matters!
When you ‘upgrade’ any part of a classic car you need to make sure that it is made to the same or better standard than the parts you are replacing. Nowhere is this more important than in your braking system. Ebay and some reputable parts suppliers are awash with cheap brake ‘upgrade kits’ that fall well below this standard. Project Shop partners with BCC brakes because they are a properly engineered and tested product, made here in the UK to aerospace standards.
How Are They Better?
Disc brakes were invented by Dunlop back in the 1950’s for Jaguar and even helped them win Le Mans with the legendary D-Type. From that moment onwards Jaguar fitted them to their road cars, proudly displaying the fact with a warning sign on the back! The basic design has been in development ever since with improved caliper materials, more efficient internals and grippier brake pads.
BCC Brakes are a direct replacement product. They bolt onto the same mounting points and do not require any modifications to the rest of your system. What they are, is better in every other area! Each caliper is:
- A minimum of 4-Pot design, giving massively improved braking force
- Made and tested in their own UK factory to ISO9001 quality standards
- Uses high grade Aluminium and Stainless Steel materials
- Developed to use modern fluid and dust seals, so no dust boots that fall apart!
- Comes with Copper-Nickel pipes, brass bleed and feed unions which are strong and reduces corrosion issues
- High grade Stainless steel pistons, pins and fittings to dramatically reduce internal corrosion
- Anodised in a choice of ten different colours which not only look amazing but corrode less than traditional caliper finishes
- Bridge pipes are used instead of internal porting to keep the brake fluid cooler and more efficient
- Diligently designed and extensively tested to give a real world improvement in braking of up to 42%
- All BCC brakes come with EBC Ultimax brake pads, or Green/Yellow Stuff pads as an option
What Is the Real World Improvement?
We don’t think that there are replacement calpers on the classic car market that have been more extensively developed or tested. During a session at Millbrook proving ground, using a MKII Jaguar, the stopping distance from 60 MPH was improved by over 12 meters, or 42% by simply fitting BCC calipers. Not only this but after repeated stops from 60 MPH (5 times) the temperature in the caliper was reduced by 20 degrees. By improving the heat management of the brake calipers, the fluid remains dense and pads operate more consistently even under heavy use. Our customers have been amazed by the improvement in feel of their brakes. They tell us BCC calipers help them stop quicker, without locking up and skidding.
How Do They Compare With Modern Stopping Distances?
The average modern car can stop from 60 MPH in 55 meters. Jaguar MKII’s had vastly better brakes than most in the 1960’s, but still takes 5 extra meters to stop. That means if a Ford Mondeo anchors up in front of you, the chances are, you are not going to stop in time. With BCC brakes you are way more likely to be able to avoid a terrible accident, not only from Motorway speeds but in everyday driving.
Fitting & Costs
Each caliper set is specifically designed for the car you are fitting it to. This means that fitting and bleeding them is pretty straightforward, taking about an hour each side, for outboard brakes. Where things get a little more tricky is taking the old components off! Sadly the condition of all classics is not equal, so you might find that we have to repair or replace some of the brake pipes/fittings prior to the flexible hoses. A fair average for the whole job is 4 hours per axle, but we can give you a bespoke quote once we have seen your vehicle.
Get Your Car Booked in Today
With a couple of lifetimes experience in upgrading Classic Cars for todays roads Project Shop can help you understand how to wisely spend your money on upgrades that will make a real difference.
CALL – 01869 351 883