Fitting brake servo on tiger e1 cat

[Symnsm]

The brakes on my tiger are simply dreadful. They have very limited stopping power as they are not servo assisted. Has anyone got any pictures of there brake system set up or even more interesting to see is if anyone's used a remote servo, again if so what have you used and again do you have any images ?

If I add a standard Sierra brake servo is this going to make much difference ? I'm running a pinto engine 2.0 so I belive there should be room to fit a standard Sierra servo.

All comments and suggestions greatly received !!

[stevel]

I also have a Tiger Supercat and was unsure about the brakes at first.  The lack of servo does take a bit if getting used to but a light car like this should not need one.  It is surprising how good the standard brakes are, you need a clear road and practice pushing really hard on the brakes to build your confidence.  I did upgrade my discs and pads to EBC grooved and yellow pads which I bought very cheaply from Ed.  This definitely improved things but the trade off is the pads need warming up first before they bite.  Other things to check are calipers moving freely and of course bleeding and fluid change, which mine needs now!

[benchmark51]

I agree, 7's are so light and if everything in your brake system is right then a servo isn't really neccesary.
Ratbag can lock the wheels at 70 (not that you would really want to). That is with standard cortina fronts and escort rear drums. I think it is a case of getting used to it.

[Hairy Santa]

try moving the pad of the brake pedal down a inch or so. It will alter the ratio of the pedal, that will help quite a lot

servo on a lightweight is a bit overkill 

[SPAXIMUS]

first question is what system you have at present and what makes you say it is dreadful? If all you have driven is servo assisted then you could be thinking something is wrong when it is not.
All a servo does is uses a vacuum to give you the same braking efficiency for less foot pressure. It does not make the brakes better, it assists only.
If it was built to tigers spec the brakes will be fine.
First thing I would do is take it to a garage and just put it on the brake rollers, this will confirm if it is working correctly. If it is then you could look at the pivot point on the pedal or lengthen the pedal to gain a mechanical leverage advantage.

If you wanted desperately to have a servo, they can be fitted, but it is not simple as the mix of cylinders and front to back circuits is messy. I have seen one on a Westfield for a disabled driver and it worked by taking the cylinder and mounting it on a small servo off a Fiat IIRC. This was turned 45 degrees across the scuttle and a camber mechanisum turned the forward pedal motion sideways to work it on a hand control.

[Lucky Ed]

PUSH HARDER!

On a serious note, as the other guys have said servos are rarely used on a 7 but there are things you can do to improve what you've got.

Brake pads go hard over time so change those first, every body has their favorites but I'd go for Mintex 1144's or higher for extra bite.

If you've got a standard Sierra master cylinder, swap it for a Mk1 Fiesta one - it has a smaller bore which will give you extra force and feel, but more travel.

As Santa says, extend the pedal or move the M/C pushrod closer to the fulcrum to give the same results as above.

All of these are relatively cheap and easy to do and should be plenty good enough for fast road use

[fletch_306]

The brakes on my Supersix have gone rubbish but were fine last year as others have said the material degrades over time so im going to change the disks and pads this week will let you know how it goes.
As benchmark said i could also lock the brakes mega easy at various speeds so this may be the best way to go.
Plus have you thought about bleeding the brake fluid as brake fluid is hydroscopic which means it absorbs water from air (apologies if i taught people to suck eggs there!! ) this means that the brake fluid will degrade and will work less efficiently, any moisture in the system could also corrode parts of the system.
anyway good luck with whatever you decide to do yourself.

Peter

[Iancider]

It has been said before but worth repeating.  Getting the brake hoses right is important the cheaper fabric braided rubber ones expand on braking and give the pedal a spongy indefinite feel.  Metal braided is far better and not a big investment either.

Ian

[rivsy36]

Having a few issues myself, its all about getting enough mechanical advantage/or lever ratio on your pedal. You may find this link useful.
Rivsy
http://www.andersensmith.freeserve.co.uk/brakes.htm

[Symnsm]

Ok so last weekend I changed a caliper and also changed the pads. The braking has now improved dramatically. The standard brakes do the job well !

[Facial Hair Optional]

I have a Tiger Cat E1, standard discs at front and drums at rear, not only does it stop on a sixpence (2 and a half p to you youngsters out there) but the balance front to rear is as near perfect as you could want! Defo no servo needed!