Hey guys, been thinking about doing 3rd gen style spindles and drag brakes (strange pro 2) just curious how well they stop at a track with a short shutdown area.
I've for ls1 brakes with slotted/drilled rotors and hawk pads.
They do pretty good, but I feel like I'm killing them when I get to one track with a short shutdown area. It's everything I have to get stopped from 125mph in a 3100rw car.

I'm fully aware that they are not street oriented products, and I'm not concerned with tryin to see how they do in traffic. Just want to know If they are a compromise, or a compliment over stock braking?

 

The lighter the vehicle obviously better the stopping power. How heavy are you?

 

Tough question. You give up rotor od and thickness so back to back stopping the stock brakes are superior. You get a softer pad. Helps on the first stop. I've stopped my Hawk at 3800lbs at 184mph beyond the finish line with ease with Strange Pro2 front drag brakes and stock rear brakes with the factory brake bias. But we have a long shutdown. I don't feel like I gained better stopping power with the Pro2's over stock. Still power brakes though...I'd call it a wash for the first stop and stock is better for multiple stops in a row.

 

Right now the car is 2981lbs. I dually pulle the passenger seat and rest seats/belts at the track, so somewhere around 2930-2920lbs
I'm running 15" weld wheels with radials front and rear.

I'm hoping to get an aluminum block in the car this winter, and change to a bias ply front runner, as well as cut some sheet metal off the nose. so I'll have the car down in the 2850lb range this winter, not to mention what the spindles and brakes drop.

Generally I don't hot lap the car, maybe one pass every half hour or so just to let the motor and tranny cool off a little.
With those kind of cool down periods, a thin drag brake should hold up, correct?

 

You should have no problem stopping your cars from that speed. Get some stainless braided lines, make sure your sliders are working properly and get a set of Performance friction pads and it should stop like a champ. Be sure to bead blast your rotors to...they are probably glazed up which is likely your real problem.

 

I don't have a problem stopping the car at most tracks. But at London Dragway in London, Ky there's only 900ft from the stripe to the turnoff. Lol
Any other 1/8th or 1/4 track I've been to it stops fine.
When I get new pads I'll blast the rotors for sure. Pins pistons and seals are fresh and free moving.
Any preference on braided lines?

 

I think mine are earls. They've been on the car for 10+ years.

 

Beginners may be looking for a clear answer to the question in the title. Drag brakes will not stop your car in a shorter distance than stock brakes. There are two reasons for drag brakes: lighter weight and smaller size. Skinnies, drag shocks, and no ABS are more important stopping factors than drag brakes - here also, stock stops better. Drag cars need room to stop. Fast drag cars need parachutes.

 

The weight reduction, Free rolling ability, as well as using a low pad height deep back spacing wheel are the reasons I want drag brakes, not because I'm looking for improved braking. most tracks i go to, I end up coasting for a few hundred feet lightly applying the brakes, so a drag setup is bound to do fine.
Currently, I can run 95mph and hammer the brakes and lock them up (did it in an attempt to kill the ET in an index race, but it wasn't enough)
Brakes/spindles and an aluminum block will knock off over 150lbs off the car, which in turn will help stop it quicker. Lol, it's a win/win situation.