DIY Brakes?

[zrawk95]

I had an idea for using some bike brakes and some mildly used brake pads off a car to make a homemade brake setup, currently the kart has a brake disc, but no actual assembly connected to the pedal. Would this setup give even somewhat reasonable stopping power? I dont know if any of this makes sense, but it does in my head

 

[Doc Sprocket]

You mean bicycle brakes? No. Motorcycle brakes, yes.

 

[zrawk95]

i dont really need it to stop on a dime, would it at least be better than no brakes?

 

[r97]

better than no brakes, yes, better than a stick shoved in-between the spokes, no. spend 20 bucks on brakes, and you won't spend 200 bucks fixing YOU and the kart after hitting the tree

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Better than no brakes? Not by much. Bugger all for clamping pressure. You have lots of options, even free if you're resourceful. You can use a hydraulic setup from a bike, car, sled or quad if you can source it free or cheap and have a little mechanical inclination. There are mechanical calipers that can be had for fairly cheap, too.

Three quick examples for you-

My kart- Hydraulic Clutch Master Cylinder (yes, clutch!) from 80's Toyota pickup truck, and caliper from 80's Mercedes (both scrapyard finds)

My Kids' Kart- Hydraulic Brake Master Cylinder and Caliper (front) from 1988 Yamaha XV250 Virago motorcycle.

Here's another lo-buck idea- awhile back, a few of us were batting around ideas for a home-built mechanical brake caliper using either a large C-clamp or woodworker's clamp for actuation, search around here, you should be able to find some info.

My kart build in progress- Hydraulic Brake Master Cylinder and front left caliper from 1984 Honda VT750 Shadow motorcycle

 

[ramairgtz]

My brake set up is a master cylinder from a yamaha r6 and dual piston from a 80's suzuki gs850. The most expensive part was the lines connecting the 2

 

[devino246]

better than no brakes, yes, better than a stick shoved in-between the spokes, no. spend 20 bucks on brakes, and you won't spend 200 bucks fixing YOU and the kart after hitting the tree

$200? try $2000. No brakes is a horrible idea. Toystory, the C-clamp sounds like a really good, cheap idea.

 

[zrawk95]

right now, no brakes isnt too dangerous considering it only goes 20 on a long strait, but if the speed calculater on this websites even remotely correct, it will go 45-ish. How hard would it be to integrate brakes from an old junker onto the kart?

 

[fowler]

the speed calc here doesnt take friction or weight or wind resistance into account

 

[r97]

oops, sry i forgot to factor in the price of fixing "you"(not cheap)

 

[redsox985]

Depends upon where you live and your economic class. It may be totally free.

 

[zrawk95]

does anyone know of a place that has a tutorial on how to use car brakes? im sure i could find some easy enough, but getting them to work im not so sure.

 

[fowler]

well discs from a car just sit on the hub so find a hub with a hole the size of your axil then put the disc on, the caliper is self explanitory.

(assumeing u have live axil)

 

[r97]

car brakes probably weigh a ton!

 

[devino246]

car brakes probably weigh a ton!

What he said. The rotors ive worked with weigh at least 10lbs and the calipers weigh about the same. It would take alot more torque to get car rotors turning. Not to mention how much overkill car brakes would be. Id suggest motorcycle brakes.

 

[zrawk95]

any price estimate for motorcycle brakes?

 

[r97]

cheap, if you get from a junk yard

 

[zrawk95]

where i live, motorcycles are rare, but you cant walk 10 feet without finding a junk 4 wheeler, that should work right

 

[Doc Sprocket]

You bet!

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Toystory, the C-clamp sounds like a really good, cheap idea.

I can't take credit for the idea, it wasn't mine. I can, however, take credit for this idea: http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7427&highlight=mechanical+brake