Brake caliper position

[racer68]

I need to know what the difference between the calipers being on the front of the rotor compared to the back. My brother is redoing the rear brakes on his SS car and the brakes were mounted on the front, but I thought they needed to be on the back. Any info would help. Thanks MT

[Slidejob]

It does not matter where the calipers are mounted as far as performance. The main thing is that they clear everything ie. shocks, springs, frame, etc. and make sure the bleeder is at the top. I have talked to racers who thought that they had to go one way or the other, but from my exp. that is 100% false. No matter where the caliper is mounted, when the brakes are applied the force tries to roll the rearend forward. Hope this helps.

[billetbirdcage]

It does not matter where the calipers are mounted as far as performance. The main thing is that they clear everything ie. shocks, springs, frame, etc. and make sure the bleeder is at the top. I have talked to racers who thought that they had to go one way or the other, but from my exp. that is 100% false. No matter where the caliper is mounted, when the brakes are applied the force tries to roll the rearend forward. Hope this helps.

100% correct, incase you wanted another opinion.

[No Rookie]

Billet, What are you basing your info (or opinion) on?

[billetbirdcage]

Take a Tire/Wheel for example: if you grab the wheel at the 9 O'Clock position and rotate the wheel verse if you grab it at 3 O'Clock the force at the center of the wheel is the exact same trying to rotate the wheel. No different with the brakes, it's trying to rotate the housing when the brakes are applied. The housing is being rotated the same direction with the same amount of force as longs as they are the same distance away from the enterline of the axle, position does not matter.

[billetbirdcage]

I should have stated that under some situations with non floated link suspensions that it possible to effect the loading of one bar verses the other. Like a 2 link with a pullbar, if the caliper was mounted on the bottom it still twists the axle with the same force but it will pull harder on the lower links and not push on the pull bar as hard then if it they were mounted on the top. So if the lowers were level and the pullbar was down hill several degrees then if the brakes were mounted on the top it would have more leverage on the downhill running pullbar and make the car squat more during braking then if they were mounted on bottom.

Sorry for any confusion.

[No Rookie]

I see what you are explaining. The reason I asked was several years ago I questioned why Rayburn places his calipers on the front of his spindles vs. everyone else on the rear. I was told it had to do with how the rotating torque would be applied to the contact patch of the tire.