Need help to improve Unique brakes

[Young1]

I have never been satisfied with the brake performance. I recently reverse bleed the two systems well. I checked the wilwood site and have bp 10 front pad compound. Inboard jag in rear. This car was built from their rolling chassis kit. Brake system is as unique built it. I have sanded glaze from pads and rotors and bedded them in per wilwood instructions. Cannot get tires to slide even with BFG. Pedal does not hit foot box at full compression. I feel safe on the street but not for a panic situation. No way would this be adequate for a track day. Suggestions? Fixes?

[strictlypersonl]

Do you have a balance bar between the master cylinders?
How is it set up?

Brake balance bar setup

[Young1]

Unique uses the wilwood twin master cylinder racing pedal top mount set up with an adjustable balance bar between. I have messed with that extensively at this point I am approximately 60% on the front 40% on the rear

[Tommy]

What follows is generic brake advice not specific to the Unique brand. If the balance bar was set wrong but the rest was right, the only effect would be to have either the front or rear lock up too soon. If neither lock up, I'd suspect:
1. Air in the lines.
2. The master cylinders are not sized right for the calipers (e.g., you run out of MC throw before the calipers are sufficiently extended).
3. A rubber flex line is expanding under pressure.

[DanEC]

If everything in the brake system is working properly, adjusted properly and free of air, then before I spent a lot of money on hardware changes I would do some research and try a different set of pads. I have an old manual brake Corvette that I restored and the pads I put on it grabbed very well and stopped the car easily. But after awhile it suffered leaking brake seals and in the process I changed the calipers for rebuilt ones and they came with new pads. The new pads were noticeably less aggressive and pedal pressure was higher to stop quickly.

I don't have a pad recommendation but it's much cheaper to try a different compound pad than to try new rotors and calipers - especially since options on the Jag in-board brakes are somewhat limited and usually expensive.

[mdross1]

When I got fed up with my new Wilwood brakes not being adequate I called them at first I did have the wrong pad compound the replacements were much better but still not enough. Wilwood says check line pressure (that was it) My fix was move the balance bar up one inch on brake lever. Problem solved ,after that standing on the brakes could put me into the windshield.

[Tommy]

Let me correct my earlier statement. What I said about the balance bar only addressed the fore/aft balance issue. If the bar is placed on the pedal assembly such that it limits the throw of the master cylinder, it could indeed be a problem.

[mickmate]

If it's all good on the rest of the system and it's the 7816 plate I would put the Polymatrix E in it. Wilwood High Performance Disc Brakes - Brake Pad Part Number: 15E-7266K

[Young1]

Stricklypersonal your advice was what I needed . Each rod was the same length. After threading one in and the other one out I achieved a .365 difference. Now the BFG's slide with no problem and the oil pan hits the ground. Need stickeyer tires and stiffer shocks.

How exactly should the front bias be set? Fronts slide before rear? Or vice versa?

[Tommy]

You want the fronts to lock up slightly before the rears.

[Young1]

Thanks Tommy. The advice I have received from forum members is much appreciated. And my brakes now work well. This forum is great