Reply To: Does anyone have power brakes in an 11?
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Robert Mitchell-WilliamsI don’t have servo assisted brakes in my 11 but have completed a floating brake shoe conversion that has improved braking performance to the point where the wheels can be locked up under heavy braking.
Key thing to consider is achieving uniform contact between the brake lining and the drums across the whole available braking surface of the drums.
The original Citroen design involves the shoes pivoting on a fixed point resulting in minimal contact and very poor adjustment as the linings wear. The reduced surface area in contact provides far less friction hence the need to push the shoes harder and the requirement for a servo to assist to get reasonable stopping power.
If the brake shoes can ‘float’ you can achieve full contact between the brake lining and the drums, the extra contact area between the two allows for far more friction to be generated allowing good stopping power without the extra force from a servo. The additional benefit is that the brakes can also be adjusted on the snail cam as the wear allowing for better life from a set of linings before they require replacement.
More details on the conversion kit I have installed and manufacture can be found here:
https://www.yellowboxengineering.co.uk/floating-brake-shoe-upgrade