Mx5 handbrake

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:33 am

Someone told recently me Mx5's came with a working handbrake. I laughed at first and was about to tell them they were wrong but they showed me a video online of a guy doing handbrake turns. I know the mx5 has a lever type device next to the shifter but I thought that was just for fun/stress relief.
I asked some mates about it too, none of their mx5's have a handbrake either.

Could it be true that some NA's actually have them? I call BS on the video, I think the guy is just power oversteering and pulling the lever for fun or to show off his one handed driving.

So is this dealer optioned or aftermarket?

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:33 am

I've got an NA. It's always had an excellent handbrake. Definitely good enough for motorkhana if you just gaff tape the button down.

Cable tension is adjusted beside the base of the lever. It should lock in 4 or 5 clicks.

Things can go terminally wrong in the back calipers if someone doesn't know how to back them off properly when they're ding a pad change.

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:42 am

What do you mean?

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:16 am

I'm not sure if this thread is a joke or not? The lack of smilies say to me its not a joke. The questions say to me it is.

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:52 am

Mine won't lock the wheels when you just pull it up when going in a straight line.. But that doesn't mean you can't do a hand break turn, you just need to have half an idea what you're doing and throw the car before you pull the hand brake.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:07 pm

It's very difficult to get NA handbrakes to lock em up like a corolla and do dry road slides with them, just follow the guides and do a lot of playing with the allen key adjusters on the back.

Part of the key is having the allen key adjusters 110% even.

Dann

mitch_f1 · Postby **mitch_f1** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:06 pm

Is there any point in playing with the adjustment on the cable side at the rear?

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:21 pm

Not really, you could adjust it so the levers are perpendicular to the cable at the point that the pads engage I guess.

Dann

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 12:11 am

As a matter of interest, roughly how far off the disk do you set the pads ( ie 1/3 turn of rotation from touching disk) ? Might have to play with mine again.. Personally I think it's a frustrating design though..

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:46 am

I close the grub screws in the calipers up until the pads are clearly dragging on the discs and then back them off until they just run free. The main secret to a good handbrake is in making sure the cable system all runs free and that it's properly adjusted at the lever in the cabin so it's only 5 clicks to fully on.

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:14 am

Okay, so no magic tricks then.
Might be worth trying different pads if you want them to bite harder?

track_addict · Postby **track_addict** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 11:32 am

I have had problems with mine but have managed to get it working nicely. The guy at the brake shop told me that the arms that the cables pull on needs to be touching its stop with the handbrake DOWN. I had been fiddling with mine for a few hours before I was told this. Quickly adjusted it to hit the stops and it came up real nice!

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 11:51 am

Good point. I should have mentioned that. Most self-adjusting handbrake systems only adjust when the cable is allowed to go slack with the brake off. Otherwise you can just keep on tightening the cable and only ever get a very short term improvement before it gets worse than it was before.

mitch_f1 · Postby **mitch_f1** » Sat Sep 28, 2013 4:28 pm

Please explain more of this adjusting the cable so it's on its stop. Ive just spent the better part of 30 minutes adjusting the rear calipers so that the pads are the exact same distance from rotor, and then making sure that there are 5 clicks in the handbrake, but the handbrake is now worse than when I started off!!!

mitch_f1 · Postby **mitch_f1** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:34 pm

I have gone from a handbrake which has never been able to hold me still on a hill to a handbrake which locks wheels. Here's how I did it. I initially had it so that it would lock one wheel, but I tried to adjust it so it would lock both, and now it locks neither, but it still holds me on a hill, so whatever.

1) Leave wheels on, jack car up, take handbrake off (lever down)

2) Loosen the cable right off by the two nuts on the cable end of the caliper. To do this, the nut at the front end of the cable needs to be right up against its stop.

3) Tighten up the hex adjuster in the caliper so that the wheel won't turn.

4) The aim is to get the cable tensioner even. You do this by progressively tightening the cables with the nuts on the cable at the caliper end. I measured the distance between the split clip and the lever (red lines on picture) with a set of calipers. Once done, tighten up the cables

5) Loosen off the hex adjuster so that the wheel is only just able to turn.

6) Check that there is no drag. Pull the handbrake lever and check that the wheels don't move (I put a breaker bar to the wheel nuts and tried to turn the wheel).

7) Enjoy a handbrake which holds you on an incline