1. Mount the caliper square to the rotor in a position recommended by the manufacturer for proper bleeding. Remember that if you weld a bracket in place, the weld will cause the bracket to draw, which will make the caliper sit cocked over the rotor. If your outer pad contacts on the bottom, and your inner pad hits on the top of the rotor, your bracket has drawn over the rotor and needs attention. Brackets must be parallel to rotor within .020. Caliper must be centered on rotor, so that new pads will easily fit into both sides.

2. Mount master cylinders in a bracket that has adequate cross bracing, so that no movement takes place, even when depressed as hard as during actual race conditions. Mount masters as high as possible. Fluid bleeds better rolling downhill. Always use a master that has a sealed diaphragm to keep air away from the brake fluid.

3. If residual valves are to be used, mount to the end of the master cylinder where they are obvious. If you mount elsewhere, they are easy to forget and they should be checked for proper operation regularly. Residual valves are not recommended, but if you use them, never more than 2 pounds on a disc brake or 10 pounds on a drum brake.

4. Route brake lines to run downhill from the master cylinder to the calipers. Avoid sharp bends or "loops", as this will create natural air traps. Keep flex line as short as possible. Use 3/16" solid and flex lines to keep the pedal hard and firm. Never use Teflon line for plumbing a racecar. It does not like heat, repeated bending, ages poorly and has no place in a professionally built car.

5. Bleed brake system with racing fluid only. Do not use standard automotive fluids, as their boiling points are not sufficient for the strain of competition. Never buy brake fluid in bottles larger than one pint. The moisture in a half, used bottle can contaminate the remaining fluid!

6. Avoid proportioning valves whenever possible. They only take away brake performance. They never increase it. Other methods of decreasing brake effort are:

a. Mechanical balance bar with a larger master cylinder to lower line pressure. (The surface area of the master cylinder is a linear function measured in inverse proportion, that is, the smaller the master, the higher the line pressure.

b. Smaller master cylinder piston sizes. The surtency of the coefficient of friction allows this to be done only with our pads.

The methods listed above will give better repeatability to the racecar than running pressure through an orifice of a proportioning valve. Consistency is the key to winning! The face area of the pistons on one side of the rotor has a direct effect on brake torque. That is, the bigger the pistons the greater the torque.

c. Using different compound pads available from The Brake Man on the different axles. The consistency of the coefficient of friction allows this to be done only with our pads.

The methods listed above will give better repeatability to the racecar than running pressure through an orifice of a proportioning valve. Consistency is the key to winning!