I saw something in the nme manual about switching the standard operating e-brake handle to one that is a special FLY-OFF type.
RALLY MODIFICATION:
When you pull a Fly-Off E-brake handle upwards, the pawl does not engage the ratchet as does a standard e-brake handle.
When the lever is raised and 'push' the button the pawl 'advances' towards the ratchet teeth and locks at that point.
To release the brake, no need to push the button, just lift up the handle slightly and let it drop on it's own to the base position again.
The advantage of the FLY-OFF mode of operation is in freeing the hand and thumb from holding the emergency brake in a certain position manually to generate a drift attitude for the vehicle around a corner. For release, the fly off e-brake handle only requires a quick lift up to drop vs. holding the thumb going all the way down to release with the normal setup.
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This fly off feature is to avoid having the brakes stick on inadvertently and make best and safest use of the e-brake around the corner.
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My car as it is now, has no emergency brake ratchet button anymore at all, largely to the same effect in facilitating e-brake turns, it having been removed by the previous owner. A shaped block of wood props the brake handle securely for parking.
With this current 'no catch' arrangement, e-brake handle falls on it's own of course as the pawl can't engage. ... but it can't maintain a force without requiring using one arm that could be steering or shifting.
Rather than pull out the entire button/spring/rod it would be better to try and drill a hole through the button and handle when button was held depressed. Then stick a pin to hold it when required.
The action of the FLY-OFF e-brake handle is reversed to the normal way of doing things and may be counter-intuitive at first, but it's nothing a rhd gtir driver would find difficult i'm sure.
If somebody want's to get some stock e-brake levers and make some cheap fly-off brake handles please do.
If I had to mcgyver this with levers: i'd remove the cover [possibly the hardest part] , drill out the two original rivets, bend the original travel rod straighter out, fab a lever, fab a short link drill a hole and bolt it up. "ta'da" ???
Another thought was to rig a choke type cable vs. a rod and reverse the direction of action of the pawl.
Anyone have the real nismo fly off e-brake lever to compare how nissan did it?
Any other designs for this? Any and all comments appreciated.
LOL shaped block of wood.... interesting mod, though I like my nice firm e-brake. Screwed up my rear brakes on my last car doing drifts in the snow :-)
Ebrake in a awd is not the best thing. Learn to drift with the gas pedal and not the brakes. It's much more forgiving on the drivetrain.
Haven't used my handbrake once for drifting in the 8 years I've been driving awd.
Thanks, I'd wondered what might work out best when i saw some drivers depressing the clutch while using the e-brake. I've never really practiced it much except in a fwd on ice and without much success at the last ice dice.
The block of wood works for sure, :), and actually holds quite firmly, but was slated for replacement with the stock handle gotten on this forum.
I got a brief bit of practice blipping around corners on glare ice the other day on my r-compound summer tires. YeeHaa. Snows on now.
Noticed anything "funny" with the exchange rates and parts prices lately:
New Scarier Insider Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPg4qTNTP-E
Save Real Money for your Nissan Pulsar Gtir Upgrades!
http://www.canadagtir.com/gallery/user/91gtirgrey/wont-last-long-buy-physical-silver-now
***** "May you live in interesting times."
since we're on the topic of drifting around on ice, i just went and bought myself a nice set of studded tires. nice and tall too.
i had the studded tire first winter i had the car, but unfortunately had to run them too much on pavement in the early spring and they wore down.
Bibendum's X-ice are nice 185/60x15 om alloy rims. It's about 3 cm taller tire than stock .
Found one bad lugnut to be replaced, will find one at the wreckers.
Noticed anything "funny" with the exchange rates and parts prices lately:
New Scarier Insider Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPg4qTNTP-E
Save Real Money for your Nissan Pulsar Gtir Upgrades!
http://www.canadagtir.com/gallery/user/91gtirgrey/wont-last-long-buy-physical-silver-now
***** "May you live in interesting times."
I had crap tires last winter, but to get the pulsar drifting when you go into the corner you will get a bit of understeer. Trick is to give it a bit more gas to unsettle the car and get the back end coming around. Once your there ride it out with the gas and steering.
Definitely not as refined as subaru's but it does get the job done. I think a larger rear sway bar would help balance the car out better.
they have a much better solution for this in the drifting world called spin turn knobs
essentially it's a replacement e-brake button. the net effect is that you can have the button permanently engaged, or permanently disengaged.
push the knob in for ratchet-less ebraking for drifting/rally etc. pull the knob out for a return to regular parking brake operation
if you want one pm me
-Mike [img]http://spd.blinkerfluid.org/240c.gif[/img]