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Four wheel braking - John Mason - 03-01-2018
IJust by chance whilst browsing the Internet on you tube I found a road test report on an Austin Seven Ruby by Autocar. It came out reasonable well until it came to braking comparing it with moderns. It did however state that the foot brake only braked on the front wheels. I know early sevens used this system but thought by the time Ruby's were made all Sevens were 4 wheel braking. Can anyone confirm this.
John Mason.
RE: Four wheel braking - Smiley - 03-01-2018
(03-01-2018, 05:16 PM)John Mason Wrote:IJust by chance whilst browsing the Internet on you tube I found a road test report on an Austin Seven Ruby by Autocar. It came out reasonable well until it came to braking comparing it with moderns. It did however state that the foot brake only braked on the front wheels. I know early sevens used this system but thought by the time Ruby's were made all Sevens were 4 wheel braking. Can anyone confirm this.
John Mason.
Hi John, I have an 7 RP box 1932 and can confirm that it is 4 wheel braking. Not sure about the Ruby.
Cheers.
RE: Four wheel braking - Reckless Rat - 03-01-2018
Journalist talking out of his arse, as usual. Coupled (ie 4 wheel) braking was introduced on the Austin Seven in 1930 so well before the Ruby/pearl/opal series cars.
RE: Four wheel braking - Chris KC - 03-01-2018
Quite so.
I can't resist the temptation though to point out that modern cars ain't what they used to be. An increasing number of cars now have electronic gadgets which 'assist' the average driver to apply heavier brake applications than were realistically possible in the recent past (e.g. higher than 1g under favourable circs). Not only that but they will identify an approaching 'hazard' (correctly, one hopes) and apply the brakes automatically on his/ her behalf. This is seriously worth taking into account during one's daily commute down the bypass, not just when blowing the cobwebs off the A7.
p.s. I think we'd have to concede Reckless that just because the Ruby's brakes are coupled doesn't necessarily mean it's braking on all 4 wheels!
RE: Four wheel braking - John Mason - 03-01-2018
Thank you all. I now also understand the journalist was speaking from his rectum hence a lot of hot air.
John Mason
RE: Four wheel braking - Bob Culver - 04-01-2018
The road test alluded to, on Youtube, is a bit lame. It is not clear if 28 metre stop distance was from 40 or 30 mph, 60%, 34% repectively. For semi Girling cars , road tests typically recorded 80% from 30 mph. Many now claim better for all models. In emergencies (and in some contemporary road tests) drivers of coupled Sevens still resorted to pedal plus lever!
Until the 1950s most cars including new had significant lost steering motion. If gear changes as slow as in the test were adopted the acceleration of moderns would not be spectacular. Testers seldom seem to have extensive experience of old cars generally. They compare with moderns. If the intention was to represent typical new car motoring in the late 30s a Ruby not a great example. Impression of a 1928 model more befitting the occasion would have been interesting.
Cars are usually presented for tests immaculate but often lacking mechanically. Unless driven regularly by persons familiar with older cars, many defects pass un recognised.
RE: Four wheel braking - Erich - 04-01-2018
I'm with Bob on this one. Any journalist worth his salt would have done his research to know how the brakes worked. And the test is hardly decisive as he assumes that an 80 year old Ruby would have behaved quite like one that had just left the works.
RE: Four wheel braking - Nigel was in Brittany - 04-01-2018
(03-01-2018, 05:31 PM)Smiley Wrote:(03-01-2018, 05:16 PM)John Mason Wrote:IJust by chance whilst browsing the Internet on you tube I found a road test report on an Austin Seven Ruby by Autocar. It came out reasonable well until it came to braking comparing it with moderns. It did however state that the foot brake only braked on the front wheels. I know early sevens used this system but thought by the time Ruby's were made all Sevens were 4 wheel braking. Can anyone confirm this.
John Mason.
Hi John, I have an 7 RP box 1932 and can confirm that it is 4 wheel braking. Not sure about the Ruby.
Cheers.
1932 RP ?
RE: Four wheel braking - Mike Costigan - 04-01-2018
Why not? The first RPs date from October 1932.
RE: Four wheel braking - AustinWood - 04-01-2018
Just a thought, not having read the original road test. Could it be that the car being tested was braking only on the front? ie They were out of adjustment so the rears were doing nothing.
I always found the front/rear compensation was not great and the fronts needed to bite in advance of the rears.