Austin Princess 4 pots

[emu]

I am just wondering who uses princess 4 pots instead of standard ford calipers?

 

Are they as good an upgrade as people say?

 

I know they are a fair bit heavier than the standard calipers but do you notice it on the road??

 

Finally, does anyone know if they fit behind 7j Superlights?

 

I have to ask all these questions as ive just aquired a pair

[marky4]

i've got princess 4 pots on mine and they work very well

but they were on when i brought the car so can't compare to standard

should fit inside the wheels alright as they fit in my 7 inch ml's

[mk1mexico]

I hope so, iv got a set to go on my car with 7 inch Superlites

[Vista]

Got them on mine with vented discs (you'll need spacers in them for this) and yes they're a worthwhile improvement and fit fine behind my 5.5J RS 4 spokes so you should have no problem with 7J rims. The only thing that springs to mind is I had to shorten the bleed nipples.

 

Oh and if you're planning to use vented discs, it's worth getting a pair of Rally Designs 257mm discs as with standard 2.8i discs the pads overhand the disc edge slightly.

[BIG G]

Bloody best brakes ive had on a mk2 and found cheap pads the best and no fade after 10 laps of goodwood either get um on

[Arched Escy]

i have em with Mintex pads and rally design 257mm discs

[emu]

Got them on mine with vented discs (you'll need spacers in them for this) and yes they're a worthwhile improvement and fit fine behind my 5.5J RS 4 spokes so you should have no problem with 7J rims. The only thing that springs to mind is I had to shorten the bleed nipples.

 

Oh and if you're planning to use vented discs, it's worth getting a pair of Rally Designs 257mm discs as with standard 2.8i discs the pads overhand the disc edge slightly.

 

 

I think that they are already spaced for vented discs, If not then the pad spacing is HUGE!!

 

Am I right in thinking I just need to plumb a T-peice into the cars original feed pipe so that I get fluid to both inlet connections. Or is there a better/easier way to do it?

 

Sorry for all the questions

[Vista]

Yes they're already spaced so you'll need vented discs (or remove the spacers)

 

As for plumbing them in, here's a useful link

 

http://www.dominicbolton.freeuk.com/brakes.html

[emu]

Thats great, thank you Vista

 

I used that website to help with my injection wiring, didnt know there was a section on brakes too

 

Looks like I had a good result with them then, I swapped them for a pair of 9" Escort drums and backplates that were littering my garage:shock: .

 

Ill have to stick them on with my 2.8 discs for now but ill sort out some bigger discs as soon as I can

[over_head_cam]

Drums for calipers? Result

[emu]

Drums for calipers? Result

 

Fits in nicely with my "Dont like spending money" approach to escort building

[texr2000]

I use them on mine with drilled & grooved 2.8 disk (with the slight over hang) and with green stuff pads. When I had them on with the standard servo they were so so much better than the standard 1300 solid disks. Now I got a bias box there still pretty good just need lots of force to get it to stop then it ends up locking up lol!

 

When I got them I had no idea on their condition as they were with the Billie struts but they pull the car up straight and test good on the brake tester. Think if I up the power I would get them rebuilt or go for something a little more modern… but having Princess callipers is sort of retro…ish…

[DeanMk1Capri]

Got them on my Capri thank god - car towing a carravan pulled straight across on me whilst travelling back from Hampshire Pageant at the weekend ... standard brakes were crap, the 4 pots made a BIG difference.

[Daggle]

Got them on my Capri thank god - car towing a carravan pulled straight across on me whilst travelling back from Hampshire Pageant at the weekend ... standard brakes were crap, the 4 pots made a BIG difference.

 

Saw your motor there, verry nice

[DeanMk1Capri]

Got them on my Capri thank god - car towing a carravan pulled straight across on me whilst travelling back from Hampshire Pageant at the weekend ... standard brakes were crap, the 4 pots made a BIG difference.

 

Saw your motor there, verry nice

 

Cheers mate

[aden]

i may be wrong here, but im sure they look identical to LDV convoy van calipers?? its just that everyone says they are now obsolete, but LDV used to be called freight rover years ago, hence british leyland?? has anyone else come across this because LDV van calipers are still readily avaliable??

[cossieglen]

I also have the 4 pots on mine with a bias box, they do take some pressure, but they're bloody excellent stoppers! To put you in perspective, a friend uses them still on his group 4 mk2 with a 260bhp Vauxhall lump in there, so yes, they're effective!

 

The Squires brothers at Rally and Competition Equipment (for those who don't know) do converted BMW discs that they use on their car which are grooved only (I've spoken to a few people that say cross drilling makes discs weak, the Squires included) which are the right diameter to almost completely cover the pad, only a tiny amount overlapping apparently, for £115 the pair.

 

Give them a call on 01782 517763

[cossieglen]

i may be wrong here, but im sure they look identical to LDV convoy van calipers?? its just that everyone says they are now obsolete, but LDV used to be called freight rover years ago, hence british leyland?? has anyone else come across this because LDV van calipers are still readily avaliable??

 

I think what you'd have to do mate, is maybe compare the two? Things like piston size, and bleed nipple positions, etc etc, make sure they're the same caliper, then if there isn't anything untoward, and they look identical, then I guess there's no harm in trying them.

[Paul_G]

i may be wrong here, but im sure they look identical to LDV convoy van calipers?? its just that everyone says they are now obsolete, but LDV used to be called freight rover years ago, hence british leyland?? has anyone else come across this because LDV van calipers are still readily avaliable??

 

They are not the same. If you look on here you can compare them, the pads are different sizes and so are the pistons.

http://www.brakeparts.co.uk/

 

Princess calipers work very well especially with a servo and bigger discs.

[cossieglen]

Bloody good website that! Nice to know that you can still buy the princess calipers too!

 

You're right though, there are significant differences there, however there isn't any reason why they can't be modified to fit an escort, would take some work however.