Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock

Tgreen3724 · 01-25-2012, 11:14 AM

Ive always heard its to hard on parts to run a tranbrake/2step with a TH400 BBC combo. Almost all of the Big Block cars i know of that run a 2step are stick cars. Whats everyone's experiences on this?

Has anyone had success with using a hand activated adjustable button with no transbrake. Im not sure how timing your hand and your brake foot would work.

Alan Roehrich · 01-25-2012, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tgreen3724

Ive always heard its to hard on parts to run a tranbrake/2step with a TH400 BBC combo. Almost all of the Big Block cars i know of that run a 2step are stick cars. Whats everyone's experiences on this?

Has anyone had success with using a hand activated adjustable button with no transbrake. Im not sure how timing your hand and your brake foot would work.

It's not hard on parts, but as a general rule, a transbrake equipped transmission is a little slower. Any 3 speed automatic that uses the direct clutches to hold the car when the transbrake is applied will wear direct clutches out quicker.

Yeah, a hand button and a foot brake have been tried together, one out of maybe 50 drivers can do it well on a consistent basis.

t.tosto · 01-25-2012, 08:59 PM

While not a legal S/S car, I ran a B/b Chevy (430 cid) TH400 Trans brake equiped 69 Camaro for years with very little trans. issues. Car weighed 3400#, all steel, 6.30's @ 105, used both ATI and JW brakes, worked great for me. Tony Tosto

Bill Harris · 01-26-2012, 02:14 PM

Almost everyone with an automatic in stock used to use a two-step finger button and the footbrake. Can't anymore since the two-step has to work off the brake, but it certainly works just fine and did for years. I still do it that on our SS car. Believe me, when you take your finger off the button, you don't need to think about or coordinate your foot movement closely, it's gonna come off the pedal, especially with a hard-leaving car. The front wheels are off the ground anyway, and yeah, there might be a tiny amount of ET if you are dragging the rears a little, but it will show in your 60's. I haven't had any issue with 60's all over the place, and I'm damn sure not a 1 out of 50 driver, (except on the lousy side).

Tgreen3724 · 01-26-2012, 03:08 PM

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like ill just have to try it. We run a pretty heft combo as far as torque and HP goes. While we arent nearly as high as we should be, we are still a pretty peppy combination.

Alan Roehrich · 01-26-2012, 04:03 PM

I've been building racing automatic transmissions since around 1988 or so.

Most of the faster cars I'm aware of are footbrake cars. This has been the case for a long time, at least 20 years that I can remember, and we tried it often, with some very fast cars.

The only thing a transbrake is likely to hurt is the direct clutches, they'll wear approximately 50% faster with most transbrakes. This is simply due to the fact that it is very difficult to get a truly clean release of the direct clutches.

The only super clean release 3 speed automatic transbrake I'm aware of is the Griner, which is about 3 times the cost of the next best brake I've used, the ATI.

Currently the most consistent results I've seen with footbrake cars are those where the two step works off of a switch on the brake pedal itself, the brake pedal arm (the way a stock GM brake light switch works) or off of a brake fluid pressure switch.

While it is possible to be fairly consistent using your finger on a button and your foot on the brake pedal, it would be difficult to dispute that the best possible consistency comes from the fewest motions and the least amount of motion. You'll have to decide how well you can do and how consistent you can be performing two operations at once, with different parts of your body, while trying to concentrate on the starting line.

We race a big block Chevy powered Super Stock Camaro. We run just a switch on the brake pedal. It's set up exactly like the big block Chevy powered Stock Eliminator powered Camaro we race.

Many of the people you see with a finger operated switch are actually using it as a safety device. They hold that switch on the starting line so their two step will come on, but the actually turn the two step off on the launch with the brake pedal. They release the finger activated button so that the two step cannot come back on down track if they use the brakes at or near the finish line, as it is illegal to use a two step down track in Stock and Super Stock, and it can be dangerous to do so, as it can damage the engine, and even cause the car to get loose.

01-25-2012, 11:14 AM	#1
Tgreen3724 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Shepherdsville, Ky Posts: 38 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock Ive always heard its to hard on parts to run a tranbrake/2step with a TH400 BBC combo. Almost all of the Big Block cars i know of that run a 2step are stick cars. Whats everyone's experiences on this? Has anyone had success with using a hand activated adjustable button with no transbrake. Im not sure how timing your hand and your brake foot would work.

01-25-2012, 08:59 PM	#3
t.tosto Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 154 Likes: 116 Liked 62 Times in 23 Posts	Re: Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock While not a legal S/S car, I ran a B/b Chevy (430 cid) TH400 Trans brake equiped 69 Camaro for years with very little trans. issues. Car weighed 3400#, all steel, 6.30's @ 105, used both ATI and JW brakes, worked great for me. Tony Tosto

01-26-2012, 02:14 PM	#4
Bill Harris Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ooltewah, TN Posts: 421 Likes: 13 Liked 26 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock Almost everyone with an automatic in stock used to use a two-step finger button and the footbrake. Can't anymore since the two-step has to work off the brake, but it certainly works just fine and did for years. I still do it that on our SS car. Believe me, when you take your finger off the button, you don't need to think about or coordinate your foot movement closely, it's gonna come off the pedal, especially with a hard-leaving car. The front wheels are off the ground anyway, and yeah, there might be a tiny amount of ET if you are dragging the rears a little, but it will show in your 60's. I haven't had any issue with 60's all over the place, and I'm damn sure not a 1 out of 50 driver, (except on the lousy side). __________________ Bill Harris ex 2172 STK ex 2272 S/S

01-26-2012, 03:08 PM	#5
Tgreen3724 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Shepherdsville, Ky Posts: 38 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock Thanks for the responses. Sounds like ill just have to try it. We run a pretty heft combo as far as torque and HP goes. While we arent nearly as high as we should be, we are still a pretty peppy combination.

01-26-2012, 04:03 PM	#6
Alan Roehrich Veteran Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Murfreesboro TN Posts: 5,090 Likes: 1,534 Liked 1,758 Times in 398 Posts	Re: Does anyone run a transbrake with a BBC in Super Stock I've been building racing automatic transmissions since around 1988 or so. Most of the faster cars I'm aware of are footbrake cars. This has been the case for a long time, at least 20 years that I can remember, and we tried it often, with some very fast cars. The only thing a transbrake is likely to hurt is the direct clutches, they'll wear approximately 50% faster with most transbrakes. This is simply due to the fact that it is very difficult to get a truly clean release of the direct clutches. The only super clean release 3 speed automatic transbrake I'm aware of is the Griner, which is about 3 times the cost of the next best brake I've used, the ATI. Currently the most consistent results I've seen with footbrake cars are those where the two step works off of a switch on the brake pedal itself, the brake pedal arm (the way a stock GM brake light switch works) or off of a brake fluid pressure switch. While it is possible to be fairly consistent using your finger on a button and your foot on the brake pedal, it would be difficult to dispute that the best possible consistency comes from the fewest motions and the least amount of motion. You'll have to decide how well you can do and how consistent you can be performing two operations at once, with different parts of your body, while trying to concentrate on the starting line. We race a big block Chevy powered Super Stock Camaro. We run just a switch on the brake pedal. It's set up exactly like the big block Chevy powered Stock Eliminator powered Camaro we race. Many of the people you see with a finger operated switch are actually using it as a safety device. They hold that switch on the starting line so their two step will come on, but the actually turn the two step off on the launch with the brake pedal. They release the finger activated button so that the two step cannot come back on down track if they use the brakes at or near the finish line, as it is illegal to use a two step down track in Stock and Super Stock, and it can be dangerous to do so, as it can damage the engine, and even cause the car to get loose. __________________ Alan Roehrich 212A G/S