Brake petal is hard. Takes a very hard push to slow down. Not sure if I could lock em up without both feet.
Normal?
The drum brakes on the earlier model years weren’t very good but that sounds pretty extreme. I finally replaced my front drums with a disk brake kit from NEV Accessories and I’m much happier with the results. Especially if you have any performance mods in place.
Thanks, I haven’t looked at my brakes yet.
I do have big tires 14".
Maybe an upgrade is in order.
Big job putting the kit in?
Not really; couple of hours with hand tools and everything was supplied and fit very well.
I have a GEM w/ upgraded 7.5 HP motor and reprogrammed controller and stopping from 40 MPH with the old drum brakes was too exciting for my taste. The OEM drums were “stiff” and either “off” or “on” with not much pedal travel and very little “feel”. Like you I felt I had to stand on the brakes in order to stop. Remember though that they were designed to stop a car going no more than 25MPH, not 40.
Only real problem is NEV Accessories doesn’t seem to stock these units. I had to call them and get my name on a waiting list. They called me back about 6 weeks later to tell me they’d assembled a kit and if I wanted it, the kit was around $650. Maybe a tad pricey but the difference in stopping power was immediate and enormous-even better once everything had a few miles on it. No problem now however.
Al
OE brakes were marginal at best. Larger wheels and tires make the problem worse. Leaking wheel cylinders make the problem extreemly worse. but new cylinders can fix that. No you cannot lock up the fronts.
I put 8" Honda Civic brakes on mine. Total investment was $140. I did it because I have my cart performance modified.
Hello, do you have a part # or more info on the Honda brakes you used?
Hmmmm That was 6 years ago. Only remember it was an old Civic.
I am way late to the game lol, thank you kindly for replying with that info. Very helpful.