Brake Terminology

[Tony D]

O.K., here is an informal poll:

When the FSM tells you that the Rear Brakes are "Automatically Adjusted" and that routine adjustment is not required...

Would you consider the brakes to be a "Self Adjusting" system?

Having owned cars (and still own) that require religious, routine adjustment of the Star Wheel Adjusters to keep proper drum to shoe clearance, I consider the brakes on the S30 to be "Self Adjusting" and use the term interchangably with "Automatically Adjusted"...

How about you guys? Kinda Curious on the 'terminology take'....

Note: this is not for the guys that refuse to use their parking brake as intended and have to manually adjust their brakes all the time....like some racers do! I am meaning in a normal operation as intended by the manufacturer in the Owner's Manual!

[JimmyZ]

Guess Nissan was a bit proud of their more "modern" systems at the time of writing. This caused them to use fancier terminology.

They should use "self adjusting" or semi-automatic:) This is especially true when the hardware is aged. Guess it means that you don't need to get out of the car and adjust them.

Back up fast and E-brake.

[280~Master]

I wouldn't call them "self adjusting" but "operator assisted adjustment". You have to help them every now and then or you will just eat up your front brakes like a fat guy at Western Sizzler.

[John Coffey]

I use the term "randomly adjusting."

[hls30.com]

I hardly ever use my emergency brake, so mine are conveniently manual adjusting-Parking spaces here are nice and flat...

Will

[sblake01]

My 280Z and my 810 both work properly. Hold the button in, pull up the handle a few times, and they adjust. Isn't that what they were designed to do? If they don't, check the hardware.

[Tony D]

Yeah, when operated according to the owner's manal I guess the consensus is they should be 'self adjusting'...more or less!

Thanks.

[JimmyZ]

I use the term "randomly adjusting."

John nailed it! That is the proper technical terminology that they SHOULD have used:)

[TomoHawk]

I wish my e-brake worked... It probably just needs adjusting too.

How can you tell if the rears are "adjusted?" drive in the rain & hit the brakes?

thxZ

[beandip]

Tomo, If your e brake is not working . Most likely you are driving with only the front brakes operating. Your rear wheel cylinders may be frozen up. Unless what you have is a bad e brake cable that is jammed . To see if the rears are working , just drive down a empty street and make a panic stop from about 30 MPH . If the front wheels lock up and you don't see any braking from the rears . There you go.

[TomoHawk]

You might be right. Either that or the e-brake cable is so stretched that pulling up as far as it will go still isn't enough to apply braking. The rears need a complete service anyways- the PO-d didn't do much but a cheap paint job to sell the car.

OTOH, the brake shoes will last forever that way! :lick:

[sblake01]

OTOH, the brake shoes will last forever that way

But you may not in a panic stop situation.