March 2003                                 The Healey Enthusiast                               Page 3

	Tech Tip: Synchros vs. Brakes Back in the 50’s almost all vehicle manufactures were enjoying the performance and horsepower race.  And they were very good at it.  In fact many had cars that would easily exceed 100 MPH - some even above 130 MPH!  Unfortunately they were still using brakes designed for 50 MPH.  I was driving back in those days, and can, with experience, tell you it’s a real thrill to have the brake pedal get hard as a rock, yet seem unconnected to the wheels during a panic stop from 100 MPH.  This happened when the car had only decelerated down to about 70 - leaving me no option but to steer violently to miss traffic and other ominous obstacles.  I wish I had a video of that incident!  It would rival any Nascar on board video you see on TV.  But back to the tech tip. Common practice with any performance car back then was to save the brakes.  Downshifting was used a lot, saving the brakes for emergencies and last minute stopping.  Although the first disc brakes were some improvement, they had their limits too, because they weren’t vented and had pitifully small brake pads.  Plus they were difficult to work on.  At any rate, downshifting was common for quite awhile. But then about the same time as the 55 MPH speed limit came along, all manufactures came out with disc brakes capable of handling 130 MPH stops.  Figures huh? The problem is, these brakes need to be USED to keep them free and working properly.  The “Little ol Lady driving” is a guarantee for sticking calipers, uneven and premature pad wear.  This “Little ol Lady” syndrome can be duplicated by over use of a downshifting driving habit. Disc brakes from the 60’s and up are fairly easy and cheap to work on, while the transmission synchronizer repairs are very expensive.  So downshift once in awhile if it makes you feel good, but for basic stop and go driving, use the brakes.  Even use them quite hard every now and then.                                         Doctor Ernie
					THINK A GALLON OF GAS IS EXPENSIVE?   So, you think a gallon of gas is expensive.  Well here are a few things that Autoweek brought to our attention to compare.  This what it costs to buy a gallon of:   Diet Snapple 16 oz. for $1.29 equals $10.32/gal. Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz. for $1.19 equals 9.52/gal. Gatorade 20 oz. for $1.59 equals $10.17/gal. Ocean Spray 16 oz. for $1.25 equals $10.00/gal. STP Brake Fluid 12 oz. for $3.15 equals $33.60/gal. Vick’s Nyquil 6 oz. for $8.35 equals $178.13/gal. Pepto Bismol 4 oz. for $3.85 equals $123.20/gal. Whiteout 7 oz. for $1.39 equals $254.17/gal. Scope 1.5 oz. for $0.99 equals $84.84/gal. And this is a real kicker… Evian Water 9 oz. for $1.49 equals $21.19/gal….                 And that’s for water!!   You get the idea?  So the next time you’re at the pump, be glad your Healey doesn’t run on Nyquill!!!   (Thanks to Autoweek and the A-H Ohio Valley Club newsletter from which this was taken)