Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Steinkamp
The upside of having the rear brakes lock first in gravel is that you will be able to steer. The downsides are that it will take a lot longer to stop and the rear of the car will likely pass you during the attempted stop. 
How often will we experience a panic stop in gravel vs on pavement?
All cars since the mid 1930's have the braking proportioned so that the fronts do 75% of the braking and will lock first in a panic stop. Was Henry right with the Model A and everyone since wrong? Was Henry right with the 2 wheel brakes on the Model T? |
I too think the roads is the key. On gravel roads, braking the rear wheels first will help maintain control. On asphalt rods braking the front first will result in better braking as the nose tends to dive into the front axle.
When Henry built these cars they were primarily on gravel or dirt roads, not the case anymore.