You absolutely can use good 10" drum brakes all around and have a safe car,
I gave
@66fs an agree on this, because I too spent years on 10inchers with not one accident due to insufficient brakes.
Are DB fronts better?
Logic says yes, but
I have also never been in a collision with a DB car, that can be blamed on poor brakes.
--------------------------
Ok here we go, again; This is my opinion;
For a car that rarely exceeds the speed-limit AND for a one-time max brake application: (eliminating brake-fade),
<it's all about the tires>
In 54 years of driving, I have never been in a collision that could have been avoided with better brakes. Wait a sec; how many collisions have I been in? I'm gonna say, that it took two to teach me to watch the other guy, and one in which I was fully stopped at.
So then, I can't actually speak to DB cars having shorter stopping distances. I mean I read the tests, but
I have never been in a situation where I needed to prove that.
Besides all that, ultimately
<it's all about the tires>
You can have the most awesome brakes on your car imaginable; and the tires are still gonna rule the stopping distance.
<it's all about the tires>
Of all the cars I've ever had, only the second one ever ran factory-sized tires, and only until they wore out. And it was probably the one car that I ever owned, that should have got bigger and better rubber on Day-One.
The Car? it was a 70 Swinger340, on Goodyear E70-14 Polyglass belteds. I learned to drive on those roller-skates. lol. Thank goodness the rear tires didn't last but the first summer. Then I transferred the front Polyglass onto the rear and installed new radials on the front, then proceeded to burn those Polyglassers off in the Second summer.
I had that car for 5 years and burned thru seven sets of tires.
That car was UNSAFE at any speed, regardless of the KH DBs on it,(maybe even parked); but, I never crashed it due to insufficient brakes. I did however crash it it into non-moving objects, like; ditches, signposts, and shopping carts. This, not for lack of brakes mind you, but, partly due to poor judgement on my part, I mean I was 17 when I got the car............. and partly because those Polyglass tires, were in fact, roller skates. Even just changing lanes could be an adventure.
<It's all about the tires>
My first Barracuda had 9inchers on it and D-something-14s . They were more than adequate, easily able to lock the tires at 30mph.
My second Barracuda had 10inchers and 205s on the front. Same deal.
My third Barracuda, I installed the KH DBs, cuz I knew this car was not gonna stay under the speed-limit 100% of the time, and it got 235/60-14s, then 245/50-15s. The 245s were sticky-tires and worked well but didn't last the summer, and were very very expensive. As for the 235s, well, same deal; locked them up easily at 30mph.
<It's all about the tires>
30mph is City Traffic, so that's what I cared about the most. So I began to increase the rear brake effectiveness, eventually settling on 295s in the back, with 10x2s and no proportioning. That gave me what I needed. Hitting the brakes at 30 is now like throwing out a big ol' Parachute; there is no need to lock up the front, which means I can steer around most situations.
<It's all about the tires>
For a city Mopar at up to say 3600 pounds/me in it, I would not be afraid to run 10" drums all 'round.
For a city Mopar at up to say 3300 pounds/me in it, I might consider 9inchers but Ima gonna pay more attention to the other-guy, and take it easy in the turns....... because; I gotta tell ya; I broke two 9" spindles already, with their tiny outter bearings, so not real interested in running those again.
In either case, I'm gonna run bigger than stock front tires, and fat-boys on the back, and NOT with the factory lame-azz proportioning.
For a City-car that will rarely exceed the speed-limit;
AND for a one-time max brake-application:
<it's all about the tires>
This is my opinion, after 54 years of driving.
Well actually, that has been my opinion, since I was 17,lol
