hi guys, im having lots of fun with my datto, but one thing has been annoying me,,,, the hand brake. i have the standard drums on the rear exept for the larger pistons (borg warner diff) it is very hilly where i live so i do need my handbrake to be good. i am not unhappy with the stopping power i have, as i have sunny disks and a booster, so i was wondering if a hydrolic conversion for my handbrake would be easier (and cheaper) than the trx disk conversion, to be honest i dont know much about hydrolic handbrakes or what would be involved in fitting one but i once saw one fitted to a commodore drift/road car an it got me thinking.

If you park on a hill, you should no rely on a hydraulic hand brake, a mechanical parking device is always better. Shoes have a self energising effect of which discs do not. The shoes, if set up right, would be optimum.

is there a way on improving on the mecanical set up, i have adjusted the shoes and tightened up the cable but the hand brake is still pretty average

A couple of points to note.

A. A hydraulic handbrake is not legal in a registered road vehicle as far as i know &...

B. The handbrake in the TRX rear disc brake system is a drum brake unit. The service brake is a disc & the whole thing is known as a 'drum in disc' system.

The standard handbrake, or parking brake as it is sometimes known, is more than adequate for preventing vehicle movement once the vehicle is stationary, as long as the whole system is in serviceable condition.
Have a good look at the cables & make sure that the inner cable has full & free movement. If they are stiff or siezed, then no amount of adjustment will make it work.

make sure you back the handbrake right off BEFORE adjusting the shoes, then adjust cable AFTER shoe adjustment

I am with Dodgeman, your factory handbrake should be more than adequate if it is properly adjusted.
Check if everything is as it should be, your problem is probably easily fixed.

agr012, what kind of 'performance' are you expecting? The handbrake has only one function which is -- when the car is not moving -- to lock the rear brakes and prevent the car from rolling. If it holds on a hill, it is working correctly. It is not designed to slow a moving vehicle. Yep, make sure the back brakes are adjusted correctly, then adjust the handbrake. Maybe you have the wrong cable or linkage?

yes, that is the problem i am having, it is not holding the car when it is stationary to stop it rolling, even on the smallest slopes, i am wondering if there might be a wrong linkage (or cable) as you say but how do i know? the brakes have been readjusted the in the same order as you say but it still dosnt work very well, any suggestions welcome

Youd only EVER need a Hydraulic handbrake in rally/khanacross events, where youd need precise braking of the rear wheels to unsettle the rear coming into a corner. Youd never need this for the street.
You may have stretched the handbrake cable, or your back brakes need rebuilding...

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They are legal just need to be engineered