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Why only one disk-brake in the rear of the commander??

20K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  Odyknuck 
#1 ·
Hello to all
i am a new member of this forum and this is my first post .
I hope i am posting this question at the right place.

One question after watching carefully many pics of the rear end of the commander 1000xt/x i have noticed that there is only one disk brake on the right wheel only....looks strange to me.it is also written in the specs of the can-am.
Do the other sxs use only one disk in the rear axle???
Will that has an effect in extreme cornering when the right tire (the one with the disk brake ) is on the air and the only one touching the ground is the left one with actually no brake at all.

Thank u in advance
mike
i have to wait another month before i hug and kiss my 1000xt...........
 
#4 ·
Hey Mike... Welcome to the forum...some are looking into an aftermarket 4th caliper fix too...I know 1 aftermarket company that has it on their list. Guess we'll have to see if its needed...you would've thought that BRP would have added it if it was needed for most users...
 
#6 ·
Welcome from the coast of Oregon....Barbara :)

BTW we feel that in the sand where we ride the most the braking is sufficient..when we took our test ride (which was in the dunes) we never had to use the brakes as soon as you let off the throttle it almost came to a complete stop even going downhill....
 
#8 ·
All of you will be awe-struck at the engine/compression braking abilities of the Rotax setup in the commander....I would suggest getting a lot of seat-time in before laying down the $$$ for extra braking components.....you prolly won't need more braking power unless you're all-out racing it....just remember to dry them after fording streams before getting in a panic situation....JMO....Lance
 
#9 ·
Great advice Lance, TY.
Yeah, I was told by the facory rep...who was so surprised when I pointed out that there was just one rear calliper that she called one of the factory service techs... that the rear locking diff brakes both rear wheels so there is no need for the extra brake line and all that extra maintenance associated with an added calliper and brake pads (less weight too I guess, lol).
 
#10 ·
I think some have a concern that braking is only being applied to one side of the axle and therefore, not applying equal pressure to the differential.



 
#11 ·
Needs to be thought of more like a sport quad. Take for example a 450 sport quad has a "live" axle and only uses one rear disk. Also the rear brakes only do about 35% at most of the braking.
As for wear and tear on the axles and the diff, I think the 85hp will beat them up more then a single disk stopping a 1300lb SXS.
 
#13 ·
Also the rear brakes only do about 35% at most of the braking.
As for wear and tear on the axles and the diff, I think the 85hp will beat them up more then a single disk stopping a 1300lb SXS.
I'm in on your thoughts too Jason.....I'll bet some of the engineering of that front "anti-dive" system is in part that the braking system is heavily proportioned towards the front discs thru a proportioning valve setup (or thru speed sensors and the ECM?).....and much less braking is done on the back, like you say, 65%/35% sounds like reasonable good numbers.....so don't be alarmed when you see the front pads are needing replacement but the back pads still have at least 50% wear left...it's a possibility if this braking system is engineered this way

I'm guessing the guys that came up with this idea are mechanical engineers who did the mathematical calculations and determined it would work fine. I don't think there is any "guess work" going on here. After all the thought and engineering they put into the Commanders I doubt they tried to save a buck by removing one of the rear discs.
Agreed......and as DP mentioned, some guys forget/didn't know the axle is essentially one piece....

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So why did CanAm engineer the brake caliper on one side of the axle instead of on the front of the diff attached to the rear of the driveline?...Bueller?..........Lance

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#12 ·
I'm guessing the guys that came up with this idea are mechanical engineers who did the mathematical calculations and determined it would work fine. I don't think there is any "guess work" going on here. After all the thought and engineering they put into the Commanders I doubt they tried to save a buck by removing one of the rear discs.
 
#14 ·
I guess I will have to disagree a little on brake biasing for offroad applications. Idealy you want the rear brakes to be your lead and the front brakes to be your kag. Unlike hardtop surfaces the dirt allows your front wheels to push so much easyer. Meaning you can not steer well on dirt when using front brakes. I originally had my Woodsbugy brakes set up on one master with a biasing valve on the front to back off the front. I found that it still pushed when down to 25%. So I seperated them and Installed a master cylinder with a handle. I located it on my left frame tube so I can easyly grab it with my hand. My Honda Pilot mini Buggys come from the factory with seperate masters on the steering yoke for the same reason.



 
#16 ·
If its anything like my Renegade, the rear end will become "loose" in two wheel drive when you let off the gas and hit the brakes. The rotax and clutching on my Renegade have a lot of braking in the motor alone. Now when in 4x4 all brakes are going to be working together as one. I still bet you will go threw front pads way before the rears.
 
#19 ·
Thank You. You might like my current project Here is a link to it. Its a 1990 Honda Pilot that I am grafting a 700 Twin Rotax 2 stroke motor in. I streached the frame to get it in there and to also give it more stability for the 126HP the motor puts out. I also scrapped the .065 wall cage and made my own out of 1 3/8" .095 DOM. Note: The pics are from current to the beginning so they are backwards.

Pilot Build pictures by Odyknuck - Photobucket
 
#20 ·
In case any of you are interested in the official response from Can-Am in regards to why a single rear brake.
Can-Am Off-Road said:
Thanks for the question, Michael. BRP designed the Can-Am Commander with a single rear brake because the brake distribution from front to back is mainly toward the front, which allows the use of a single brake at the rear while keeping efficient braking power.

And since both rear axles are linked, when the brake is applied, it slows both rear wheels even though there is only one caliper and disc. It also saves some weight, which contributes to the Can-Am Commander’s best power-to-weight ratio in its respective class.


 
#22 ·
I understand what they are saying however I still don't agree with the logic for offroad. They would change there mind they would ride in the hilly,rocky
muddy terrain of the east coast much. Bias to rear is much better.
 
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