a follow up to the grease on the brakes thread

[.ghoti.]

Last year when I cleaned and lubed all my reels, I paid particular attention to the centrifugal brakes on my Quantum PT's. Taking advice from a friend, I made sure that the brake blocks and the race the bolcks ride on were as clean as I could get them.

What happened after that was all five of these reels were much noisier on the cast. The performance did not seem to be affected, but it was hard to tell that. There had been an entire winter between uses, making it difficult to make a comparison.

This year, when I cleaned and lubed all the reels, I took two PT's, and greased the brake races liberally. I did two because I have two PT770's, one PT760, and two PT640. I greased the brakes race on one ot the 770's and one of the 640's, so I could do a side by side comparison. The two 770's were spooled with 10lb test Vanish, and the two 640's were spooled with 12lb test XL.

There was quite difference. The two reels with greased races were much quieter on the cast. They also had a couple more notches of usable adjustment on the brakes. And I was able to reduce the braking by one notch over the ungreased reels, and achieved better casting distance. I threw the same baits with each pair, and even switched rods between pairs to even out the comparison.

The results were clear. The reels with greased brake races outperformed the clean ones. Needless to say, all five of these reels now have greased brake races, and all are smooth, quiet, and perform better than they did last year.

None of them are as quiet on the cast as my Daiwa reels with magnetic brakes, but that stands to reason. There is no physical contact in a magnetic braking system to produce the noise.

I don't know if this would apply to any other reels with centrifugal brakes, but it might be worth your time to do the experiment. If I had a Shimano, I'd certainly give it a shot. It made a world of difference on these reels with the ACS centrifugal braking system.

Cheers,

GK

[Bob Kavanaugh]

So you used grease, not oil?

[.ghoti.]

So you used grease, not oil?

You got it. the same grease I use on the gears.

[Mike-in-WV]

When you say brake races are you talking about the brake drum on centrifugal brakes? If so, isn't that counterproductive as to what the brakes were intended to do? I can see why it would be quieter but it's also Kind a like greasing the drums on your truck, Mike

[.ghoti.]

Hi Mike. Yes, I mean the drum. That's probably a better term than race.

I don't think you can compare your truck's brakes to the brakes in your reel. The truck's brakes are designed to stop the truck. The reel's brakes are designed to control spool rotation at high speeds, not to stop it.

Same name: brakes, two entirely different functions.

I know that at this point, my reels cast better, and are much quieter. The question that remains is, how long will this last. Am I good to go for the whole season, are am I going to be required to clean and re-apply the grease frequently. If that's the case, I'll be reconsidering this technique.

Cheers,

GK

[Mike-in-WV]

Hi Mike. Yes, I mean the drum. That's probably a better term than race.

I don't think you can compare your truck's brakes to the brakes in your reel. The truck's brakes are designed to stop the truck. The reel's brakes are designed to control spool rotation at high speeds, not to stop it.

Same name: brakes, two entirely different functions.

I know that at this point, my reels cast better, and are much quieter. The question that remains is, how long will this last. Am I good to go for the whole season, are am I going to be required to clean and re-apply the grease frequently. If that's the case, I'll be reconsidering this technique.

Cheers,

GK

Yes I understand what your getting at with the brakes on the reel but they are meant to stop the reel from turning or at least slow it to a certain rate so that it quits spinning once the lure is stopped. By greasing it you are allowing it to spin more freely.

At any rate if it works for you and it's quieter that's all that matters. I'll have to give it a try on one of my Abu Garcia's. Thanks for the info, Mike

[Bob Kavanaugh]

Hopefully the grease doesn't gunk up or otherwise get heavy and jam your brakes so they won't move. They are so light, it wouldn't take much for them to stick in position. Stuck on or off, neither is good.

[NBR]

I can't wait for Reel Mechanic to weigh in on this one. I can't put a reason on the why's but lubing the centrifugal brake just doesn't sound like the right thing to do. I believe the parts are plastic and likely nylon which is more or less self lubricating.

I can understand how it quiets the reel. I think the term is viscous damping. I would think in the short term you would lose some distance and in the long term you might gunk up the innards and/or cause some heavier wear to the system as the grease picked up grit.

[Mike-in-WV]

Hopefully the grease doesn't gunk up or otherwise get heavy and jam your brakes so they won't move. They are so light, it wouldn't take much for them to stick in position. Stuck on or off, neither is good.

Good point Bob! I'm still not to sure about this lubeing the brake drum thing  :-/ Maybe it would be better to just use a Q-Tip with a drop of oil and run it around the drum a time or two. Mike

[Wayne P.]

The centrifugal brakes in a reel work just like the centrifugal clutch in a chain saw, go cart, or ATV. The movable parts are forced against the outer drum to create resistance. Lubricating the friction surfaces lessens the resistance and decreases the effectiveness of the primary function of the parts.

[strick9]

Hopefully the grease doesn't gunk up or otherwise get heavy and jam your brakes so they won't move. They are so light, it wouldn't take much for them to stick in position. Stuck on or off, neither is good.

Good point Bob! I'm still not to sure about this lubeing the brake drum thing :-/ Maybe it would be better to just use a Q-Tip with a drop of oil and run it around the drum a time or two. Mike

You are correct Mike. Just a drop or two of oil not grease is what's recomended for lubing the centrifugal brake drum.

Sometimes when these reels are new they have a coating of grease on that drum, I have heard for shipping puposes. I will clean out the grease and lightly oil that drum before use. Seems to work well for me.

That wizzing noise on the cast is very inherant for reels with centrifugal brakes, especially Quantums because of the material used for the brakes themselves. If you watch the pro's you can hear KVD's and others reels make that same noise.

[Mike-in-WV]

Well I can tell you this....My Abu Garcia LP Bait casting reels make that whizzing sound when I cast no matter which brake system the reel has and I love the sound! I guess if they start sounding rough I can try something with the brakes or just send it to reelmechanic Mike

[.RM.]

It's a winch guy's your never going to have an absolutely quiet one, besides if I didn't hear something coming from a reel I would think it isn't working at all..... :

Great debate, when you guys get it worked out then let us know and we will change our ways.... 8-)

I have never lubricated a brake race or blocks/pins.

Just my tired .02¢

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!!