[Mk2] [Generic] Big Brake Kit

[calum4492]

how would u combat the handbrake ryan? mot compliant?

[RyanRs]

Well http://www.vettemod.com/forum/imagehost ... 8aa916.jpg was just going to use a mechanical spot caliper like used on lambo's,Aston Martins etc, after all, making an adapter bracket with 4 lugs won't be much harder than making one with 2!. Only trouble I am having now tho is sourcing a spot caliper that fits over a 32mm disc! Until I actually looked, I assumed the wilwood ones would do the job but turns out they only go up to 12mm disc width or something? I know brembo do one that's perfect, I even have a part number but I cannot find anywhere that sells them so I have no idea what they cost.

Just found this on Google, pretty much the same idea I was thinking, uses the brembo spot caliper too:

[raptor95GTS]

try just fitting a bigger rear disc using the stock caliper - as you move the centre line of the pad further out you get more brake torque and more er brake. The nissan 4 pots with supra 325mm or even lexus 315mm discs up front with the mazda 323 rears and stock caliper is a good mechanical balance and provides a serious amount of stopping power that wont fade easily. Gives you a range of pad compunds as well, including the carbotechs if needed. I fitted bigger discs (and 996 front calipers) but using stock pads since they wont overheat so easily with the bigger discs. Never had a problem since.

If you go the above route it's a proven upgrade that works for reasonable cost (count up how much replacing stock with stock is, scary how it adds up), if you find the rears lacking then look into something fancy (and expensive no doubt)

[Kongaroo]

I've had the WMS kit on for some time now and it works pretty well. They tested brake bias and it doesn't throw out the front-rear bias either

[RyanRs]

try just fitting a bigger rear disc using the stock caliper - as you move the centre line of the pad further out you get more brake torque and more er brake. The nissan 4 pots with supra 325mm or even lexus 315mm discs up front with the mazda 323 rears and stock caliper is a good mechanical balance and provides a serious amount of stopping power that wont fade easily. Gives you a range of pad compunds as well, including the carbotechs if needed. I fitted bigger discs (and 996 front calipers) but using stock pads since they wont overheat so easily with the bigger discs. Never had a problem since.

If you go the above route it's a proven upgrade that works for reasonable cost (count up how much replacing stock with stock is, scary how it adds up), if you find the rears lacking then look into something fancy (and expensive no doubt)

Been running larger discs front and back for well over a year now bud I kinda helped Ant make up his mind to produce the very first set of adapters in the series of big brake upgrade group buys that you see on here. Using supra TT front discs and RX8 fronts on the rear (both 324mm) and stock calipers. I have since wanted to venture further and develop the rears as no one seems to have done this yet. Im using the 4-pot 300zx on a 324mm front and stock with uprated pads on a 324 rear. I know downsizing the front disc could restore the bias but this would mean re-designing the front adapter. Another improvement the 4-pot callipers give to the car (other than better cooling, modulation etc etc) is the appearance! once of the first things i notice on supercars is the size of the brakes, and i almost think that when running serious power like i am, stock looking brakes lets the cars image down.

[ashley]

Completely with you on this Ryan, I want to go big brakes as well, but not using stock rear calipers...the stumbling bloke (as you know) is a road legal handbrake...watching to see where you get to with interest

[raptor95GTS]

...Been running larger discs front and back for well over a year now bud ..

ah righto lol have you thought about just getting a bracket like the one you quoted made up and relocating the stock caliper keeping it purely for handbrake duties? Or you could go http://www.bigbrakes4u.co.uk/hi-spec-ro ... t_228.html see if it works? Pistons might be too large but you could dial that out with a bias valve I guess.

oteck made up a rear drum brake like nearly every other car on the planet thus gaining a much better handbrake and allowing the use of a single caliper for the foot brake and separate legal handbrake. http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/showth ... ight=oteck all toyota parts too

[JAAASH]

Also watching with interest

[Keri-WMS]

As has been mentioned, with a bit a proper design there's no problem fitting a front 4-pot upgrade while maintaining the front / rear bias.

Other than the power / torque that is the first thing to spring to mind, other improvements that are just as important include:

- Better brake pedal feel and feedback
- Less unsprung mass (giving better handing and grip)
- Cheaper performance pads
- Faster cooling from a rapidly thermal conductive aluminuim caliper
- Faster cooling from the larger disc surface area

Brakes are about a lot more than "more power or less power".

Also anything you can gain with the OEM calipers by fitting better pads you can also do with a 4-pot caliper, it isn't a case of one or the other - the best performing setups use both!

[Race Idiot]

I've had the WMS kit on for some time now and it works pretty well. They tested brake bias and it doesn't throw out the front-rear bias either

Which disc spec did you go for out of curiosity?

[Kongaroo]

Hi mate, I went with the 298.5x18 kit. They just fit under a 15x7 TE37 ET43 wheel

[Keri-WMS]

Hi mate, I went with the 298.5x18 kit. They just fit under a 15x7 TE37 ET43 wheel

Do you have a photo of that? Must be tight!

[Kongaroo]

Hi Keri - yes very tight fit. In fact I had to remove the sticky wheel weights to get it to fit (or use a small spacer ). Those clip on weights would probably do the trick too.

One quick question though - I seem to get a lot of brake squeal with them even though I have the anti squeal shims that came with the EBC pads in place. Is this normal as I have EBC yellow on the MX5 and those are silent?

[Keri-WMS]

EBC Yellows are slightly prone to squeeling (DS2500 are apparently better) - the thing that probably makes the difference is that the pads have more clearance in a motorsport caliper to make sure things are able to get very hot and expand without jamming up.

You can normally improve things by swapping the pads around if they are not too bedded in, and by bending the split pins open slightly to hold the pad more firmly.

[RyanRs]

Ok.. Someone in here posted a link up to a UK company that makes Mechanical spot handbrake calipers and now for some reason it is gone! I dont remember who it was that posted and i cant remember the company that made them but i need to find it asap!

Hopefully whoever wrote in this thread with the links will recognise it and reply. I can only imagine perhaps the forum broke since the date it was posted and got restored with an older version??

GRRR

[Nic]

Brembo do a 1pot disc mounted hand brake caliper.

You could also contact WMS they may be able to help http://www.wms-brakes.co.uk/

http://www.brembo.com/en/Van/Original-E ... mento.aspx

[RyanRs]

Yes ,ive looked into the brembo mechanical spots. They appear to be about £700 a pair!

[Super_red]

Could a standard caliper be retained and ad an additional calliper aswell? There have been twin calliper setups in the past on the front of cars, usually matching pairs though.

The standard calliper could be used for handbrake only easily enough. You'd just have to make sure that both callipers were for the same thickness of disk.

[RyanRs]

yes you could use the stock caliper for that but the issue is weight. One of the reasons for going forged ally for caliper is the massive weight reduction. I shaved off 50% of my caliper weight when i fitted the 4-pots to the front. The stock rear calipers weigh a tonne.

[Torero]

yes you could use the stock caliper for that but the issue is weight. One of the reasons for going forged ally for caliper is the massive weight reduction. I shaved off 50% of my caliper weight when i fitted the 4-pots to the front. The stock rear calipers weigh a tonne.

This is why I've been holding out as well Ryan.

I've lightened my 2 all round, coilovers instead of dampers and springs, alloy radiator and fan shrouds instead of the immense OEM rad and engine bay fans, mag wheels rather than stock and even Ganadors instead of the weighty retractable ones, so I had this problem when looking at replacing brakes.

Also, the 4 pot use stainless pistons and aluminium alloy rotors so benefits from low maintenance and high reliability as well as more effective heat dissipation on top of the weight saving but as Bob and Peter said earlier, it's the rears that do more work so I'm holding out until I can source these first.

I get a lot of work done with Patrick (Headcase) and Keri is only round the corner from him, if he did rear calipers with a handbrake I'd be on it like a tramp on a kebab.