Wilwood Big Brakes

[Fahaka]

Here is my install info that CKAMC (Chris) was talking about in the Megan big brake thread...

For the record these brakes kick the shit out of any oem brakes and will outperform most other racing brands.


http://www.wilwood.com/Products/Graphics/productspic.gif

A good thrill can come from many different sources. Perhaps your thrill may come from a fast roller coaster or riding horses or, as in my case, a fast car. In fact a fast car can be extra thrilling if it is a car that you have built yourself. In the case of the 240sx, we are often turning a cool looking poser into the capable sports car that many of us feel it should have been in the first place. In the process of making the 240sx faster we often raise the level of performance to the point where further modification to the suspension and brakes are necessary to keep the car safe.

Better brakes and suspension are usually the first modifications most of us make in anticipation of increasing power from under the hood. A fast rear wheel drive car with an overwhelmed suspension and brakes can be a recipe for disaster. Even with stock power, many new comers to the “S” chassis find themselves replacing multi-link suspension components, as their first modification, because they have under steered into a curb or over steered into an embankment.

After the suspension has been modified, more experienced drivers will testify that the stock 240sx brakes are a little undersized for continuous track duty or even spirited driving. Several options for brake upgrades are available for the 240sx, weather it be in the form of OEM products or after market upgrades that can improve brake performance.

Many people may have experienced the thrill of fast acceleration that you get from high horse power cars, but many may be surprised to feel the thrill you can get from extreme brakes. The ability to stop now, at any time from high speeds in surprisingly short distances can be exhilarating; in much the same way as acceleration can be thrilling.

Dave Epstein, a self proclaimed “Z” freak and owner of ArizonaZcar.com, has been involved in Nissan after market performance for more than twenty years, and has built a reputation for making Z cars go faster. Dave made a name for himself selling racing brakes for Z cars to make them more competitive on the track. Fortunately for us, many of the parts made for Z cars can also be used on the 240sx, specifically the brakes.

Upon meeting Dave and several of his close friends, I was promptly escorted to a 1971 240Z that was heavily modified and they all wanted me to feel how good its 13” wilwood brakes worked. We took a trip out to the local meet and left with a group of Corvettes, a Viper, and an R32 skyline. After repeatedly trouncing all comers with his super-fast turbocharged Z, Dave's friend would stab the brakes, from speeds approaching 150mph, with mind altering results. I was immediately sold on these brakes and needed no further convincing.

Dave offers three different brake kits for the 240sx:

Kit # 1 includes:

12.2” rotors with Dave's own aircraft grade billet aluminum rotor centers in both four and five lug patterns, Your choice of either forged or billet aluminum 44mm (for the front kit) or 35mm (for the rear kit) four piston calipers, Aircraft grade billet aluminum mounting brackets, Grade 8 zinc plated fasteners and hardware, Wilwood racing brake pads and stainless steel braided brake lines. This kit is available for either front or rear brake applications.

Cost = $795 per axle

Kit # 2 includes:

13” rotors with Dave's own aircraft grade billet aluminum rotor centers in both four and five lug patterns, Your choice of either forged or billet aluminum 44mm four piston calipers, Aircraft grade billet aluminum mounting brackets, Grade 8 zinc plated fasteners and hardware, Wilwood racing brake pads and stainless steel braided brake lines. This kit is available front brake applications only.

Cost = $1100 per axle

Kit # 3 includes:

13” rotors with Dave's own aircraft grade billet aluminum rotor centers in both four and five lug patterns, billet aluminum 44mm six piston calipers, Aircraft grade billet aluminum mounting brackets, Grade 8 zinc plated fasteners and hardware, Wilwood racing brake pads and stainless steel braided brake lines. This kit is available front brake applications only.

Cost = $1400 per axle

According to Dave these kits have been specifically designed to work with the stock master cylinder and no other modifications are necessary. Furthermore when front and rear brake kits are purchased Arizona Z car will include a brake proportioning valve (for the rear) and a line lock to replace the parking brake which is eliminated by this kit.

I chose to go with kit #1 for the rear and kit #2 for the front. Arizona Z Car stocks all of the kits and usually has them available for immediate shipment. I purchased the kits from Dave and helped him assemble the kits in his warehouse (He doesn't usually do this). For all the Arizona people these kits can usually be picked up the same day from Dave's warehouse in Mesa. Typical ship times are 1-2 weeks if the parts are in stock.

Installation:

I installed this kit on my '89 coupe, but the installation should be roughly the same for S13/S14/Z32/Q45...etc applications. After getting the kit home I first prepped the car for Installation. Since I had already decided to do the rear brakes first (as there is more work involved), I chocked the front wheels, broke the rear lugs loose and lifted the rear of the car at the differential and supported the car with jack stands at the pinch welds in front of the rear wheels.

1. Remove the rear wheels.
2. Remove the cotter pin from the axle castle nut and the retaining plate.
3. Loosen but do not remove the 36mm axle bolt (It is a pain if you don't do it now).
4. Remove the caliper and disconnect the brake line (I used a plastic water bottle to catch the fluid that will drip out) and the parking brake cable.
5. Remove the brake rotor and the axle nut.
6. Remove the four bolts that hold the hub to the spindle (this is a great time to do a five lug swap), and remove the hub. I did this by disconnecting the upper control arms and pulling the axles out of the spindle, but this is not necessary.

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372hub-mountplate.jpg

7. Using a cutoff wheel, remove the factory caliper mounts from the spindle. The final result should look like this:

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372removedmounts3.jpg

8. Remove the factory brake lines after they have stopped leaking and install the braided lines.

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372ssline.jpg

9. Reattach the hub, with the supplied fasteners and sandwich the new caliper mounting plate between the hub and spindle:

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372hub-mountplate6.jpg

10. Mount new Rotors to the hub attach the brake lines to the calipers and mount the calipers.

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372mounted_rotor_calliper_etc3.jpg

11. Bleed the brakes (I used a $3 brake bleeding tool that I purchased to bleed the brakes I highly recommend them they work great).
12. Disconnect the parking brake cable from the cabin and the undercarriage and discard.
13. Put the wheels back on and torque them down. Note the 12.2” brakes clear S14 SE Alloys better than 300zx brakes.

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/3372se_rear2.jpg

At this point you can relax because the hard part is done. To complete the front brakes, break loose the front lugs and jack the car up at the radiator support and place jack stands to either side of the jack at the radiator support.

1. Remove the front wheels.
2. Remove the calipers and disconnect the brake lines.
3. Remove the rotors
4. Attach the “Dog Bone” Mounts to the factory caliper mounts with the supplied hardware, be careful to follow Dave's instructions here, as a misplaced washer will require re-installation.
5. Mount the new rotors, attach braided brake lines to the calipers and mount the calipers.

http://members.cox.net/morrielarsen/carpics/frontin.jpg

6. Bleed the calipers.
7. Mount the wheels, and enjoy.

http://members.cox.net/morrielarsen/carpics/sideflush.jpg

Since I have installed these brakes I have had to be careful while driving on the freeway. Several times I have come up on stopped traffic in the high speed lanes and had to be careful not to out brake the cars behind me. I previously had a S14 with a set of 30mm 300zx brakes with hawk pads, braided brake lines and blue brake fluid and factory rear brakes with braided lines and hawk pads. I used the same tires and tire size as what I am using now (245/45/17 Falken RT-615’s) and there is no comparison in feel and capability. I hear many people say that factory or 300zx brakes is all that is necessary, but there is a reason they use these type of brakes on expensive exotic cars, to have awesome braking feel and ability. I can stop from high speed, in excess of 100mph over and over again in astonishingly short distances with absolutely no change in pedal feed and no fade whatsoever.

Morrie

[axiomatik]

awesome write-up. posi-rep for you.

[tknbkthrsdy4anfg]

Jeez those rear caliper mounts are hugemongous.

[DOOK]

diddo, posi rep your way

[nevaland9]

sick brakes...i didnt read all of it but what are you doing about a e-brake?

[CrazyIvan]

if you read the whole thing you'd know instead of asking stooped questions...

[Slidin240Wayz]

Nice...but no more e-brake...still a sweet setup.

Enjoy

SAFELY!

[Fahaka]

no nissan ever produced came from the factory with an e-brake.

now they did come with parking brakes which are something entirely different.

</sarcasm>

No "Parking Brake" with these rear kits, so all of the mad tyte dorifto's should just get the front kit, it is still spectacular when compared to stock, and I am told that a rear kit with a parking brake is on the way from Dave and his cohorts, but that raises the cost of the kit considerably and I have no idea when it will be available.

[driftenthusiast]

Im running the wilwood super light kit in the front, def gonna look into this for the rear.

[CKAMC]

Thanks morrie for posting... it sucks that the home forum lost the info.

[ixfxi]

for me, i'm looking into using the smaller brake setup for the front. then just using z32 rears, since ive never over-worked the rear brakes, afterall.. its the front that does the majority of the work.

reality is, the 4pot brakes should be sufficient.. they've gotta be a lot better than z32 fronts.

[420sx]

about fucking time someone does something right and doesnt use cheap chinese shit.

thank you sir, thank you!

[RoscoYoungno13]

Thx for the writeup Morrie, I'll most likely be getting another set of these.

[cdlong]

i used to work in the OE braking industry. no one ever called it an emergency brake. my boss made this comment once, "try and remember any time you've heard of someone using their parking brake in an emergency situation, or how many times it's used in a parking situation." brake systems rarely fail.

a hydraulic system wouldn't be that hard anyway.

about fucking time someone does something right and doesnt use cheap chinese shit.

thank you sir, thank you!

Ariozona Z car has built and sold these kits for as long as i can remember, 3 years at least. i'm suprised they aren't better known.

[Fahaka]

thanks guys. Dave is a friend of mine, if you buy these brakes make sure you mention that you heard it from me.

[tknbkthrsdy4anfg]

:bowdown:
Major props to you for doing it right.
EDIT: This thread > Lets get megan racing to make us a bbk.

[ixfxi]

i used to work in the OE braking industry. no one ever called it an emergency brake. my boss made this comment once, "try and remember any time you've heard of someone using their parking brake in an emergency situation, or how many times it's used in a parking situation." brake systems rarely fail.

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-a-parking-brake-the-same-as-an-emergency-brake.htm

i can stop both of my cars with the e-brake. i use the terms interchangeably.

[nwmrkt]

no nissan ever produced came from the factory with an e-brake.

now they did come with parking brakes which are something entirely different.

</sarcasm>

No "Parking Brake" with these rear kits, so all of the mad tyte dorifto's should just get the front kit, it is still spectacular when compared to stock, and I am told that a rear kit with a parking brake is on the way from Dave and his cohorts, but that raises the cost of the kit considerably and I have no idea when it will be available.
That would be really nice. :x:

[smokins14]

Ahhhh shit, now I have to start saving. Thanks for the write-up. I really wanted to know how these compared to the z32's.

[CKAMC]

Morrie I think you only had stock breaks before...? Don't recall if you ever had Z32's on before.

[tknbkthrsdy4anfg]

We used to have ferraris or something at our shop that had wilwood parking brakes.

Don't remember what it was tho.

Maybe a Mclaren.

[Fahaka]

Morrie I think you only had stock breaks before...? Don't recall if you ever had Z32's on before.

yeah z32's on my s14, they sucked though compared to these, ask anyone who has been in my car and they will testify...Crashzilla, S14daddy, cracka, sirmixowitcz, etc...

[DOOK]

this setup would be killer for time attack/auto X, which is the direction I am going with my S13. Not so into the drifting thing, maybe if I had a civic I would drift :D

[Fahaka]

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-a-parking-brake-the-same-as-an-emergency-brake.htm

i can stop both of my cars with the e-brake. i use the terms interchangeably.

What does this have to do with wilwood brakes?

[Fahaka]

here is my friends wilwood equipped 7mgte z car stomping on a Ferrari F430.

Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0oXgn4gXcY)

[S14DB]

http://arizonazcar.com/240sxbrakes.html

13" for front and rear and the 12" kit if you are only doing the front?

[DOOK]

795 for the 12.2 inchers front or rear, so front and rear for about 1500 bucks, you really can't beat those prices.

[OptionZero]

this setup would be killer for time attack/auto X, which is the direction I am going with my S13. Not so into the drifting thing, maybe if I had a civic I would drift :D

pretty worthless for autoX
don't think you'll ever get them hot enough for such a short (Distance and time) "lap"

stock brakes + pads and fresh rotors and fluid would suffice...and keep you in a lower class

[DOOK]

pretty worthless for autoX
don't think you'll ever get them hot enough for such a short (Distance and time) "lap"

stock brakes + pads and fresh rotors and fluid would suffice...and keep you in a lower class


you don't think? hmmmm, maybe you're right, fuck I don't know.

[OptionZero]

have you...been to autoX before?

[DOOK]

not with the 240.... I used to do it in my bluebird swapped 99 sentra SE limited and a ton in my ::cough:: turbo civic ::cough::

[DOOK]

I'm talking more SCCA type stuff though, not like local parking lot AutoX

[OptionZero]

i know what SCCA is. You don't hit high speeds and not for very long- the courses just aren't big enough, and we drive 240sx's...not superheavy or powerful

again, these are awesome brakes, awesome value, but wholely unnecessary for so short a drive. Better tires and better technique would make a bigger difference and be a better investment if you want to noticeably improve braking in autoX (even more so than on the track)

[GSXRJJordan]

Great brake setup for sure, and a great value (compared to Endless/etc BBKs). I agree with Option that most auto X'ers would not benefit too much, for all reasons listed (not heating the brakes enough, not going fast enough, and auto X is all about staying in as low a class as possible), but anyone running full (2+ mi) courses or playing elsewhere above 100mph would appreciate them. This is one area where my 240 will probably never be as nice as the Z06... I would like something better than my z32s though.

Great write up, Morrie =D

[cdlong]

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-a-parking-brake-the-same-as-an-emergency-brake.htm

i can stop both of my cars with the e-brake. i use the terms interchangeably.

you can, but do you?

[Fahaka]

these brakes do not need to be heated in order to work properly. Unless otherwise specified they come with street pads that work just fine when cold.

As for autoxing...I don't know.

[OptionZero]

my point was that wilwood's larger rotor and caliper offers the added benefit of resisting heat after multiple highspeed stops

autoX courses might have lots of corners, but they're low speed and don't demand the same sort of braking force as stopping a car going 100mph or wutever

you wouldn't really be taking full advantage of a "big brake kit"

then there's wutever class limitations scca has come up with these days

[Fahaka]

my point was that wilwood's larger rotor and caliper offers the added benefit of resisting heat after multiple highspeed stops

autoX courses might have lots of corners, but they're low speed and don't demand the same sort of braking force as stopping a car going 100mph or wutever

you wouldn't really be taking full advantage of a "big brake kit"

then there's wutever class limitations scca has come up with these days

ok, yeah, that makes sense. I would think, for serious autoxers, stock brakes would be fine.

[ixfxi]

you can, but do you?

well yes, in an emergency.. sure.. i'de use the ebrake. i mean, its better than sticking my fucking legs out the door and trying to stop like fred flinstone. look on wiki, it says that the ebrake should be used WITH downshifting, which will keep the rears from locking up. sure, its not the fastest stop.. but its most definately better than nothing, and does work.


fahaka> What does this have to do with wilwood brakes?

i posted the link about the "ebrake" because cdlong was being picky about the terminology. i know, it has nothing to do with your thread really.. ;)

[ixfxi]

my point was that wilwood's larger rotor and caliper offers the added benefit of resisting heat after multiple highspeed stops
autoX courses might have lots of corners, but they're low speed and don't demand the same sort of braking force as stopping a car going 100mph or wutever

the ONLY time i've ever needed bigger brakes than the Z32-TT brakes, was when driving on larger canyons (such as sepulveda here in LA). the downhill high speed sections that lead toward UCLA can have some rather long straights and require heavy braking. going from 100 to 40 over and over will most definately kill most brake setups, so yeah.. i agree.

what most people here need to remember, is weight. for 300ZX owners, the Z32 brakes are simply HORRIBLE. you dont EVER read about a Z32 owner saying "i love the stock brakes" because they suck. but, take off anywhere from 500-1000 lbs by putting them on the s13/s14, they're perfectly fine for most typical driving situations, even light-to-medium racing.

i killed the brakes on the track after the long straights doing lets say 120 down to 20-30 mph... that type of driving will destroy just about ANY cars brakes.

ps: funny thing, the other day when i raced the ferrari.. he overworked his brakes on the small canyon (mulholland). after 5-10 minutes you just smelled brakes..... comedy.

[Fahaka]

well yes, in an emergency.. sure.. i'de use the ebrake. i mean, its better than sticking my fucking legs out the door and trying to stop like fred flinstone. look on wiki, it says that the ebrake should be used WITH downshifting, which will keep the rears from locking up. sure, its not the fastest stop.. but its most definately better than nothing, and does work.


fahaka> What does this have to do with wilwood brakes?

i posted the link about the "ebrake" because cdlong was being picky about the terminology. i know, it has nothing to do with your thread really.. ;)

I just realized that I sounded like a dick then...sorry. I should have used an appropriate smiley.

My friend has an abs equipped mkiv supra with alcon big brakes and I completely outbrake him from anything above 60mph.

[ixfxi]

fahaka> My friend has an abs equipped mkiv supra with alcon big brakes and I completely outbrake him from anything above 60mph.

you DO understand that the supra weighs about a billion pounds, right?

abs or no abs, weight is most important.

[Silvia_Drift]

Great write up. I will be getting a setup like this in the future for sure.

I was just wondering if it is possible to use the 300zx drum ebrake in the rear as well as the 12.2" 4 piston wilwood kit?

[cdlong]

nope, not with the kit currently, but they could theoretically incorporate something to make it work. for one, the hat needs to be steel.

well yes, in an emergency.. sure.. i'de use the ebrake. i mean, its better than sticking my fucking legs out the door and trying to stop like fred flinstone. look on wiki, it says that the ebrake should be used WITH downshifting, which will keep the rears from locking up. sure, its not the fastest stop.. but its most definately better than nothing, and does work.

sorry, i think you missed my point. of course you CAN use it in an emergency, it's actually a requirement that you be able to stop the car that way. but for every time someone uses the parking brake in an emergency, millions of people use them to park their car.

i got off topic because of the original comment about e-brake/parking brake. i just wanted to express my similar opinion. let's get back on topic.

[Fahaka]

fahaka> My friend has an abs equipped mkiv supra with alcon big brakes and I completely outbrake him from anything above 60mph.

you DO understand that the supra weighs about a billion pounds, right?

abs or no abs, weight is most important.

oh yeah he weighs about 1000lbs more, but he has 14" rotors with six piston calipers, bigger rubber, and abs...my point was his car brakes very well...mine is better though.

At our secret spot he kills me on the straits, and I kill him in the twisties...

[Unholy S14]

hot..........

[KA24DESOneThree]

Ok, enough about the racing in the canyons. It's cute and oh-so-hardcore, but doesn't score you cool-guy points with those of us who actually like to NOT have our cars profiled. Save the racing for the track and don't join the ranks of those who've been killed. I love the canyons and the mountains as much as anyone but don't ever go above 65mph and never, ever race anyone as it's the act most likely to garner even more police attention.

These brakes work insanely well. I prefer my tracks tight and therefore hard on brakes and the AZCar BBK just plain works. They're also fantastic in the mountains and are easily modulated. The bias is a little too far forward with a 1" Z32 BMC, but that's why bias/proportioning valves were created. By the way, I have the forged 4-piston 12.2" kit all around. Given that I'm currently only pushing 130whp or so, I figured that's more than enough.

The price is right and the components are tested.

For autocross/track day cars, the Wilwood street/track compound would work great. It doesn't require any warm-up and can withstand some serious heat. I fade fluid before I fade pads, and I'm running RBF600.

[ixfxi]

Ok, enough about the racing in the canyons. It's cute and oh-so-hardcore, but doesn't score you cool-guy points with those of us who actually like to NOT have our cars profiled. Save the racing for the track and don't join the ranks of those who've been killed. I love the canyons and the mountains as much as anyone but don't ever go above 65mph and never, ever race anyone as it's the act most likely to garner even more police attention.

is this shit supposed to even make sense?

please man, dont type unless you're words are coherent.

[Fahaka]

Ok, enough about the racing in the canyons. It's cute and oh-so-hardcore, but doesn't score you cool-guy points with those of us who actually like to NOT have our cars profiled. Save the racing for the track and don't join the ranks of those who've been killed. I love the canyons and the mountains as much as anyone but don't ever go above 65mph and never, ever race anyone as it's the act most likely to garner even more police attention.

Who are you talking to?

[RoscoYoungno13]

Who are you talking to?

Hey Morrie (this is Stew), do you know if Dave has any rotors larger than 13in? throw me a PM when you have the chance.

[CKAMC]

Who are you talking to?

Think he saw the video or saw your comment regarding "favorite road"

I'm just guessing, of course he can explain but like mike said... he is hard to comprehend.

[axiomatik]

no nissan ever produced came from the factory with an e-brake.

now they did come with parking brakes which are something entirely different.

</sarcasm>
.......

i used to work in the OE braking industry. no one ever called it an emergency brake. my boss made this comment once, "try and remember any time you've heard of someone using their parking brake in an emergency situation, or how many times it's used in a parking situation." brake systems rarely fail.
.........

Just because it is used mostly as a parking brake, does not mean that it's original intent is not as an emergency brake. I have used mine for emergency purposes when my BMC failed.



Who are you talking to?

I'm pretty sure he's referring to comments like these:

.......
ps: funny thing, the other day when i raced the ferrari.. he overworked his brakes on the small canyon (mulholland). after 5-10 minutes you just smelled brakes..... comedy.

oh yeah he weighs about 1000lbs more, but he has 14" rotors with six piston calipers, bigger rubber, and abs...my point was his car brakes very well...mine is better though.

At our secret spot he kills me on the straits, and I kill him in the twisties...

[420sx]

ha.

turn the wheel.

disengage the clutch. pull the ebrake. downshift. throttle. steer. smoke some tires.

thats how you use emergency brake.

[Fahaka]

Just because it is used mostly as a parking brake, does not mean that it's original intent is not as an emergency brake. I have used mine for emergency purposes when my BMC failed.





I'm pretty sure he's referring to comments like these:

OH OK, wasn't sure he was talking to me because of the "canyons" statement. Sure we have canyons here in AZ, but we don't drive in them lol, as for ka24desonethrees statement about:
Ok, enough about the racing in the canyons. It's cute and oh-so-hardcore, but doesn't score you cool-guy points with those of us who actually like to NOT have our cars profiled. Save the racing for the track and don't join the ranks of those who've been killed. I love the canyons and the mountains as much as anyone but don't ever go above 65mph and never, ever race anyone as it's the act most likely to garner even more police attention.

OK can I put the Qtip in the ear canal or do I have to use it just on the outside for safety? I'm a big boy, I can handle my car. As for the track, have you ever taken a close look at a car that gets tracked on a regular basis. I have spent way to much money on my daily driver to fuck it up at the track...no thanks.

In my 21 years driving I have had three moving violations, one for speeding five years ago.

My car has no body kit, no extreme stretch wheels, nor a very loud exhaust. I don't go out of the way to draw attention to myself and I do this by having a car that would be considered a "Sleeper." If you don't want to be profiled, get a radar detector, and keep it as stock looking as possible and drive smart.

Stew: Dave only offers the 12" & 13" rotors...14" rotors would require different calliper mounts and 14" rotors kits would be about $600 more than the 13" kit. Most 240 guys are cheap and won't buy the $795 kit because they would rather spend $600 for crappy z32 fronts. Live and learn I guess. My suggestion is to get the 13" fronts with 4 piston forged calipers, and 12" rears with 4 piston forged...next time you see me ask me for a ride and I'll show you how well they work...don't forget to wear your seatbelt :keke:

[GSXRJJordan]

^^^ Q tip analogy was nice. I'd still rather everyone keep their extreme sports on the track, but you're obviously not a carbon copy of the guy who crashed his red s13 in front of Luke so I can't hate too much.

Z32 Fronts can be had for about $300 (got mine with rotors, calipers, SS lines, new pads, and the z32 MC). 13" Cobra rotor upgrade = about $250. I'm sure the 13" 4 piston kit will destroy the cobra rotors/z32 kit - that's the comparison for ya.

[KA24DESOneThree]

Fahaka, I was talking more to ixfxi.

Yes, I have taken a look at a car that gets tracked on a regular basis... mine. It's still in the same shape it was before, minus a little dust. I have some dents from sliding through cones but that wasn't on a track. If you drive smart, you don't have problems.

What's the point of building a kick-ass car if you can't experience it to its fullest?

Hazards of driving hard on the street:
-oncoming traffic
-rocks
-guardrails
-canyons
-trees
-concrete ditches
-Caltrans/AZDOT road maintenance

Hazards of driving hard on the track:
-dust
-bent tie rods from OTEs

I'm 21 and have one moving violation. My car has no body kit, no stretch, nor a very loud exhaust. I don't go out of the way to draw attention to myself and I do this by having a car that would be considered a "Sleeper."

Oh, and if you want the 12.2" front but have SPL control arms, you have to shorten the hat by .125" to clear the lower spindle nut. Otherwise, you end up with a nice gouge in the rotors. Whether or not that's a problem with the 13" rotors, I do not know.

[Fahaka]

Fahaka, I was talking more to ixfxi.

Yes, I have taken a look at a car that gets tracked on a regular basis... mine. It's still in the same shape it was before, minus a little dust. I have some dents from sliding through cones but that wasn't on a track. If you drive smart, you don't have problems.

What's the point of building a kick-ass car if you can't experience it to its fullest?

Hazards of driving hard on the street:
-oncoming traffic
-rocks
-guardrails
-canyons
-trees
-concrete ditches
-Caltrans/AZDOT road maintenance

Hazards of driving hard on the track:
-dust
-bent tie rods from OTEs

I'm 21 and have one moving violation. My car has no body kit, no stretch, nor a very loud exhaust. I don't go out of the way to draw attention to myself and I do this by having a car that would be considered a "Sleeper."

Oh, and if you want the 12.2" front but have SPL control arms, you have to shorten the hat by .125" to clear the lower spindle nut. Otherwise, you end up with a nice gouge in the rotors. Whether or not that's a problem with the 13" rotors, I do not know.

OK we're cool. I was just trying to be funny. If you have a sleeper you're ok in my book.

I'm from Carlsbad, what part of N. SD county are you in?

[KA24DESOneThree]

Fallbrook. Puts me close to some prime driving roads.

[DOOK]

too bad you guys are out west, we have days in "the dragon" in virginia where they close off the road and allow enthusiasts to push the limits, whether it be bikes, hondas, nissans, whatever, they all have their time :D.

[Fahaka]

Fallbrook. Puts me close to some prime driving roads.

I know the area well.

[1320_power]

ok those prices are probably the best i have seen for big brake systems. what is his website? i will be interested soon. pm me the details please.

[240trainee]

too bad you guys are out west, we have days in "the dragon" in virginia where they close off the road and allow enthusiasts to push the limits, whether it be bikes, hondas, nissans, whatever, they all have their time :D.

When I get my coupe done I plan on making a run down there, I didn't know the closed the road?? Thats ba:w00t:

[Fahaka]

ok those prices are probably the best i have seen for big brake systems. what is his website? i will be interested soon. pm me the details please.

arizonazcar.com

tell him Morrie sent you.

[1320_power]

thanks i will get with him soon

[Koopa Troopa]

So by "per axel" you mean each hub right? Too much money, you can get a set of 33 GTR Brembo's with rotors for about $800

[DOOK]

no, they are saying axle as if it were a solid axle, two hubs, two rotors, etcc...

[DOOK]

When I get my coupe done I plan on making a run down there, I didn't know the closed the road?? Thats ba:w00t:

yeah, they close it down one weekend a year I think it is.

[Fahaka]

So by "per axel" you mean each hub right? Too much money, you can get a set of 33 GTR Brembo's with rotors for about $800

No Chris, axle is front set or rear set...two rotors two calipers etc...and the 12" wilwoods kick the shit out of gtr brembo's

[OptionZero]

IIRC brembo calipers are heavy

at least..the g35/z ones are, and the r34 ones are virtually identical

[JohnC]

Yes they are OptionZero!
front 2 piece rotors help! (maybe in the back too :-) )

[OptionZero]

hrm, you know, an interesting comparo of bang for the buck brake solutions might be Wilwood's setup v the 300zx/350z setup

-Wilwood (from first page)-
Aluminum calipers
12.2in rotors
44mm calipers F
35mm calipers R
pads and lines included

$795/axle or $1590 all around

-Nissan stuff-
30mm 300zx F aluminum caliper ($200 w/ OEM rebuild hardware?)
18mm 300zx R aluminum caliper ?($100 w/ oem rebuild hardware?)
12.6in 350X 2pc F rotor ($500 pair)
11.5in 300zx 2pc R rotor ($500 pair)
SPL/Cosmo F bracket ($200)
brake pads, any brand ($150)

Total = $1650,+/- because used prices vary on used calipers and depends on what pads

This does not include any master cylinder or e-brake hardware for either kit.

What's the lesson here?
Don't give Megan $3,000, buahahaha

[Fahaka]

hrm, you know, an interesting comparo of bang for the buck brake solutions might be Wilwood's setup v the 300zx/350z setup

-Wilwood (from first page)-
Aluminum calipers
12.2in rotors
44mm calipers F
35mm calipers R
pads and lines included

$795/axle or $1590 all around

-Nissan stuff-
30mm 300zx F aluminum caliper ($200 w/ OEM rebuild hardware?)
18mm 300zx R aluminum caliper ?($100 w/ oem rebuild hardware?)
12.6in 350X 2pc F rotor ($500 pair)
11.5in 300zx 2pc R rotor ($500 pair)
SPL/Cosmo F bracket ($200)
brake pads, any brand ($150)

Total = $1650,+/- because used prices vary on used calipers and depends on what pads

This does not include any master cylinder or e-brake hardware for either kit.

What's the lesson here?
Don't give Megan $3,000, buahahaha

I like the way you think.

This is what I've been saying all along, Dave's kit is a better deal than z32/z33/r32/r33/r34/other oem options. First, because it costs less, and second because they are better...

[OptionZero]

well, i have the 350z/300zx system, but i'm not afraid to support other smart alternatives

esp if some people already have 300zx calipers or manage to steal some- then the price advantage shifts the other way

basically if you're not doing one of these two options, you ...should think again

[KA24DESOneThree]

Just in case people are wondering about unsprung weight or rotating mass:

I had the weights around here somewhere... like 2lbs each for the hats, 8.9lbs each for front rotors, probably 8.5 each for rear rotors, and the calipers are 5lbs each.

In the end, it didn't really add any weight, especially in the rear. Probably lost a few pounds overall.

[kouki_s14]

Brembos/z32/r33/z33 etc are all cast calipers so yes they are heavy

Wilwoods i believe are forged so each caliper is probably about half the weight compared to brembos and such.

Rotor weight probably doesnt vary much between each brake setup, so the majority of the weight difference isnt rotating.

I think the biggest thing anyone should worry about is that (IIRC) Wilwood calipers do not have rubber dust seal(around each piston) like the brembos and sumitomos, so if you are street driving it, long term exposure to rocks and dirt might cause some problems.

[OptionZero]

That's not true. 3Z calipers come in aluminum

According to Orion:S14's webpage (pretty reliable IMHO):

http://www.ka24development.com/brake_upgrades.html

30mm aluminum calipers weigh 6.5lbs (those are what i have)

[kouki_s14]

That's not true. 3Z calipers come in aluminum

According to Orion:S14's webpage (pretty reliable IMHO):

http://www.ka24development.com/brake_upgrades.html

30mm aluminum calipers weigh 6.5lbs (those are what i have)

o yea the aluminum ones slipped my mind, but with the exception of those, most are cast iron, therefore quite heavy.

[Fahaka]

I think the biggest thing anyone should worry about is that (IIRC) Wilwood calipers do not have rubber dust seal(around each piston) like the brembos and sumitomos, so if you are street driving it, long term exposure to rocks and dirt might cause some problems.

During the 20 years Dave has sold wilwoods he has never had to replace a seal on any of his calipers for anything other than racing use rebuilds. All street driven kits that he has sold have stood up well, but use on heavily salted roads is not recommended

[Lordrandall]

That's not true. 3Z calipers come in aluminum

According to Orion:S14's webpage (pretty reliable IMHO):

http://www.ka24development.com/brake_upgrades.html

30mm aluminum calipers weigh 6.5lbs (those are what i have)

Yeah they are AL but my z32's feel like boat anchors compared to my buddies Wilwood calipers. Of course I did get the z32 calipers for $100, so i can't complain too much.