Upgrading Brake calipers

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:31 am

I want to import a set of brake calipers. What calipers should I look for, off what car?? I had a look at the 300zx ones but the pads looked a bit small

??

Vlade · Post by **Vlade** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:01 am

its not the size of the pad, its the type of pad that counts...

For interest sake, the Subaru WRX, and big Land Crusers uses the same calipers

The type of pad and rotor that you use makes the biggest difference... I can bet you if you put decent performance rotors and pads on a stock SX and you compare it with a SX with a Z32 setup (stock rotor + pads) the SX with performance pads and rotors will out perform the Z32 swap! Guaranteed!

I got my self a set of DBA 4000 Rotors and HAWK HPS pads for my Z32 calipers, the Rotors alone was more than the calipers.

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:08 pm

I have bigger roters but still have std calipers and Ferodo pads. The car stops very well, far better than STD, but calipers would be nice to have.

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:14 pm

couldn't agree more!!!

but four pot calipers will look and perform exceptionally well on our cars.

i recommend that you insist on the aluminium calipers. you dont want to add unnecessary weight to your car!!! also you will pay less for shipping, and they will cool themselves better wont they???

my box of 4 calipers (2 x 4 pot front and 2 x 2 pot rears) were from a skyline R32, the fronts are exactly the same as the 300zx twin turbo, and the calipers were all aluminium. the box weighed in at 11kg's, but you could save weight if you ask for the old used pads to be removed.

this is a good site to look at:

http://importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm

i have a few others, if you need them after this one - lemme know!!!

Vlade · Post by **Vlade** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:11 pm

Yip those iron calipers aren't to good for weight... the only reason why Nissan went with iron calipers were cost!

Some people said the aluminum ones warp... Never seen it, never read it from a repeatable source, so I don't believe it

Look the 4 pot Z32 is one of the best low $$$ upgrades one can do, but if you really want to benefit from it, you need some performance rotors and pads... I'd say you can't go wrong with a Z32 upgrade, but but if you can the skyline R33 GTS/GTR R34 GTS/GTR is even better.

The GTS ones comes with 296mm 4 pots Sumitomo calipers, where the GTR's comes with 320mm 4 pot Brembo's IIRC, only downside is you need to remove the dust cover (not good for wet conditions, cause disk warping, but one can build your own) other than that its Wicket.

I have seen kits on the net where you can get some brackets to extend the Z32 caliper to become 320mm you just buy the GTR rotors.

And by performance pads I don't really mean Ferodo Ceramics unless you only drive street, as they are very very hard on rotors and you don't want your performance rotors to be eaten alive. Look I use them on my Polo which does insane street driving, but rotors is only R180 for the VW its less than the pads

There is brand new Willwood kits to fit the SX out there for about R4000 but then you still need to buy rotors and what not, include the rest and its way beyond R10K

If you just source the stock Z32 stuff you can get away under R4000 but include some performance Rotors and pads of R700+ your looking at R6-8K

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:33 pm

As i said I have the rotors, they were made up for me by a guy in JHB. I now want the calipers. Still the problem of how to get them here. There are a few sets flouting on ebay and what not but none of them say ship to SA.

I was thinking of going around to the car importers, the ones for export only, and asking them if they can get parts. There are so many 300zx's in there yards and even a few R33 Skylines.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:59 pm

cant we try a different car's ones - what are the maxima or sentra or hardbody ones, 2pot?

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:07 pm

you can try whatever you want, but here's the catch...

the calipers mentioned above (except the R34 i think) all fit the s13 brake caliper mountings. front and rear.

i bolted them both on when i changed my wheels and suspension!!!

its literally a bolt on, with a minor complication in having to get new brake lines made up. but the mounting bolts are exactly the same. no brackets have to be made up.

i just missed out on a pair of 296mm sumimoto calipers - and i thought mine were 296mm cos they have sumimoto printed on them, but when fitted to the sx, the original disc misses the inner recess of the caliper by about 1mm.

so they must be 280mm - if i want them to have bigger discs then i have to get adapter plates made up!

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:10 pm

Not sure what size disks I have on, they BIG. I had to get some spacer plates made up to move the calipers out. I should check first.

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:15 pm

i reckon its the width you have to worry about, because you already have big discs, and spacers to fit the standard calipers!!!!

if the spacers fit the standard calipers, then they will fit R32/Z32 4 pots!!!

if they fit in the standard calipers - they may be too narrow though!!!

check the link i posted a little while ago - it shows the different calipers with the different disc thicknesses!!!

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:20 pm

Just measured now my disks are 22mm thick. Will Z32 calipers fit??

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:28 pm

the z32/r32 are at least 30mm thick if i remember correctly.

depends on the model, but could be 32mm also.

i think the iron ones are 26mm.

that website link shows different calipers with the thicknesses!!!

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:43 pm

a bit worried that with all the plates and spacers they wont be safe - am i missing the boat here?

also, wont it come too close to the mags then?

Vlade · Post by **Vlade** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 6:32 am

widowmaker wrote:also, wont it come too close to the mags then?

That's the reason why mine is still lying there... they don't fit under the mags.

I got one spare 26mm and 30mm aluminum 4 pots that i'm willing to let go for cheap cheap...

VC When I fitted mine, I used the old brake lines... I just modded the banjo removed about 3/4 mm from the front of bolt and that fitted fine.

The Calibrator · Post by **The Calibrator** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 6:41 am

What does a set of 2nd hand calipers cost you? I have seen 4 pot Willwoods for around R4500 may be an option.