Wilwood calipers: use the red ones they sent me?
09-27-2007, 06:19 PM
#82
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but now we know the real storywilwood vs. z32 - you have firsthand experience of this comparison?
pads: I prefer hawk pads, frankly.
lines: the lines that came with them are very nice....ss with anti-chafe tubing and very nice fittings.
09-27-2007, 06:24 PM
#83
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yeah....I thought that until I got a red one but now we know the real story
wilwood vs. z32 - you have firsthand experience of this comparison?
pads: I prefer hawk pads, frankly.
lines: the lines that came with them are very nice....ss with anti-chafe tubing and very nice fittings.
but now we know the real storywilwood vs. z32 - you have firsthand experience of this comparison?
pads: I prefer hawk pads, frankly.
lines: the lines that came with them are very nice....ss with anti-chafe tubing and very nice fittings.
I used to have the z32 kit with 13 inch cobra rotors. To me that kit was only headaches. I had soo many problems with it. Then i moved to a wilwood kit and it is a huge difference.
No pad overhang, no caliper flex, no bracket flex, no need to rebuild calipers
my opinion on hawk pads is that the quality is not the best it can be. i am comparing them to the wilwood bp-10 pads that i am using right now.
I am using wilwood lines that are ss also and are teflon coated as well.....
This is my opinion and you can flame me for it but z32 kit is crap.....
09-27-2007, 06:55 PM
#84
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yes i have firsthand experince with both the z32 and the wilwood kit.
I used to have the z32 kit with 13 inch cobra rotors. To me that kit was only headaches. I had soo many problems with it. Then i moved to a wilwood kit and it is a huge difference.
No pad overhang, no caliper flex, no bracket flex, no need to rebuild calipers
my opinion on hawk pads is that the quality is not the best it can be. i am comparing them to the wilwood bp-10 pads that i am using right now.
I am using wilwood lines that are ss also and are teflon coated as well.....
This is my opinion and you can flame me for it but z32 kit is crap.....
I used to have the z32 kit with 13 inch cobra rotors. To me that kit was only headaches. I had soo many problems with it. Then i moved to a wilwood kit and it is a huge difference.
No pad overhang, no caliper flex, no bracket flex, no need to rebuild calipers
my opinion on hawk pads is that the quality is not the best it can be. i am comparing them to the wilwood bp-10 pads that i am using right now.
I am using wilwood lines that are ss also and are teflon coated as well.....
This is my opinion and you can flame me for it but z32 kit is crap.....
Remember, when Matt and Jeff came out with those kits there were really no other options under $1500 or so for a multi-piston BBK. They are what they are - a kit that can be put together for around $400-500 and provide better braking than stock or 6th gen setup.
That said, now that the fastbrakes setup is available for a similar/slighly higher price I (pending my own experiences) think it is probably a better/easier setup. But we'll see once I get them installed. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
09-27-2007, 09:24 PM
#89
09-27-2007, 10:04 PM
#90
09-27-2007, 10:12 PM
#91
09-28-2007, 09:15 AM
#92
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I don't think it is "crap" but it certainly has its share of issues with fit/overhang/etc.
Remember, when Matt and Jeff came out with those kits there were really no other options under $1500 or so for a multi-piston BBK. They are what they are - a kit that can be put together for around $400-500 and provide better braking than stock or 6th gen setup.
That said, now that the fastbrakes setup is available for a similar/slighly higher price I (pending my own experiences) think it is probably a better/easier setup. But we'll see once I get them installed. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Remember, when Matt and Jeff came out with those kits there were really no other options under $1500 or so for a multi-piston BBK. They are what they are - a kit that can be put together for around $400-500 and provide better braking than stock or 6th gen setup.
That said, now that the fastbrakes setup is available for a similar/slighly higher price I (pending my own experiences) think it is probably a better/easier setup. But we'll see once I get them installed. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Take example the brackets. They could have been made the proper thickness so you wonuldnt have to use shims to center the rotor in the center of the caliper. Plus the brackets are flimsy. They heat up and flex.
Plus the 300zx caliper is not designed for such a huge rotor like the cobra or even the 6th gen maxima. The z32 kit should have been used only with the stock diameter rotor.
Oh and yes I am a newbie. I used to own a maxima but sold it. But now i am back since i need a family sedan with some decent power ( 5.5 gen max ) The z32 kit has been out for a while....
I run 17x8.5 wheels with a 42 mm offset and they clear. The desing of the spokes has to do alot with clearing the calipers.
09-28-2007, 09:32 AM
#93
That's funny. the brackets for both my kit and Jeff's are 3/8" steel. They are thicker (and stronger) than the OEM mounting tabs on the knuckle. If you were seeing flex, it was from somewhere else. unless the brackets heat to several hundred degrees- which they don't. I've pulled them off the car 5 minutes after a session on the road course with no gloves- then the steel is just as strong at 350*F than at 75*F.
The big issue with the Z caliper is pad selection- same as with the Fastbrakes setup. I've run the Z calipers on my car at the track and had no problems with them. even with the Z brakes up front, I could still outbrake cars that cost orders of magnitude more than my car. (i.e. corvettes, porsche, BMW ///M, etc.)
I run wilwoods on both my Maxima and 240 now because of the cost and availability of pads. I run Ferodo DS2500 on both cars for the street and track. For REALLY hot days, I'll switch to a track-only pad like the Wilwood D,E,H compounds.
The BP-10 compound is very similar to the E, but seems to be a bit more street friendly. I would put the Ferodo DS2500 or Hawk HP+ right up next to it in terms of quality and performance.
There's no need to run strictly Wilwood pads on your wilwood calipers. especially for street use, I've found Hawk and Ferodo to be a much better pad at much better prices than the Wilwood stuff.
You can get the same pads for the Z caliper, but they're $250 per set for the good stuff instead of $100/set for the Ferodo or Hawks. for my little Wilwood Dynalite calipers I run on the 240, they're $50 a set and last me a full season of track duty.. The Wilwood pads I've run on my Dynalites last a couple months or 2 track events at most. for $70-120 a set, I'll pass next time thanks.
The big issue with the Z caliper is pad selection- same as with the Fastbrakes setup. I've run the Z calipers on my car at the track and had no problems with them. even with the Z brakes up front, I could still outbrake cars that cost orders of magnitude more than my car. (i.e. corvettes, porsche, BMW ///M, etc.)
I run wilwoods on both my Maxima and 240 now because of the cost and availability of pads. I run Ferodo DS2500 on both cars for the street and track. For REALLY hot days, I'll switch to a track-only pad like the Wilwood D,E,H compounds.
The BP-10 compound is very similar to the E, but seems to be a bit more street friendly. I would put the Ferodo DS2500 or Hawk HP+ right up next to it in terms of quality and performance.
There's no need to run strictly Wilwood pads on your wilwood calipers. especially for street use, I've found Hawk and Ferodo to be a much better pad at much better prices than the Wilwood stuff.
You can get the same pads for the Z caliper, but they're $250 per set for the good stuff instead of $100/set for the Ferodo or Hawks. for my little Wilwood Dynalite calipers I run on the 240, they're $50 a set and last me a full season of track duty.. The Wilwood pads I've run on my Dynalites last a couple months or 2 track events at most. for $70-120 a set, I'll pass next time thanks.
Last edited by Matt93SE; 09-28-2007 at 09:34 AM.
09-28-2007, 09:39 AM
#94
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That's funny. the brackets for both my kit and Jeff's are 3/8" steel. They are thicker (and stronger) than the OEM mounting tabs on the knuckle. If you were seeing flex, it was from somewhere else. unless the brackets heat to several hundred degrees- which they don't. I've pulled them off the car 5 minutes after a session on the road course- then the steel is just as strong at 350*F than at 75*F.
The big issue with the Z caliper is pad selection- same as with the Fastbrakes setup. I've run the Z calipers on my car at the track and had no problems with them. even with the Z brakes up front, I could still outbrake cars that cost orders of magnitude more than my car. (i.e. corvettes, porsche, BMW ///M, etc.)
I run wilwoods on both my Maxima and 240 now because of the cost and availability of pads. I run Ferodo DS2500 on both cars for the street and track. For REALLY hot days, I'll switch to a track-only pad like the Wilwood D,E,H compounds.
The BP-10 compound is very similar to the E, but seems to be a bit more street friendly. I would put the Ferodo DS2500 or Hawk HP+ right up next to it in terms of quality and performance.
There's no need to run strictly Wilwood pads on your wilwood calipers. especially for street use, I've found Hawk and Ferodo to be a much better pad at much better prices than the Wilwood stuff.
The big issue with the Z caliper is pad selection- same as with the Fastbrakes setup. I've run the Z calipers on my car at the track and had no problems with them. even with the Z brakes up front, I could still outbrake cars that cost orders of magnitude more than my car. (i.e. corvettes, porsche, BMW ///M, etc.)
I run wilwoods on both my Maxima and 240 now because of the cost and availability of pads. I run Ferodo DS2500 on both cars for the street and track. For REALLY hot days, I'll switch to a track-only pad like the Wilwood D,E,H compounds.
The BP-10 compound is very similar to the E, but seems to be a bit more street friendly. I would put the Ferodo DS2500 or Hawk HP+ right up next to it in terms of quality and performance.
There's no need to run strictly Wilwood pads on your wilwood calipers. especially for street use, I've found Hawk and Ferodo to be a much better pad at much better prices than the Wilwood stuff.
Pad selection is difficult. Yes i know that. Most people use hawk pads because hawk makes alot of pads. I noticed that the quality is not consistent on the hawk. And yes I have replaced pads more then once.
But yes you dont have to use wilwood pads with wilwood calipers. there are other choices. But bp-10 is a good street friendly pad.
I guess that is why it is called trial and error.....
09-30-2007, 05:13 PM
#95
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Also remember: The bracket is attached to the spindle, and the rotor is attached tot he hub. What is between the hub and the spindle? A wheel bearing. And bearings have some amount of play to them, especially if they are worn, or the main hub nut is not torqued to spec, etc.
If ANYTHING was flexing, it was the caliper itself - which is made of aluminum. But Matt's/Jeff's brackets definitely have no flex to them. Simple engineering can tell you that.
10-08-2007, 01:28 PM
#103
Have you installed (or even received) the new calipers yet, irish?
Like I said before, I had this idea rolling around in my head for a while now, so I'm anxious to see someone actually do it.
Like I said before, I had this idea rolling around in my head for a while now, so I'm anxious to see someone actually do it.
10-08-2007, 05:08 PM
#106
10-09-2007, 07:00 PM
#109
10-09-2007, 07:30 PM
#112
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btw, your sig is lame....
what, of the calipers sitting in a box?
10-09-2007, 08:03 PM
#113
Been meaning to change it after the whole Halo3 bandwagon fiasco..
on keeping it. the VQ30 is a great engine. I have alot of work in mine I'd hate to start over or part with. If I could change anything, I'd rather a black leather interior over my beige leather. 
10-10-2007, 01:55 PM
#114
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that wasn't from the bracket flexing. That was because the calipers are a tight setup with the thick 6th gen rotors, and there's not much clearance.
Also remember: The bracket is attached to the spindle, and the rotor is attached tot he hub. What is between the hub and the spindle? A wheel bearing. And bearings have some amount of play to them, especially if they are worn, or the main hub nut is not torqued to spec, etc.
If ANYTHING was flexing, it was the caliper itself - which is made of aluminum. But Matt's/Jeff's brackets definitely have no flex to them. Simple engineering can tell you that.
Also remember: The bracket is attached to the spindle, and the rotor is attached tot he hub. What is between the hub and the spindle? A wheel bearing. And bearings have some amount of play to them, especially if they are worn, or the main hub nut is not torqued to spec, etc.
If ANYTHING was flexing, it was the caliper itself - which is made of aluminum. But Matt's/Jeff's brackets definitely have no flex to them. Simple engineering can tell you that.
Yes a wheel bearing will have play in it but it will be very minimal.
maybe it was the caliper... but there was flex and the rotor was grinding on the inside of the caliper
Also please take pictures of the brackets from the fastbrakes kit.
thanks
10-10-2007, 02:43 PM
#116
These calipers have no dust seals on them..... not really a good street caliper if you ask me.
How much is this kit costing with 2 piece rotors and all ?
Why not go for the Brembo GT kit ?
And WTF you need big brakes for Josh ? You do parking lot racing :P
How much is this kit costing with 2 piece rotors and all ?
Why not go for the Brembo GT kit ?
And WTF you need big brakes for Josh ? You do parking lot racing :P
10-10-2007, 03:40 PM
#117
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The wilwoods have stainless pistons so corrosion isn't an issue. And looking at the calipers, the tolerances are so tight there is virtually no way for dirt/rocks/etc to get between the piston and the seal.
I'm pretty religious about checking things monthly and will be equally religious about making sure the calipers are clean. "Off the record" fastbrakes said that it's not a problem. "On the record" of course they say that they are for "off-road use only" for legal reasons.
I'll still ave my z32 setup and my stock brakes in the garage if there's any issue though..
plus the wilwoods are direct bolt-up to my GT6 spindles
for later use.
Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
How much is this kit costing with 2 piece rotors and all ?
Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
Why not go for the Brembo GT kit ?
Originally Posted by BlackBIRDVQ
And WTF you need big brakes for Josh ? You do parking lot racing :P
10-10-2007, 03:43 PM
#118
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Mike, from Wilwood's site:
they've been selling thousands of calipers forever, so I tend to believe this. If it wasn't true, they'd be in serious trouble with lawsuits I would think...
also of note: the stock 2-piston calipers on my GT6 have no dust seals on them....and they are original with 100,000 miles+ on them, and 30 years old and have never been an issue....
Wiwoods view
Many people are curious about the 'street-ability' of Wilwood calipers since they don't have dust boots. Do they have to be 're-built' after driving through the winter or when changing pads? The simple answer is "no".
Wilwood calipers are built to such high tolerances these days that road grime will not get in between the piston and caliper housing. With some simple care provided when changing pads, Wilwood calipers can run indefinitely without needing rebuilding. All that is necessary when changing pads is to spray the exposed pistons with brake cleaner and wipe off with a clean rag before pushing the pistons back into the caliper. This simple step is actually why many big brake kit manufacturers have dust boots on their calipers; they believe their customers are too lazy to do this simple task.
Some people are also curious as to why Wilwood does not provide dust boots on most of their calipers. The reason is pretty simple. Wilwood calipers are designed with ultimate performance in mind, i.e.: they expect their calipers to be used hard, which means high temperatures. Dust boots turn to a gooey mess or turn hard and brittle when exposed to the temperatures of driving events/track events and in either case, loose any of their effectiveness to keep road grime off the pistons. When you stop and think about it, this could actually cause a dangerous situation. If you run dust boot equipped calipers very hard (to the point of corrupting the dust boots ability to keep grime off the pistons) and then push the pistons back into the caliper without cleaning them, you could unknowingly compromise the piston/caliper seal and possibly cause a brake fluid leak or total failure.
Many people are curious about the 'street-ability' of Wilwood calipers since they don't have dust boots. Do they have to be 're-built' after driving through the winter or when changing pads? The simple answer is "no".
Wilwood calipers are built to such high tolerances these days that road grime will not get in between the piston and caliper housing. With some simple care provided when changing pads, Wilwood calipers can run indefinitely without needing rebuilding. All that is necessary when changing pads is to spray the exposed pistons with brake cleaner and wipe off with a clean rag before pushing the pistons back into the caliper. This simple step is actually why many big brake kit manufacturers have dust boots on their calipers; they believe their customers are too lazy to do this simple task.
Some people are also curious as to why Wilwood does not provide dust boots on most of their calipers. The reason is pretty simple. Wilwood calipers are designed with ultimate performance in mind, i.e.: they expect their calipers to be used hard, which means high temperatures. Dust boots turn to a gooey mess or turn hard and brittle when exposed to the temperatures of driving events/track events and in either case, loose any of their effectiveness to keep road grime off the pistons. When you stop and think about it, this could actually cause a dangerous situation. If you run dust boot equipped calipers very hard (to the point of corrupting the dust boots ability to keep grime off the pistons) and then push the pistons back into the caliper without cleaning them, you could unknowingly compromise the piston/caliper seal and possibly cause a brake fluid leak or total failure.
also of note: the stock 2-piston calipers on my GT6 have no dust seals on them....and they are original with 100,000 miles+ on them, and 30 years old and have never been an issue....
Last edited by irish44j; 10-10-2007 at 03:46 PM.
10-10-2007, 03:51 PM
#119
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from some other car sites:
and there are alot more posts like this. have yet to find someone who used them on the street and had a failure. The general consensus is the only thing to worry about it so make sure to thoroughly clean the outer piston area before retracting them during pad changes, so the gunk won't get "sucked in." Otherwise dirt/grime can't "force" itself in there since there's nothing really pushing it, and the inner seals are pretty beefy.
i have had my wilwoods on for a year now without replacing the seals....i'm doing that tomorrow...i have been through bot 8 sets of hawk blue pads and 3 pairs of front rotors....
i had so much heat coming off of them that my valve stem caps melted!!!! that is some serious heat!!! but so far no problems for me.....
i had so much heat coming off of them that my valve stem caps melted!!!! that is some serious heat!!! but so far no problems for me.....
I have Wilwood dynalites on my new rally car. They were on a street car before and did 2 years with no rebuild.
