Brake Upgrade Options

[Grim]

thejackal I'm currently researching upgrading my brakes too. Most ppl say that the stock R33 rotors and calipers are pretty damn good and that a good set of pads is the best value upgrade...so that's what I'm doing. Spend money on a good set of quality pads with high friction co-efficient and even get your rotors machined.

[PLAYAR]

At this stage I don't know much about this topic so I need all the help I can get.

What options do I have as far as upgrading the rotors, callipers, pads etc.

I have 18" wheels so I wouldn't mind getting bigger rotors that fill out the space. If I do this can I use the current callipers or should I upgrade the callipers too?

I don't have a budget on this yet but I don't want it to cost an arm and a leg. What brands should I look at? Does anybody have any of these items for sale at the moment?

I will worry about pads after I choose what I'm doing with rotors and callipers.

Cheers;)

[XrSiSt]

the first question is.....

how much do you want to spend.....

[PLAYAR]

that' the problem.....i don't know.

depending on the cost I might do the font and rear at different times.

At this stage I would $1000 but I don't know what that would get me.

[XrSiSt]

Just to give you an idea..

I've looked through a few magazines and asked a few places.

Usually front slotted/cross drilled go for about $250+ (dba)

Another quote i got is from Racebrakes for a 33GTST

Front 296mm slotted $267.00 Each inc GST

Rear 297mm slotted $215.00 Each inc GST

Thats... say $550 not including install... and they're only just

upgrading rotors using the same calipars...

All i know is that if you want monster rotors and calipars...

eg.. AP... I hope you have a big pocket full of money.....

and if you do.. can i have some... :wavey:

[JiMb0]

I'm still looking at a combo of DBA Slotted/Cross-drilled rotors + EBC Greenstuff pads ... I have no idea how much it'l cost tho

[Duncan]

I was looking at the same upgrade - I get too much fade at the track.

Has anyone done a major upgrade to their brakes? What were the changes and approx cost? How much better were they?

I'm sick of having to slow down after 5 quick laps!

[Guest Stocker]

Drilled rotors will definitely help, but you should really make up or have someone make up some decent cooling ducts for your front brakes. It makes a huge difference.

I don't know what model Skyline you have, does it have dust shields behind the rotors? If so, grab some tinsnips, cut them, and pull them away from the rotor, so it forms a sort of scoop. It's dirt cheap, but really works.

If you don't have dust shields, you'll have to fabricate a duct that clamps around the bottom of the strut....or you could shape up some foam and fiberglass up some shapes. I'll be getting around to this at some stage(I have an R31, they are the definition of underbraked!), have done this before on cars I have owned that are underbraked, and it makes a huge difference. You won't stop any faster, but your stopping power will be a lot more consistent.

Try to direct the air at either the centre of the rotor, or if your calipers are mounter forward of the strut, at the calipers.

This really is something worth doing, you will definitely notice an improvement.

Regards, Andrew.

[Silver-Arrowz]

I would have to say go slotted rotors. Currently my standard rotors have little hairline cracks. This is caused by heating the rotors up, then cooling down quickly.

Best bet, change fluid and get better pads. Sometimes fade is caused by the fluid boiling. If that's not enough, change brake hose lines to braided ones. This will stop the sponge feeling of the brakes under load. If this doesn't work, go rotors. If that doesn't work, calipers. And if that doesn't work, god help you!! Trick is, go the cheapest option, to the expensive option.

Most guys I know at the track with 33 gtst's have standard rotors/calipers and do good times. Just good pads and skills are needed to get good times. Ric Shaw (racer) only brakes 3 times when he's at Wakefield!!! Yeah.... :uh-huh:

[Boostzor]

If you have heeps of meat left on the rotors, can u just machine some slotts in them?

if so Is it cheep to do

[Duncan]

Originally posted by Silver-Arrowz

Ric Shaw (racer) only brakes 3 times when he's at Wakefield!!! Yeah.... :uh-huh:

OK, I'll bite.

I brake at end of the straight, into the top of the hill, down at the hairpin and onto the main straight.

So is Ric driving a Daihatsu Sirion, or did he crash on one of the corners?

I also seem to have hairline cracks on the rotors when I change the pads - they always need machining. I've done the pads and fluid, so I was thinking rotors next. Has anyone upgraded to larger rotors?

[slip]

one way to stop the cracks is to gradually cool them down (i think)

if you go crazy on the road, or do some track work, dont just let the car sit straight afterwards cos you get uneven cooling and therefore metal shrinkage.

[JiMb0]

and we all know there's nothing worse than shrinkage ... right Slip ?

[Silver-Arrowz]

Duncan,

He did that in one of my mate's Toyota Celica. It was at the track day which I organised a while back. One of my friends was tailing him and counted 3 times when the rear lights flashed. They timed him and he did 1 min and 16 sec I think. That's damn quick considering the best he could manage before was 1:32, and 1:26 afterwards.