purple82

There is a website that has brake upgrades for 1st gens that I had the link to on my old computer but I've lost the link. They had a 2nd gen conversion kit and a couple of aftermarket kits. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

JoseReyes

Is it this place?
http://www.sevensonly.com/

purple82

That's cool, but no.

BadAssRX-7

the are only a hand few of kits and 1 that uses fc parts makes it RARE
http://www.mazspeed.com/4pistonbrakeconversion.htm
or
http://www.selectmaz.com.au/main_frame.htm look under brakes

i know of 2 "big brake kits but $$ and 17" rims MIN.

purple82

Selectmaz is the one. Thanks.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

The stock RX-7 brakes work really well when properly maintained. You might want to add some ss lines, they give a tighter peddle response and are less expensive than the stock lines.

Pics of the turd getting her nails done.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/10

purple82

Can you ever have TOO effective brakes? I think not.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Well that was my philosophy too, but after rebuilding the 4 wheel discs on both my 84 and 85 GSLs, I had cars with very sensitive and reliable brakes that could easily lock up the wheels if asked to do so.

In fact, the 84 was rearended out on the interstate during an emergency stop in heavy traffic caused by an accident up ahead. I was able to stop quickly, smoothly and with full control of the car, which was needed to avoid several cars in front of me that were all over the place. But behind me a semi truck and the two SUVs it collected weren't so well controlled. One of them ended up in my butt, in a classic example of why SUVs should be outlawed. For pics see:

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/2

So yes, you can have too effective brakes. For another example, after putting the SS brake lines in the 85, I had to relearn the peddle pressure because the tight peddle response was causing inadvertant locking up of the brakes, they were working so well.

You might want bigger or cooler brakes on a race car wear overheating is an issue, but for normal and even spirited driving, the stock brake system, in good shape, works very well.

I guess my point is that the 1st gen sevens were very well engineered in the first place and this is especially true of the brakes. Keeping the car stock preserves its value and is usually less expensive than "upgrades" that can also cause other systems to not work so well (like big tires that make the car go slower).

But then I'm prejudice, I just love the way my stock 7 performs.

Ray

cosmicbang

What are the 2 big brake kits?

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

better tires help stopping disances too.. if you just "want bigger brakes" and dont' care much about stopping power.. well, you're screwed

for more stopping power there is a 2nd gen turbo/gxl brake converstion, or, BETTER TIRES.

my friend has a protege on totally stock brakes but he runs falken azenis sport tires (way sticky), he can outstop my TII with ABS and nice pads EASILY.

purple82

I totally disagree. Please don't try to tell me that you think less braking force is better in any way. Your arguement is that your brakes work so much better than a semi and an SUV that it makes your car dangerous? Brakes should stop you as quickly as they can, period. This includes feedback and force.

Just becuase you can stop to avoid an accident but the person behind you can't doesn't mean you should handicap your braking ability. A 911 can stop shorter than an Rx-7 ever could, does that make it more dangerous?

Is the expansion of the stock brake lines a safety feature? No way, the better brake feel and improved ability to modulate them is exactly the reason you want SST braided lines.

cosmicbang

I disagree also. The only time you have too much brakes is when your front/rear bias gets out of whack, in which case you need to change the proportioning valve.

It's not true that just because they were "well engineered" they can't be improved on. The stock brakes on my 94 were also well engineered and i might add much better than the first gens' to begin with. Yet I still upgraded them to Brembos. They actually increase the value of the FD so why wouldn't the same thing be true of the FB? Brakes are a serious safety item and you want the best you can get.

KehoeAutomotive

None of those sites want to scare you off with prices I have noticed.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Well, just for the fun of it, let me respond to the folks who want to spend more money to get "improved" brakes.

Purple 82, I did not mean to imply that less braking force is better, only that having too much can lead to your brakes locking up and other unpredictable behaviors that might result from installing equipment on a car that wasn't designed for it.

There is a broader theme here, for example, I frequently see adds for 1st gens for sale with fancy racing equipment (carbs for example) that are "faster than hell" but, oh yeah, they are hard to start, don't idle and probably need a "tune up" (etc, etc, etc - would you prefer a highly modified, possibly abused 7 that doesn't run to a well-cared for stock one that does?).

So what I am saying as far as the brakes go is that the stock brakes on the GSL were designed for and are completely adequate to provide maximum braking performance for this car under normal and even spirited driving conditions.

I suspect that the 911 stops faster than the stock 1st gen RX-7 because of a combination of factors, including weight, suspension, tires, maybe ABS, all designed to work optimally with a braking system that was designed specifically for this vehicle (for about ten times more money).

The expansion of the rubber brake lines might seem to be a negative with respect to brake performance, I certainly would have guessed this, however you might ask: Why didn't the Mazda engineers (and nearly all other manufacturers to date, as far as I know) install ss lines on stock cars, afterall they seem to be no more expensive than rubber lines.

I got the answer when I put in my new lines: it significanly changes the behavior of the brakes and makes it much easier to lock up your tires if you are not careful. I like the feel and have adjusted to the tight pedal, but I must say the rubber lines are more predictable and give a more proportionate feel to the foot pressure applied.

While I've relearned how to use my new brakes (I think), now I have to worry about other people using the car and getting caught off guard by unexpected wheel lock up.

Now Cosmicbang, I agree that their are more aggressive braking systems out there, if you've got the money and want to spend it. Just look at the ones on the RX-8, or the stock 3rd gen brakes, as you mention.

However these systems were designed for cars that weigh half again as much as the 1st gen 7 (partly because the brakes weigh more) and have more than twice as much horsepower than even a significantly modified 12A. (Notice that I leave out the 13B in the GSL-SE - with the increased HP and weight of this vehicle, the Mazda engineers installed somewhat more agreesive brakes).

Concerning value of the vehicle, in my opinion at least, with the 1st gen RX-7s attaining "classic car" status (20 years old or older), the value of a stock vehicle has increased significantly. When my 84 GSL was rearended, I convinced the other guy's insurance company that the 84's original condition and status as a "classic car" (even though it was only 19 at the time of the accident) created extra value beyond the $2,100 Blue Book price - I asked for and they gave me $3,800 for the car, which was not totaled and which I was allowed to keep.

Finally, as KehoeAutomotive points out, these brake "upgrades" ain't cheap. I couldn't find any prices on the websties listed above either, but I'll venture a guess: about $2,000 or more? (I spent about $250 for pads, hardware and a complete set of ss lines to redo my stock brakes). This could be a significant consideration for those, like me, who are on a budget, especially if no real performance upgrade is gained.

So, why do I babble on about stuff like this? Because, for me at least, this kind of dialogue is educational and, more often than not, because of the feedback of others (especially when I'm wrong) gives me a better understanding and appreciation of my car. More often than not, my "opinions" are changed by different points of view, such as those offered by purple82 and cosmicbang, although I still don't plan on installing 3rd gen brakes on my GSLs in the near future!

Ray

Rx7carl

Remember, its the TIRES that accelerate and decelerate the car. Huge brakes with hard no stick/skinny tires is a waste.

BadAssRX-7

SEARCH i have posted the companys and there emails to me about the big brake kits... and yes NOBODY lists a price... select maz i think is about 1100aus$ and i know the front only 4 piston big kit i was looking at was 1000 us

BadAssRX-7

and i think the main reason alot of people are looking for a brake upgrade ...more than ss. lines and padsis that they are makeing lots more power. Like with my car im aiming for the 350 on the ground area so i should beable to get to warp speed pretty fast but i also want to stop.....

ray green

iTrader: (14)

I agree completely, if you're motor has 350 HP (or even 250) you upgrade the brakes, tires and a lot of other stuff!