Brake upgrade advice
10-27-06, 12:22 AM
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Brake upgrade advice
I'm looking to upgrade my non-optimal 1 pot caliper, non-vented rotors, etc. in my 89 GTU to the 4 pot calipers and vented rotors found in the GTUs, GXL, Turbo II. Does anyone have any experience with this and know what parts I will need (aside from the rotors and calipers) and/or what difficulties I may have to go through? Appreciate the help!
10-27-06, 09:40 AM
#3
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You need: Loaded 4 piston calipers (w/pads + hardware), vented rear rotors, rear calipers and brackets (you can re-use the stock pads and hardware). If you've got brake lines in good condition you can re-use them, if not I'd buy new ones.
The single piston front brake lines do fit the 4 pot calipers, but you have to not use the hardline that goes from the caliper to the strut.
For anything but very hard track driving the 5 lug single piston fronts w/non-vented rear brakes work fine. I've used them at the track a few times now without issues. Only when I went to a track that's harder on brakes and I was much harder on the car did I manage to get the rears to fade, and even then I could go all day before needing to bleed them.
The single piston front brake lines do fit the 4 pot calipers, but you have to not use the hardline that goes from the caliper to the strut.
For anything but very hard track driving the 5 lug single piston fronts w/non-vented rear brakes work fine. I've used them at the track a few times now without issues. Only when I went to a track that's harder on brakes and I was much harder on the car did I manage to get the rears to fade, and even then I could go all day before needing to bleed them.
10-27-06, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by My5ABaby
Search for something along the lines of "4 piston swap", "caliper swap"... etc...
Sigh.
Sigh.
Took your advice and found some stuff. Sorry, I'm new here and I was looking in the Suspension/Wheels/Brakes section without much success.
10-27-06, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Black91n/a
You need: Loaded 4 piston calipers (w/pads + hardware), vented rear rotors, rear calipers and brackets (you can re-use the stock pads and hardware). If you've got brake lines in good condition you can re-use them, if not I'd buy new ones.
The single piston front brake lines do fit the 4 pot calipers, but you have to not use the hardline that goes from the caliper to the strut.
For anything but very hard track driving the 5 lug single piston fronts w/non-vented rear brakes work fine. I've used them at the track a few times now without issues. Only when I went to a track that's harder on brakes and I was much harder on the car did I manage to get the rears to fade, and even then I could go all day before needing to bleed them.
The single piston front brake lines do fit the 4 pot calipers, but you have to not use the hardline that goes from the caliper to the strut.
For anything but very hard track driving the 5 lug single piston fronts w/non-vented rear brakes work fine. I've used them at the track a few times now without issues. Only when I went to a track that's harder on brakes and I was much harder on the car did I manage to get the rears to fade, and even then I could go all day before needing to bleed them.
Agreed. But I have an 88 GXL which I'm looking to sell now and I like the harder bite of the 4 pots. Plus, the smaller rotors on the 89 and non-vented rears heat up pretty fast and since I wanted to upgrade the rotors, I thought I might as well put the 4 pots on as well.
10-27-06, 01:45 PM
#7
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I like the feel of the 4 pots too, but the main reason I upraded to them was to get the vented rears. Ironically it was the rears that I didn't get in time for the last track day I did. They arrived about a week later.
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10-27-06, 02:01 PM
#8
Originally Posted by Black91n/a
I like the feel of the 4 pots too, but the main reason I upraded to them was to get the vented rears. Ironically it was the rears that I didn't get in time for the last track day I did. They arrived about a week later.
10-27-06, 02:31 PM
#9
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Tell that to the soft pedal caused by fade in the rear!!
I managed to get the rears to fade, not terrible, I lasted all day before I had to bleed them, but there was a bunch of bubbles in the fluid, in the rear ONLY, and that's using very clean, fresh Ford DOT 3 fluid (550 degree F boiling point), using hardish street tires, so not approaching race car levels of braking.
I managed to get the rears to fade, not terrible, I lasted all day before I had to bleed them, but there was a bunch of bubbles in the fluid, in the rear ONLY, and that's using very clean, fresh Ford DOT 3 fluid (550 degree F boiling point), using hardish street tires, so not approaching race car levels of braking.
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