3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
Sponsored by:

Front the rear brake conversion?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-20-05, 01:02 AM
  #1  
I'm sorry wha?

Thread Starter
 
Xeros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Front the rear brake conversion?

Has anyone tried setting up a front brake caliper on the rear when up grading to larger racing breaks in front to balance out the rear breaking? I know all about the RZ/RS kit and the only real diffrence in the rear is the much much larger rotor. So has anyone ever thought about doing this or giving it a try?
Old 01-20-05, 01:17 AM
  #2  
Do it right, do it once

iTrader: (30)
 
turbojeff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Eugene, OR, usa
Posts: 4,830
Likes: 0
Received 12 Likes on 8 Posts
Mounting is a typically a problem.

Another problem is the front calipers on the rear don't have a e-brake capability. Street cars need an e-brake.
Old 01-20-05, 11:06 AM
  #3  
I'm sorry wha?

Thread Starter
 
Xeros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I thought about that. I've asked a question like this before so people have simply parked in reverse or 1st gear.
Old 01-20-05, 11:08 AM
  #4  
I'm sorry wha?

Thread Starter
 
Xeros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
So has anyone astually tried anything like this?
Old 01-20-05, 11:16 AM
  #5  
Moderator

iTrader: (7)
 
dgeesaman's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Fort Kickass
Posts: 12,302
Received 16 Likes on 15 Posts
Originally Posted by Xeros
I thought about that. I've asked a question like this before so people have simply parked in reverse or 1st gear.
That might work in a very flat area, but I'd never find it acceptable. It would probably not pass a safety inspection either (although how many inspectors look for it?)

Dave
Old 01-20-05, 11:33 AM
  #6  
Hi....

 
jeremyb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: bay area
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Xeros
I thought about that. I've asked a question like this before so people have simply parked in reverse or 1st gear.
One time I parked my car on my driveway... pulled up my e-brake and put it in first. I went up to my room, 30 minutes later I heard kids playing outside(they hit rocks with bats). So I looked out my window to see if the ******** were near my car and to my surprise my car is halfway onto the street. The car rolled down EVEN in first gear(due to the big slope) about 30 feet. I never slightly pull up the e-brake anymore when I'm on my driveway .

Jeremy
Old 01-20-05, 12:14 PM
  #7  
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary

iTrader: (4)
 
BigIslandSevens's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Denver, NC
Posts: 3,531
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
They will most likely create a unbalanced brake system. And most likely you will be doing loops when you hit the brakes hard. Most big brake kits do NOT include any provisions for the rear other than SS lines and maybe some pads. But for the most part on most cars, the stock rears do a fine job on braking. As the Majority of the braking is done thru the front brakes.

I can't think of anyone on the board or from any tracks that i have been to that has overpowerd the rear brakes in there stock form..( upgraded rotors and pads. powerslot type rotors nothing speacial)

What makes you want to try to put big calipers on the rear? Just a fun project to try?
Old 01-20-05, 12:44 PM
  #8  
RX-7 Bad Ass

iTrader: (55)
 
DaleClark's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pensacola, FL
Posts: 15,399
Received 2,438 Likes on 1,509 Posts
Isn't there larger rear brakes from like the Spirit R or something?

BTW, it's an *emergency* brake, not just a *parking* brake. If you have a catastrophic brake failure, the E-brake can safely slow you down and get you off the road. That's why the E-brake uses a totally separate mechanical system - it's a redundant system.

I would never recommend losing the use of an E-brake on a car that's ever driven on the street. There's a reason it's there.

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to brakes. This is one area where you can have VERY bad consequences if you screw something up.

Dale
Old 01-20-05, 12:58 PM
  #9  
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary

iTrader: (14)
 
moconnor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 4,660
Received 82 Likes on 49 Posts
Originally Posted by DaleClark
BTW, it's an *emergency* brake, not just a *parking* brake.
Where I come from it is called a hand brake. 99% of the time I use my hand brake it is neither an emergency nor am I parking - I use it every time I am stopped at a light.

And using the hand brake in an emergency is very dangerous unless you know what you are doing. It will lock up the rear wheels and most likely send the car into a spin. If it were intended as a redundant braking system, it would have braking capabilites for the front wheels too.
Old 01-20-05, 02:15 PM
  #10  
Senior Member

 
Tripple 7's's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tempe, AZ
Posts: 306
Received 20 Likes on 14 Posts
I just finished helping install 99 spec brakes onto a 93.

99 spec installed parts were both front and rear backing plates, front and rear rotors and calipers, front and rear pads, new ss brake lines but the old and new looked identical.

The fronts were a direct bolt on without any problems, the rear backing plates had to be pressed on requiring removal of the rear bearings "we replaced them" everything else fit perfectly but the bolts on the original rear calipers were too small so we replaced them with longer grade 10 bolts.

The setup worked perfectly and front and rear rotors are an inch larger.
Old 01-20-05, 02:39 PM
  #11  
Rotary Enthusiast

 
John Magnuson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,147
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
If you increase the diameter of your front brake rotor (or the size of the front brake caliper pistons) you will to either increase the rear brake rotor size proportionally or remove your ABS and get a brake proportioning valve.

Otherwise your brakes will not be balanced which leads to inferior braking and possibly an unsettled feel to the car when braking in turns.

I use custom 13" front rotors with Wilwood calipers on the front and RZ brakes on the rear. Works well for me at the track. It's pretty well balanced but could use some fine tuning.

As was stated above you don't have to worry about overheating your rear rotors in most track situations.

Last edited by John Magnuson; 01-20-05 at 02:41 PM.
Old 01-20-05, 04:55 PM
  #12  
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
 
user 9348703's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Posts: 1,545
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There are a few places just to get larger rotor kits, without the caliper of course since your can use the stock caliper. Pretty pricey, but I think I might go that way for the rears in my FD vise putting some caliper kit back there.
Old 01-21-05, 03:16 PM
  #13  
I'm sorry wha?

Thread Starter
 
Xeros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Yeah see, it isnt always just a larger rotar that counts its also how many psitons you have pushing down on that rotar. is it possible to mount the stock rear break on the other side of the rotar an still use it as a hand brake? And it isnt an issue of over heating either but more or less a balance issue once you up grade to huge ones up front. Increasing the rear rotar size and the pistons you would also achieve greater stopping power and shorter stoppings times allowing for later breaking into a corner would it not? I remeber seeing a german car i think it was or was it an acura? With a double caliper setup in the rear...Is this a a just fr fun project? No when it comes to things like this it is a very serious approach on my behlaf to try and increase break power. Becasue as we all know Bad breaks = DEATH! That or shitty track times....
Old 01-21-05, 04:06 PM
  #14  
Lives on the Forum

 
DamonB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Dallas
Posts: 9,617
Likes: 0
Received 8 Likes on 7 Posts
Originally Posted by Xeros
Increasing the rear rotar size and the pistons you would also achieve greater stopping power and shorter stoppings times allowing for later breaking into a corner would it not?
That would not add stopping power in most cases becuase it's the tires stop the car, not the brakes. If the brakes are capable of locking the tires then no change to the brakes is going to make the car stop quicker. Additional pistons do not really add stopping power either, they just clamp the pads more uniformly since they cover a larger area of the pad.

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-archive-112/do-rotors-lines-pads-really-make-big-difference-231994/

Everything about Brakes by Grassroots Motorsports

Last edited by DamonB; 01-21-05 at 04:13 PM.
Old 01-21-05, 04:12 PM
  #15  
Super Snuggles

 
jimlab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Redmond, WA
Posts: 10,091
Received 32 Likes on 17 Posts
Not to mention that the rear brakes only do about 15% of the work of stopping the car.
Old 01-21-05, 06:00 PM
  #16  
I'm sorry wha?

Thread Starter
 
Xeros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Hmmm, alright thats true the tires are what really stop the car. But doesn't adding another piston instead allow that caliper to cover more of the disk which allows it to clamp on to it better and in other word apply more force to the disk more uniforally over the entire area of the disk allowing for a slighlty quicker decrease in speed without locking up the wheels? And yes I read those two posts....very informative...but still than why do people go with larger brembo type breaks? If a good slotted rotar and pad will do the same? Actually i will answe rmy own question becasue the larger rotar allows more area to coool off. But than why more pistons? Wouldn't it make sense to go with more on the rear as well? I mean not same amount but still? I'm no physicist obviously, but I am very very curious about htis now.
Old 01-21-05, 06:13 PM
  #17  
Super Snuggles

 
jimlab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Redmond, WA
Posts: 10,091
Received 32 Likes on 17 Posts
Originally Posted by Xeros
than why do people go with larger brembo type breaks?
You sort of answered this, but the full answer is that people buy big brake kits because the larger/thicker the rotor, the more surface area it has. More surface area means it can dissipate heat more quickly. The more rapidly it can dissipate heat, the better it resists fading, and the quicker you can stop repeatedly from high speeds.

But than why more pistons?
More even clamping pressure for more even wear with longer/larger pads. If you look at the style of brake pads that come with multi-piston calipers, you'll understand.

Wouldn't it make sense to go with more on the rear as well?
No, not really.
Old 01-21-05, 07:21 PM
  #18  
Full Member

 
1RedR1and1RedPEP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: chicago
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Front calipers from an FD wont work in the back. The only way to improve upon the stockers is the 99 rears or the custom stuff I did. Brembos calipers in the rear and an upgraded rotor.
I havea kit for sale still if anybody is interested.
1R1
Old 01-21-05, 07:28 PM
  #19  
Full Member

 
1RedR1and1RedPEP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: chicago
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I did much research in this area and have looked at many calipers, the brembos work as do the Harrop. AP doesnt make an affordable caliper that will fit without major surgery to the rear hub carrier. Wilwoods fit as do Outlaw and a few other less know calipers. But I wanted the AP Champcar rotors that M2 used on their old kits. So,I selected Brembos for the quality and the style factor and that it would work with the AP champcar rotor and it balances out the front BBK kits that are readily available.
1R1
Old 01-21-05, 08:24 PM
  #20  
Super Snuggles

 
jimlab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Redmond, WA
Posts: 10,091
Received 32 Likes on 17 Posts
With or without a parking brake?
Old 01-23-05, 10:22 AM
  #21  
Full Member

 
1RedR1and1RedPEP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: chicago
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
no parking brake, It just cant be done in any reasonable manner.
Old 01-23-05, 10:28 AM
  #22  
Full Member

 
1RedR1and1RedPEP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: chicago
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Jim, I PM'd you on this topic.
1R1
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Frisky Arab
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
13
08-18-15 05:30 PM
Marty RE
New Member RX-7 Technical
0
08-13-15 11:19 AM



Quick Reply: Front the rear brake conversion?



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:54 AM.