Has anybody tried the 13" brake upgrade from Fieroaddiction yet?

'84-'87 13" Wilwood caliper kit


http://www.fieroaddiction.c...th=3_4&products_id=8

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or:

'88 13" Wilwood caliper kit


http://www.fieroaddiction.c...h=3_5&products_id=62

I found these browsing the internets .
They seem to be one of the cheaper non-DIY 13" brake solutions I found so far.

Or did anybody use WIlwood calipers on a DIY kit?

What are they like? Driving impressions?

I've been eyeing up that exact kit for the last few months. I'm still stuck between that kit or the Held kit..... http://www.heldmotorsports....ero/KitCarBrakes.htm
The first step for me would be to get the calipers powdercoated orange.
Dave

There is a big difference in price between both set ups.

Folks:

Then there is this warning for the Wilwood components, "Some parts of this kit are intended for racing use only and may not be suitable or approved for use on street driven vehicles."

I think it has to do with the lack of caliper piston dust sheals to keep out dirt and water.

Regards,

David

Dust shields are not crucial for the car's safety. I think some parts are not DOT approved and that disclaimer has to be said. My seat belts in my Fiero are the five point racing harness and are not DOT approved, but are fine for the track.
Dave

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/067573.html

As a side note, I have met Jon (Rockcrawl)many times at MAFOA techdays/picnics and stuff, and have seen some of his work. Very high quality, and just an all around good guy. If it were me, I'd buy any one of his kits in a second personally. Just my .02

Matt

I just ordered the rears from fieroAddiction. Only set in stock.Will post experiences as they occur.

I installed his 12 inch brake kit. They work so well. I can't imagine how well the 13s work. He is a great guy. I had one problem and he went out of his way to help me with it. I recommend the brake kits. Also everything else he sells is just as good ( quality ).

Ryan

I received 2 days ago the first out of 3 boxes from Jon.

It contained the adapters, hoses, pads, bolts very good quality all of them.

The incoming week I will receive the calipers and the third package will be the optional spot calipers for the handbrake and hubs.

I will let you know immediately once I install them but I am sure it will be the best kit around...better than the corvette big brakes .

I got the 3800 SII S/C.

[This message has been edited by Kostarossa (edited 06-13-2008).]

I think I finally found my next brake kit

quote Originally posted by Alex4mula: I think I finally found my next brake kit

You're welcome.

I originally thought this kit was well known about in the Fiero community.

I've been looking at this one, but still unsure if it would fit by 17x7.5" wheels. The quality is excellent though.

Hello everybody,

sorry for not posting earlier but I was enjoying driving my Fiero without anxiety this time because I finally have a car that has excellent brakes.

I received the entire kit from Jon at FieroAddiction.com and installed it with no problems at all.

The brackets and all other parts are high quality parts and I am confident that they wont break or crack when braking hard.

The design of the kit is sophisticated and not complicated making it easy to install. Once installed it looks like factory install. No mambo jumbo design that makes you wonder that maybe one day something will jam.

No problem with steering when steering full left or full right. It utilizes the original brackets and it stops the steering rack where it used to stop.

From the first moment I installed them, the brakes were very responsive. After 500km they respond a lot better than the corvette brakes I had before and build my self using instructions from here: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/063914.html

Here some photos:







I recommend these brakes to anyone who has a 3800 S/C SII or similar.

what size rim are you running is that a 17 or 18?

its 17.

no I didn't bother trying to find part numbers as Jon sells them at the same price you will get them at the auto shop. $120 each if I remember correctly.

Kostarossa -

You have a PM

Nice price! I'll be getting these when I get back from iraq, save up the money for the firebird swap, then save up the money for the archie rockers, fastback conversion and front bumper swap, new paint job.... and thats it. after all that, I'll do this upgrade. Wow my wife would kill me if she knew how much I planned on spending over the next couple of years.

Kostarossa, thank you much for posting these pics. (and the thread, I'll click on that next.)

How do you like them so far?
How long did the install take you?
What size are your rims? (both size & with) edit: found 17" height. (what's the with & offset?)
Are you using the '87, or '88 kit?
Can you change the pads with the rims still on? (I heard that's a great benefit on Wilwoods, if there is enough clearance.)

How did pedal feel change? Brake bias?
How's the e-brake feel?

edit: Nvm. Thought that link was to a build-thread.

[This message has been edited by Austrian Import (edited 07-23-2008).]

its my pleasure...I will post you tube video also to see how fast it brakes.

my wheels are 17x8 (sorry Sphynx) according to the rim shop I got them from. They are very light wheels. I have Toyos and they are 235 front and rear. I will change the fronts to 215 soon.


no comparison with the stock and the corvette ones I had before. There is no need to have Hulks right leg in order to apply the brakes. I haven't taken the car to 120mph but I will and will post some videos.

It took me about 2 weeks to install them working 1 hour a day. I was lazy because of the heat. Also I am not a professional. A professional can do it in 5 hours I would say as there is no need to make any major modifications. The only thing you grind are the brackets of the front calipers. No need to drill holes. All holes in the brackets align with the caliper precisely as Jon did a good work here.

I didn't try to change the pads with the rims on but from what I see it is easy to remove the pads by just removing a clip and take the pads out. No need to remove the caliper like in the stocks.

The e-brake lever engages quickly (I will post photo) and it does click at all. I got a brand new lever and new cables btw.


But what I am saying...the video will show everything. I will take the car for a run on weekend and I will upload.

PS: I got the 87 kit.

with the 17's any clearance issues or close? Just hate to buy a kit then it not work with my 17's

It's very informative of you to share your experience. Thank you. Further, do you know the weight of just the rotors?

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'88 Formula V6
'88 GT TPI V8

quote Originally posted by Kostarossa: my wheels are 17x8 (sorry Sphynx) according to the rim shop I got them from. They are very light wheels. I have Toyos and they are 235 front and rear. I will change the fronts to 215 soon.

I'm curious.. Why are you changing the fronts to 215's? What do/don't you like about having 235's all around?

What's the second number? (tire height) for the tires you have (want to get)?

Can't wait for the video.

I finally got the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NIzAJW9v6k

I am not accelerating very hard but I got a good grip on the brakes as you can see. Have in mind the the speedo needle is not responding in real time therefore my actual speed while decelerating can be a lot less.

BTW the weight of each rotor is 7.5kg.

The problem with the 235/45/17 in the front is the bumpy roads here in Greece. I have to avoid the bumps all the time. I believe with 215 in front the car will be a lot more comfortable.

Thank you for the video.
When you got the wheels to chirp, which wheel chirped first?

Which brake compound did you buy? Does it work ok when cold?

Does the set you bought have "Dynalite" calipers? Fieroaddiction's website claims to use "Dynalite".
When I called Wilwood, they said that "Dynalite" doesn't use the whole rotor. (about the equivalent of using regular Fiero rotors and just pushing them outwards, just not as extreme. )
"Dynalite" are only rated up to a 12.1" rotor. They have 1.38" pistons.

Wilwood actually suggested using "Superlite" as the correct application for a 13" Corvette rotor. They're $41 more expensive than the "Dynalite"s. (not a big difference) They would match with the same 1.38" pistons.

Of course to make this more fun, the "Dynalite" and "Superlite" use a different bolt pattern.

Do these match with the Fiero master cylinder volume? I tried looking at the math, but now my head is spinning. Would there be another master cylinder that bolts up that fits better math wise?

Now I'm so confused.

I think the first ones locked first.

I dont know how they perform on cold weather but I will know in 6 months from now.

Now regarding the rest of the questions I really don't know the answers. It must be dynalites and even if they dont utilize the entire rotor the results are fine for me.

The car finally stops. Before I had to be a prophet and brake before the car in front of me brakes. Now I can take a nap or have a coffee and then brake. plenty of time to stop the car.

quote Originally posted by Kostarossa: The car finally stops. Before I had to be a prophet and brake before the car in front of me brakes.

lol. That's how I feel about stock Fiero brakes. (granted, mine probably need some work done but still.. )

[This message has been edited by Austrian Import (edited 08-07-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Kostarossa: I finally got the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NIzAJW9v6k I am not accelerating very hard but I got a good grip on the brakes as you can see. Have in mind the the speedo needle is not responding in real time therefore my actual speed while decelerating can be a lot less. BTW the weight of each rotor is 7.5kg. The problem with the 235/45/17 in the front is the bumpy roads here in Greece. I have to avoid the bumps all the time. I believe with 215 in front the car will be a lot more comfortable.

Nice! Is that speedo in KMH or MPH? Seems to ge so quickly from 40-60& 60-80.

That speedo is in MPH. If you look closely at the video you can see that it only goes to 120 and not 180 like all KPH scales.

next time I will connect autotap to my OQO1 and record the parameters so you will be able to see better the actual speed.

I'll try to answer some of the questions about the kit. Some people have shown some concern about the lack of dust boots on the Wilwood calipers. I have been told that dust boots are not required due to very close manufacturing tollerances combined with stainless steel pistons and hard anodized bores. Furthermore, the Dynalite caliper is probably the most widely used caliper in dirt track racing where they see far more abuse than any street car, and they survive quite well. All that is required to keep them in good condition is to clean off the exposed portion of the pistons before compressing them for pad replacement. If they do develop a leak, repair kits are under $10 per caliper. There is a disclaimer on the calipers that says they are for off-road use only. That same disclaimer is on every product Wilwood sells wether it has dust boots or not.

The Dynalite caliper is recommended by Wilwood for rotors up to 12" diameter. The reason for the limitation is the radius that is formed by the outer edge of the pads and the bridges of the caliper body. The Corvette rotors used with my 13" kits are actually 12.8" diameter, and they do fit inside the caliper with full pad contact. The pads are positioned about 1/16" to 1/8" from the edge of the disc where they are most effective, and they make full contact with the rotor with no overhang. The only compromise is the clearance between the edge of the rotor and the bridge of the caliper, which is quite close and requires the brackets to be designed and manucfactured with precision.

Wheel fitment is a pretty big issue with these kits. The wheel diameter is not the problem, I feel confident saying that any 17" wheel and probably any 16" wheel will have sufficient diameter to clear the caliper, the problem area is the rear face of the wheel spokes. Because the rotor is so thick and the offset so little, along with the caliper being very wide because of the outer pistons, there is little space between the outer face of the caliper and the inner face of the wheel. Wheel offset by definition does not directly affect the clearance here, though in some cases it can, it's more a matter of the design of the spokes. I have tested several different 17 and 18" wheels, and about 50% of them fit without issue. The ones that don't fit could be fitted with a 1/8-1/4" spacer placed between the wheel and rotor to gain enough clearance. You can also gain about 1/16" by grinding the Wilwood name off. If you go to the product page and download the installation instructions, you will also find a fitment diagram that you can use to check against your wheels.

I've never seen the Ryane/Held/HT kit other than a few pictures. I have heard from a few of my customers who have purchased or tried to purchase that kit. I've been told they use a custom made rotor, and the manufacturer of that custom rotor is no longer supplying them. I know at least one guy who got the brackets and was not able to get rotors. The FieroAddiction kits use relatively inexpensive Corvette rotors that are available from any auto parts store. If stock rotors are not sufficient, Wilwood and several other manufacturers make high-performance replacement rotors for the same application.

Kostas, thanks for posting your review of the brake kit.

Jon

FieroAddiction,

Would it be possible to just buy a front brake upgrade? I already have the corvette 12" rotor upgrade on all 4, but I would like to upgrade calipers on the front to the wilwoods. This would be for an '88.

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'88 GT- 257rwhp 319rwft/lbs 12.74@106.2mph 1/4 mile
www.gmtuners.com

FieroAddiction, thank you for the clarification.

Could you touch on why you chose the Dynalite rather than the Superlites?

I agree the "off-road use only" tag is probably mostly to protect Wilwood. Many aftermarket manufacturers use that trick. I don't think it's a concern. (same goes for the lack of the dust boot)

Dynalite


Superlite

[This message has been edited by Austrian Import (edited 08-11-2008).]

I used to have the Held 11.3 inch kit on the front of ltlfrari. The rotors were from DBA (Disk Brakes of Australia) and were quite heavy but seemed to be well made although that nice gold color wears off as soon as you use the brakes!
The calipers were Wilwood Dynalites. The only issue I had (with the kit, not the components) was that the bracket put the outer edge of the brake pad about 1/16 inch outside the rotor which caused the pad to develop a ridge along the outer edge where it was not touching the caliper.
I asked Wilwood about the calipers being ok for road use and the no boot issue and they assured me there were fine for road use. They did rattle a bit though although I believe the calipers now include an anti rattle clip which the ones I had did not.

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Dave

www.ltlfrari.com

quote Originally posted by FieroAddiction: .... the problem area is the rear face of the wheel spokes. Because the rotor is so thick and the offset so little, along with the caliper being very wide because of the outer pistons, there is little space between the outer face of the caliper and the inner face of the wheel. Wheel offset by definition does not directly affect the clearance here, though in some cases it can, it's more a matter of the design of the spokes. I have tested several different 17 and 18" wheels, and about 50% of them fit without issue. The ones that don't fit could be fitted with a 1/8-1/4" spacer placed between the wheel and rotor to gain enough clearance. You can also gain about 1/16" by grinding the Wilwood name off. If you go to the product page and download the installation instructions, you will also find a fitment diagram that you can use to check against your wheels. ... Jon

I think there's an easy measurement for this. How much farther out does the Wilwood go compared to the stock ones? For 88s and for pre 88s? Also at what distance from the center does that happens? That way I can easily measure for my rims. If right now I have a 1/8" clearance and the Wilwood will go out 1/4" further than stock then I have problems. Can you provide that? Thanks.

quote Originally posted by Alex4mula: I think there's an easy measurement for this. How much farther out does the Wilwood go compared to the stock ones? For 88s and for pre 88s? Also at what distance from the center does that happens? That way I can easily measure for my rims. If right now I have a 1/8" clearance and the Wilwood will go out 1/4" further than stock then I have problems. Can you provide that? Thanks.

You should check wilwood.com for caliper dimensions. I don't know where to find the dimensions for corvette rotors though (brembo have an online catalog which is great for this, but last time I checked the vette wasn't in it)?

quote Originally posted by PerKr: You should check wilwood.com for caliper dimensions. I don't know where to find the dimensions for corvette rotors though (brembo have an online catalog which is great for this, but last time I checked the vette wasn't in it)?

Yes but I still think if that measurement is given then you don't even have to take your rim off. Just insert a stick and measure. If good then order the kit

quote Originally posted by AkursedX: FieroAddiction, Would it be possible to just buy a front brake upgrade? I already have the corvette 12" rotor upgrade on all 4, but I would like to upgrade calipers on the front to the wilwoods. This would be for an '88.

Yes, you can buy just the front. The price would be half of the full kit plus 5%. Please contact me through the website if you would like to order half of a kit.

quote Could you touch on why you chose the Dynalite rather than the Superlites?

The reason I chose to use Dyanalites rahter than Superlites is cost. Although my kits are priced fairly, they are probably near the limit of what most Fiero owners are willing to pay for a brake upgrade. The Superlites would add another $200 or so to the total cost which I feel would put it over the top for most of my customers. The other reason is that the Superlites use a different mounting pattern which creates some problems with fitting them to the Fiero knuckles. If someone really wants Superlites on a Fiero and is willing to absorb some of the development costs, I can make it happen. A radial-mount caliper may be required.

quote The only issue I had (with the [HELD] kit, not the components) was that the bracket put the outer edge of the brake pad about 1/16 inch outside the rotor which caused the pad to develop a ridge along the outer edge where it was not touching the caliper. <snip>They did rattle a bit though although I believe the calipers now include an anti rattle clip which the ones I had did not.

My kits do not position the calipers with the pads hanging off the edge, they make full contact. The current Forged Dynalite calipers have stainless steel anti-rattle clips.

quote How much farther out does the Wilwood go compared to the stock ones? For 88s and for pre 88s? Also at what distance from the center does that happens?

The fitment diagram I have posted has all the measurements you need to check your wheel clearance, though it does require you to remove a wheel. I will try to get the difference measurments as suggested and add them to the existing dimensions. I can see how that would make things easier on your end.

Jon

Fieroaddiction,

Do you know if Wilwood has a two-part rotor replacement for the Corvette rotor that you provide? My interest is to reduce unsprung weight. Nice looking parts.

Ken

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'88 Formula V6
'88 GT TPI V8

Wilwood 170-7746 Hat
Wilwood 160-7742/43 Rotor, GT
Wilwood 160-7744/45 Rotor, SRP Drilled and Slotted

The hats would need to be redrilled with the Fiero bolt circle.