Fieroguru Performance reopened on March 13th, 2016
After the successful launch of my 13” brake kit and feedback from potential customers about additional weight, 17” wheel requirements, and price, I decided to offer this 12” C4 brake kit to give potential customers more options.
Credit must first be given to Fiero Addiction as he came up with the original C4 12” kit that used a dog bone style mount to avoid caliper to upper a-arm interference issues. Unfortunately, Fiero Addiction closed up shop and left the Fiero market several years ago.
Like my 13” kit, I took a clean sheet approach and designed the bracket as I though it should be. As part of the design process I added material around the countersunk bolt holes and the caliper side geometry of the bracket is the same as my 13” kit. As a result of this redesign, my bracket for this 12” C4 kit doesn’t match any caliper bracket ever marketed. So while the concept of this brake upgrade is nothing new, the caliper bracket I designed certainly is.
Some of the key benefits of this kit are: • Use of stock calipers, brake hoses and parking brake cables keeps cost to a minimum. • Stock brake bias and parking brake function retained. • 15% increase in brake rotor diameter for improved visual impact behind 16+” wheels. • 21% increase in brake system mechanical advantage due to caliper being further from wheel center. • 12% increase in rotor surface area to increase heat dissipation and reduce potential for brake fade. • Available in Drilled/Slotted w/Zinc coating to minimize additional weight and improve appearance. • No interference issues between the caliper and the upper a-arm.
The downsides of this kit are: • Interference between the nose of the lower a-arm and the backside of the rotor - how to clearance the lower a-arm is shown in the instructions (as well as below). • Not recommended for use with Lowering ball joints - lowering ball joints will significantly increase the rotor/a-arm interference. • Weight – this kit will add about 3 lbs per wheel over the stock 88 rotor. • Wheel requirement – this kit requires 16+ wheels
The Kit consists of the following parts (shipped in 2 boxes): • 4 - 12” rotors drilled to the 5x100mm pattern • 4 – steel caliper brackets to relocate the stock brake calipers, painted semi-gloss black • 4 – plastic expandable concentric rings • 8 - grade 10.9 M12 bolts • 1 – set of detailed instructions with pictures
Pricing Summary: All prices shipped for US and Canadian addresses unless noted.
Hardware Kit only – Front:.....................$100 Front Only w/ plain rotors:.....................$200 (+$35 shipping surcharge to Canada) Front Only w/ Drilled/Slotted/Zinc Rotors:$225 (+$35 to Canada) Hardware Kit Only – full car:...................$200 Full Kit with Plain Rotors:.......................$400 (+$70 to Canada) Full Kit with Drilled/Slotted/Zinc Rotors:....$450 (+$70 to Canada)
I will also supply just the rotors drilled to the 5x100 pattern (slight upcharge for other custom patterns) Rotors - 4 Drilled/Slotted/Zinc Rotors .....$265 (+70 to Canada)
*** NOTE: My rotor supplier changes patterns rather frequently, so I can’t guarantee the exact drilled/slotted pattern you will receive unless I have rotors in stock. I will guarantee that all 4 rotors in your kit will be a matched set.
Inventory: The initial launch purchase was for 30 brackets and rings (in stock now). As the initial batch is depleted, I will start ordering them in quantities of 100 each and try to never have fewer than 5 full hardware kits in stock and ready to ship.
Rotors will not normally be stocked. They will be ordered as payment is received for the brake kit. It normally takes 2-4 days for the rotors to arrive and 1 day turn around for the drilling and packaging.
Payment: Payment in full is due at time of order. Your rotors will be ordered the same day and your kit should ship about 5-7 business days from time of order. Payment can be via paypal, postal money order, check (shipment delayed for clearance), or cash. If interested in ordering, please PM me for details.
Here are a few pics to show the change in visual impact of this rotor kit.
Stock size rotor setup:
Caliper bracket, concentric ring, and rotor installed:
• Wheel requirement – this kit requires 16+ Wheels
I used the stock '87 crosslace 15" GT wheels front and rear on my '88 Formula during the poor weather season. It just required a slight modification to corner of calipers, a couple mm's and careful wheel weight placement.
Edit, I have original Fieroaddiction brackets, they're slightly different and also rotate the calliper.
[This message has been edited by rourke_87_T-Top (edited 05-20-2014).]
Could you post a photo of the rear caliper with the e-brake cable attached?
My WCF brackets put the e-brake cables at a steep angle and they rub on the bottom of the strut.
Also, how much for front brackets and bolts only? (no rings or rotors)
PM sent
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Originally posted by rourke_87_T-Top:
I used the stock '87 crosslace 15" GT wheels front and rear on my '88 Formula during the poor weather season. It just required a slight modification to corner of calipers, a couple mm's and careful wheel weight placement.
Edit, I have original Fieroaddiction brackets, they're slightly different and also rotate the calliper.
I would rather have fewer sales by not marketing the kit to fit 15" wheels than to have a single kit returned because it didn't fit and the customer wasn't willing to do the mods to "Make it fit".
My brackets were designed to place the edge of the pad very close to the edge of the rotor to maximize braking potential vs. being as tight as possible to the rotor in an attempt to fit smaller wheels.
[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 05-20-2014).]
15's are outdated but some like the look of stock, or they're cheap, lol, so I only mentioned it because it is a very simple slight modification to the outer edge of the calipers, FieroAddiction also stated that it required or suggested 16" or larger. I was curious if your kit may fit with a slight mod, maybe without knowing or intending.
What pad would you recommend be used with this kit?
Brake pads are really a personal preference and depend on how the car is going to be use. Wagner Thermoquiets are quite popular for most daily drivers and greenstuff pads for more performance oriented driving. Once you start road racing, then you want a dedicated race pad.
I have had my 88 the last 150,000 miles on it. It tends to warp rotors. Is that less a problem with this kit since you have a larger surface area that allows for better cooling?
The larger rotors will dissipate more heat at a faster rate and make it much harder for the brakes to reach the point of fading.
Rotors can warp for various reasons and some of them have nothing to do with the rotors. For example, it you have a sticking/dragging caliper you will overheat any rotor to the point of warping it. Automatic cars also tend to warp rotors more than manual transmission cars. After an aggressive stop, the rotor is very, very hot. To stay stopped, the automatic car has to keep some significant pressure applied to the caliper/rotor (to overcome the vehicle push from the torque converter) and the exposed portions of the rotor cool faster than the portion clamped in the caliper. After an aggressive stop, it is important to keep rotating the rotor, even slowly, to help it cool more evenly.
Before you do a brake upgrade it is important to check the current brake hardware to make sure it is performing as it should.
[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 06-07-2014).]
Did you consider 13" C4 brake rotors for the brake conversion?
Ken
I have considered hundreds of rotors for brake kits, but very few have the right rotor thickness to allow reuse of the 88 calipers (about .75" to .81" - the C4 13" rotors are 1.1" BTW) and proper depth to allow room for the needed caliper bracket.
The rotor I use for my 13" brake kit for the 88 is thin enough (20mm) to work with the stock 88 calipers and about 2.5 lbs lighter per rotor than the C4 13" rotor.
Purchased a set of these a while back (hardware only) and have yet to install. Looking at the pictures I am not sure I ever received the countersunk bolts (I will have to check though, its been awhile). Should they have been included with the brackets?
Purchased a set of these a while back (hardware only) and have yet to install. Looking at the pictures I am not sure I ever received the countersunk bolts (I will have to check though, its been awhile). Should they have been included with the brackets?
All my kits ship with the brackets, rings, bolts and instructions, but other people have sold a similar version of this kit before and only supplied the steel brackets (no rings or bolts). So I guess it depends on who you purchased them from on whether the bolts (and concentric rings) should have been included.
If you purchased the kit from me, I will gladly send the parts that were not shipped, but I am pretty sure you didn't buy the hardware kit from me (I have only sold one hardware kit to a Canadian customer since I started offering this kit in May).
If you purchased the kit from someone else, I can sell you whatever parts you are missing (+ my instruction sheet).
All my kits ship with the brackets, rings, bolts and instructions, but other people have sold a similar version of this kit before and only supplied the steel brackets (no rings or bolts). So I guess it depends on who you purchased them from on whether the bolts (and concentric rings) should have been included.
If you purchased the kit from me, I will gladly send the parts that were not shipped, but I am pretty sure you didn't buy the hardware kit from me (I have only sold one hardware kit to a Canadian customer since I started offering this kit in May).
If you purchased the kit from someone else, I can sell you whatever parts you are missing (+ my instruction sheet).
That is most likely the case.. Ive had these for a few years. If the bolts and rings are useable, lets chat over PM.
I've got 1 1/2" 'lowering spindles' on the front of my '88 GT that I purchased from Ryane Motorsports (nee Held Motorsports). They are not lowering ball joints. Do you have a sense if there would be the same clearance issues with the rotor/control arm as with the lowering ball joints? It seems, if I am seeing it properly, that it would be similar to the stock ball joint situation since I am employing a stock ball joint.
I've got 1 1/2" 'lowering spindles' on the front of my '88 GT that I purchased from Ryane Motorsports (nee Held Motorsports). They are not lowering ball joints. Do you have a sense if there would be the same clearance issues with the rotor/control arm as with the lowering ball joints? It seems, if I am seeing it properly, that it would be similar to the stock ball joint situation since I am employing a stock ball joint.
Ken
I have never tested a kit with lowering spindles, but do not expect that setup to cause any interference issues (assuming stock lower control arms).
No way to modify the lower a-arm if you have the 1 inch lower ball joints? I ordered these when I was getting all of my suspension parts. Guess I will have a new set to sell soon.
No way to modify the lower a-arm if you have the 1 inch lower ball joints? I ordered these when I was getting all of my suspension parts. Guess I will have a new set to sell soon.
I have never mocked the rotors up with the lowering ball joints to see exactly how much needs to be removed (depends on how low you want the car), but it will be significant and likely will be to the point that the lower ball joint pocket in the lower a-arm will be compromised.
$450 for the full kit? That's a great packaged deal and I'd love this upgrade
Does this not work on the 84-87s? My 86 SE is gonna need brakes soon, and as I'm doing the whole suspension at the momemt, I'd love some fresh brakes too
Originally posted by DKcustoms: $450 for the full kit?
Correct.
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Originally posted by DKcustoms: Does this not work on the 84-87s?
Sorry, it does not. This kit is only for the 88's. The rear rotors, front concentric rings, and all the caliper mounting brackets and bolts would be different for an 84-87 kit (plus you would have to buy the 88 Fiero calipers).
[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 03-05-2016).]
