BIG Brake Kits Using OEM Calipers

[juliog]

I would hope that people that are considering any front BBK is going to upgrade the rears as well.

Why?

 

[D1JL]

I would hope that people that are considering any front BBK is going to upgrade the rears as well.

This is very true as changing the braking on any axel by itself WILL change the bias and that includes just changing pads.
However many people have added bigger brakes (many kits on many cars) with little ill effects.
I agree that bigger rears are also a very good add.

My car worked terrific when I just had the front big kit on.
I do of course have the SVT Focus rear set now but that bracket is very hard to come by and is very hard to reproduce.
(only time will tell)


Dave

 

[slopoke]

Why?

This kit is going to upset the factory brake bias. Would not use.

You gotta be kidding me. You said not to get the front BBK kit because it would change the factory bias. Upgrading the rears (size) will bring it back close to what the original bias was.

 

[slopoke]

This is very true as changing the braking on any axel by itself WILL change the bias and that includes just changing pads.
However many people have added bigger brakes (many kits on many cars) with little ill effects.
I agree that bigger rears are also a very good add.

My car worked terrific when I just had the front big kit on.
I do of course have the SVT Focus rear set now but that bracket is very hard to come by and is very hard to reproduce.
(only time will tell)


Dave

I have the SVT brackets and SVT rotors in the rear. I've also installed the Wilwood BBK in the front.

 

[D1JL]

I have the SVT brackets and SVT rotors in the rear. I've also installed the Wilwood BBK in the front.

This too is a good combination however, as I said, the SVT brackets are getting harder to find.

We have picked out a OEM production rotor for a BIG rear kit, again using the FiST OEM caliper and will start making a bracket soon.
We will see how things work out.



Dave

 

[slopoke]

This too is a good combination however, as I said, the SVT brackets are hard to find.

Hard to find? The brackets by themselves, yes. But if someone really wanted them, for about 90 bucks more than the usual price of the brackets themselves, including core charges, less shipping. You just have to get the entire caliper/bracket assembly. Those are readily available. I found them on Partsgeek.com for $53.00 plus $61.00 core, per side.

 

[D1JL]

Hard to find? The brackets by themselves, yes. But if someone really wanted them, for about 90 bucks more than the usual price of the brackets themselves, including core charges, less shipping. You just have to get the entire caliper/bracket assembly. Those are readily available. I found them on Partsgeek.com for $53.00 plus $61.00 core, per side.

What if I told you I could make the bias even closer to OE specs with a rear rotor larger than the 280mm SVT.

Yes, the SVT brackets with calipers is a good find however, how long will those last?


Dave

 

[slopoke]

What if I told you I could make the bias even closer to OE specs with a rear rotor larger than the 280mm SVT.

Yes, the SVT brackets with calipers is a good find however, however long will those last?


Dave

That would be awesome! With running 17" rims, the stock setup looked awfully funny. Going to the larger rotors than the 280mm ones would be just the ticket.

 

[D1JL]

That would be awesome! With running 17" rims, the stock setup looked awfully funny. Going to the larger rotors than the 280mm ones would be just the ticket.

It should also fit in a 16" wheel.

If it works, all four wheel BBK could be under $900.00


Dave

 

[juliog]

You gotta be kidding me. You said not to get the front BBK kit because it would change the factory bias. Upgrading the rears (size) will bring it back close to what the original bias was.

Bias wouldn't change significantly with a properly engineered front BBK (for instance, Brembo GT kit).

Stock rears have enough heat capacity for track use after a proper front BBK upgrade.

You should only be upgrading to larger brakes if the stock system doesn't have enough heat capacity for your application.

All these half-assed solutions will net negative results in terms of braking distances and ABS performance. The typical "it brakes better" impressions of people driving on ghetto front BBKs are due to the fronts biting harder *relative* to the rear, relative to what it was before (OEM brake bias), which is a BAD thing if you didn't change anything else in the car (weight distribution, staggered tires, etc..)

 

[D1JL]

I agree, the OEM FiST rear brakes are adequate to dissipate heat under almost any condition and work great with almost any BBK.
However increasing the braking force to the front alone (even just pads) will change the braking bias.
This may not be enough to force you to change the rear brakes, it may just be a matter of personal preference.

As I said before, this kit was not designed to out preform other BBKs, but just to provide similar performance at a greatly reduced price.

As we all know, 70% of braking is done by the front brakes however, today, ABS is a big factor.
If we add more force to just the front this would normally cause the front brakes to lock up quicker but then ABS kicks in releasing the fronts and allowing the rears to work more.
This eliminates the old nose diving effect that we got before ABS.

Remember the "proportioning valve" in the '65 Lincolns, that we then used to convert '65 Mustangs to disk brakes.
Similar adjustable proportioning valves are also still available to set brake bias custom to your liking but mostly not needed with ABS.

I have built many brake systems for many different cars, many before Wilwood or Brembo even existed.
Now 67 with 61 years driving experience, YES, I have been doing this for a while.


The bottom line is that you really don't have to change the rear brakes but it still is not a bad idea.


Dave

 

[OguNinja]

Any word on the kit with slotted rotors?

 

[D1JL]

Any word on the kit with slotted rotors?

They are available, that is what I use.
Please contact Mark at Gold Coast Automotive to place an order or discuss options.


Dave

 

[D1JL]

For those wanting a bigger rear brake option to go with this big front kit.

There is a limited supply of SVT Rear Brackets available.
Additionally you will need Ford Focus SVT 280 mm rear rotors (sold separately) to complete the rear big brakes.
These rear brackets are genuine Ford parts and fit your OEM calipers perfectly.

Rear rotors can also be supplied.
Please contact Mark at Gold Coast Automotive for current price, rotor options and/or further details.



Dave

 

[kivnul]

I just ordered this kit along with the SVT brackets that they have listed on their site. Hopefully I will get it all installed prior to the last AutoX of the season to give it a good workout.

 

[UtahST]

Just ordered a set of rear SVT caliper brackets and rotors. I'll be installing them with StopTech Sport Pads.

Right now my front brakes are stock with the exception of Hawk HPS 5.0 pads so it will be interesting to have the rotors be the same size all around. I'll post up a review once I have the brakes installed.

 

[me32]

Glad to see this finally happening completely

 

[D1JL]

Another option for a bigger rear brake to go with this big front kit is now available.

Gold Coast Automotive now has their 302 mm Rear BBK available.
I have recently been testing this kit and I am very happy with it's performance in combination with the 323 mm front BBK.
The SVT rear brakes were good but this setup is so much better.
Now when applying the brakes, the car just squats and feels so much more stable in the rear.

Please contact Mark at Gold Coast Automotive for current price, rotor options and/or further details.
http://goldcoastautomotive.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-product.cgi?d=gold-coast-automotive&item=81555


Dave

 

[Woods247]

Another option for a bigger rear brake to go with this big front kit is now available.

Gold Coast Automotive now has their 302 mm Rear BBK available.
I have recently been testing this kit and I am very happy with it's performance in combination with the 323 mm front BBK.
The SVT rear brakes were good but this setup is so much better.
Now when applying the brakes, the car just squats and feels so much more stable in the rear.

Please contact Mark at Gold Coast Automotive for current price, rotor options and/or further details.



Dave

I don’t see it. Does the kit still use stock calipers?

 

[slopoke]

http://goldcoastautomotive.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-product.cgi?d=gold-coast-automotive&item=81256