Brake Improvements

[omegac1]

I just finished installing a supercharger on my Gen 1 (1995) and now the stock brakes ae really scary I have stock 17 " wheels and stock brake components. This is for the street only but with the stock setup I feel like I am not going to stop. I know about Toms 40mm rear brake kit but I think I want better performance than that. Does anyone make a "big brake" kit for the GEN 1 rear that will fit with my stock 17 wheels? Also, can I just improve the rears or do I need to touch the fronts too?

 

[SNKEBIT]

I thinks it's best to upgrade the front also, better balance.

 

[Ron]

Tom's 40mm rear calipers provide great balance. That's the purpose of them in fact. Check out his web site. Lots of good stuff there....

http://40mmbrakes.auto.officelive.com/performance.aspx

 

[Fatboy 18]

Toms 40mm Brakes make a great diffrence and balance the car out really well. I am in the process of fitting a Brake fluid recycle kit (also recommended by Tom) it keeps the fluid cool to avoid brake fade. They developed the system for NASCAR, where they could not get bigger brakes to fit the 15inch wheels due to regulations etc, You can also look at upgrading Brake fluid to higher temp and also Changing pads. Pads also make a massive diffrence. Im currently using EBC Reds, but dont rate them as much as people say! I have heard great reports about Performance Friction brake pads, expensive, but a great track pad that wont die on you But of course the more aggressive the pad the more dust and wear on the rotors Its all a trade off one way or another
You could send an email over to PartsRack and Im sure JonB will take you through the various options and Prices, 2 piece rotors etc.

Keep us posted how you get on

 

[FastZilla]

The StopTech kits are easy to install and work grrrrrrreat!

Kurt is selling a set around 50% of the new price:
http://classifieds.viperclub.org/sh...3&title=stoptech-4-wheel-big-brake-kit&cat=46

 

[moparracing]

The StopTech kits are easy to install and work grrrrrrreat!

agreed, should have come stock!

 

[omegac1]

I heard that Toms 40mm were not available anymore? Anyone ordered any recently and received them?

 

[plumcrazy]

if i was going to waste money on brakes, id do toms.

 

[GTS Warp]

I'm going with Tom's rear brakes.

 

[Mad Max]

GTS Warp,

Please let us know how it goes. I'm considering Tom's Brakes as well!

 

[Fatboy 18]

I have Toms 40mm Brakes on my GTS. I got them 2nd hand from a UK VCA Member who went for bigger wheels and a Big Brake kit.

I got sick to death of putting my foot on the brakes only to have the fronts lock up all the time. After fitting them I went out for a drive with a friend of mine, we were moving along at a fair pace when I went round a slightly blind bend to find a tree had fallen into the road I hit the brakes hard and the car stopped! No Front wheel skid at all I was more worried about my friend rear ending me in his TVR Tuscan

The only issues I am having now is Boiling my Brake fluid at track days which causes brake fade! Not nice. So I am upgrading fluid and fitting the other mods I posted about earlier.

Madmax UK also has the Toms 40mm kit on his car and loves it.

Nothing wrong with the Stoptech kit but its a hell of a lot more monies which I would rather put towards other mods

 

[DrumrBoy]

Boiling my Brake fluid at track days which causes brake fade!

I imagine you are indeed boiling the fluid, which puts air in the system ad requires some pumping to get firmness-of-pedal. Brake fade is actually different, symptom is when you have plenty of brake stiffness but aren't slowing down....generally the result of too-hot pads or mismatched compound for the situation. The only reason for mentioning it is that if you do actually have brake fade, the cooling system may not do it for ya (diffierent higher-temp pads might though).

 

[Fatboy 18]

Thanks for the input DrumrBoy, Yea, I have had the pedal go to the floor a few times Not good when your trying to chase down a friends Ferrari Enzo or coming to the end of an Airfield runway

 

[DrumrBoy]

I figured that's what you were referring to. The cooler is a great idea......also you have likely done some air-cooling hoses into the spindle area for rotor cooling, but if you haven't yet done that it really does make a huge difference....not only in keeping fluid temps down but also less rotor cracking. Don't want to trunk (er, uh "boot") a pals Enzo

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I just finished installing a supercharger on my Gen 1 (1995) and now the stock brakes ae really scary

The truth of the matter is you want to spend more money, isn't it?

 

[Dan Cragin]

You might consider the Stoptech 13 inch 4 wheel kit.

 

[Goatman]

You might consider the Stoptech 13 inch 4 wheel kit.

Dan,
About how much would one of those cost? Is there a need for new knuckles or to cut up the old ones or relocate the park brake?

 

[viper067]

Don't all of the big brake kits require 18" wheels? This can easily add $4k to your project.

 

[FastZilla]

I don't know about "all" big break kits, but the StopTech kit will require 18" wheels - I ran the new 6-spokes 18/19 combo, allows use of latest tires. Also causes your speedo to read 5mph slow. If you keep your eyes peeled you find a good price on a used kit, like TexasTonka has in the classifieds (he might move a bit on the price....). Back when I did mine a new set of 6-spokes was $1600/set of 4, add tires and I was around $3500. The brake kit was around $4k or so.

Crap, when you start adding it up it is expensive but it will completely change the driving experience of the car.

 

[TexasPettey]

If you are staying with 17" rims, get Tom's rear upgrade and stay with it. You'll probably not need any more rear braking than that offers.

If you are going with 18" or larger rims, get the SRT front conversion. It is by far the best option for your money, especially on a non-ABS car. I did a lot of research before centering on that. You won't need to cut off the rear knuckles and you can use stock pads/rotors from SRT front & Gen1 rear. If you want the looks to go with the kit, Tom also has cover plates for the rear calipers in a variety of colors.

 

[ViperJohn]

Before you spend a lot of money on doing a big brake upgrade, I would check the condition/brand of the rotors and pads. If your car has a low dust brake pad on it, the braking is not as good as stock. To me the pedal almost felt as it it had fade when I drove a comparable car to mine with EBC Greens on it. I would also bleed the brakes and get some fresh fluid in there.

The one thing you didn't mention is what speed you are braking from that's making you feel uneasy. it's very possible you just need to adjust to the feeling of slowing down from the even higher speeds the supercharger is allowing you to get now more quickly.

BTW, What part of Baltimore you in? We generally have quite a few events in your area. Feel free to join us at an upcoming as a guest.

 

[omegac1]

Hey there ViperJohn....I am a little South of Glen Burnie...near Ft Meade actually.

I have recently updated pads to HPC street Hawks and new rotors drilled and slotted. I bed the pads but the brakes still do not feel right. One issue is that I dont know how they are supposed to feel. How much travel should be in the brake pedal with engine running? My pedal almost feels the same with engine on or off. My other cars with power brakes pedal almost goes to floor with engine on and hard with engine off. The Viper pedal is pretty much hard with the engine on or off? The car still feels like its not going to stop even from 30mph? I checked the vaccum is good and I get a hiss from the check valve at the booster when I push it so I think vaccum is getting to the booster. Could my power brakes not be working?