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Thread: Fixed piston caliper with (some) OEM rotor kits/combos?

  1. #1
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    Fixed piston caliper with (some) OEM rotor kits/combos?

    I really miss the feel and consistency of my old Stoptechs. I got rid of them and switched back to stock brakes because replacement rotor costs got insane (~$350 each). The thermal capacity of the stock rotors is fine. I ideally i'd run cheap stock rotors with some sort of fixed caliper like a Wilwood superlite.

    The only option i see for a kit like this is UUC's kit which uses Wilwood Superlites with E46 330 rotors. Seems pretty perfect. Does anyone know of any other options?
    http://store.uucmotorwerks.com/super...-mz3-p473.aspx

  2. #2
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    Here's another that uses the stock E36 M3 rotor:
    http://www.offcamberautosport.com/cu...brake-kit.html

  3. #3
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    The rallyroad.net guys sell brackets to mount Porsche/brembo calipers (can find used pretty easily for <$400/set), and use E46 M3 rotors, which are pretty cheap.
    That said, that wilwood set from offcamberautosport looks interesting, and very reasonable price. But what about the rear?

    Watch your brake bias if you upgrade front only. Going to a 4 piston up front only can moves bias to the rear. On my E36 M3 I run the Porsche/brembo calipers up front, and OEM rear, and I have far too much rear bias. I'm going to attempt fixing that with a proportioning valve.

  4. #4
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    Hopefully if the correct Wilwood caliper is selected, the piston area should be the same/similar to stock so it won't disrupt the bias. With the Porsche setup, you're not getting the proper piston area.

    Wilwood has a reasonable radial mount 6 piston superlite with 13" floating rotor kit for $1675. Their rotors are only $210 a pop.
    http://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKi...temno=140-8797

  5. #5
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    Also, I think Massive Lee sells a setup to use brackets to mount Wilwoods to the E36 m3, and use either stock or E46 M3 rotors. And yea, you can select piston diameter with the Wilwoods. I honestly wish I'd gone with this setup at all 4 corners.

  6. #6
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    Aeronaut -- over the winter I changed my E36 track car from stock bias (68/32) to rear bias (64/36). I won't get to test it until April. What happens when an E36 has too much rear bias? And does adjusting the front-to-rear chassis angle compensate?
    If God meant for man to motor-swap LS engines into track cars, He wouldn't have created Corvettes.

  7. #7
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    With only a few percent change, you're probably fine, and maybe even better than stock if you have stiffer springs. I did the math on mine at one point but I can't remember what that comes out to on mine. That said, in short, the rear ABS is working FAR too often on my car. It kicks in around 2/3rd's of total braking capability. In other words, anytime I'm braking more than about ~66% of threshold (seat of pants estimate), my rear ABS is modulating the rear brakes, not me. It's very obvious in the wet, you'd be surprised to feel the abs kicking in when it does. Less obvious in dry with R-comps, but then it just cycles my ABS pump so much I've burned out 2 ABS pumps in 1 year (both on the rear circuit, which is what really made me realize my setup is way off).

    Spring rates make a difference, as does static weight bias. I've removed the easy stuff from my car which removes rear weight but not much front weight. It's easy to remove 200lbs from the rear half of the car. My car probably has f/r static weight of 51/49 or maybe even 52/48.

    It all stacks up.

    Changing f/r angle would help, but as you know, that has real impact on handling also.
    Last edited by aeronaut; 02-22-2018 at 10:02 AM.

  8. #8
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    Odd, I've had no issues running the rallyroad setup in my STR M3 with the smaller E46 rotors for autocross (2 years now). Stoptech street performance front pads, stock rear pads. Definitely have to stomp on *hard* for ABS.

  9. #9
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    Thanks. I didn't even know the E36 ABS was independently controlled for front and rear. I got the bias change because I'm trying the E46 330i front/325i rear gimmick. If it doesn't work, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Aftermarket brakes are really expensive, and I still need to tilt the budget to safety equipment and track time.
    Last edited by JBasham; 02-23-2018 at 01:27 PM.
    If God meant for man to motor-swap LS engines into track cars, He wouldn't have created Corvettes.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crustashio View Post
    Odd, I've had no issues running the rallyroad setup in my STR M3 with the smaller E46 rotors for autocross (2 years now). Stoptech street performance front pads, stock rear pads. Definitely have to stomp on *hard* for ABS.
    Autocross, streetpads, (and spring rates, and f/r weight bias) all makes a big difference. FYI, riding in my car (as is) in the dry after brakes and tires are warm, you wouldn't notice my problem unless I told you what to look for.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by JBasham View Post
    Thanks. I didn't even know the E36 ABS was independently controlled for front and rear. I got the bias change because I'm trying the E46 330i front/325i rear gimmick. If it doesn't work, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Aftermarket brakes are really expensive, and I still need to tilt the budget to safety equipment and track time.
    What's your goal? The stock E36 brakes are pretty capable. EG NASA Spec 3 cars run OEM calipers (admittedly in lightened cars).

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