Volvo Upgrade DIY

[RetroBeemer]

I might just see how the 323i OEM valve works first.

I'm running the OEM valve and it works just fine.

[switlikbob]

Look what showed up at my house this afternoon.

[Dr320i]

The stock center to center mounting distance for the E21 brake caliper is 3inches?

[RetroBeemer]

Will the Mini One discs mean I have to re mount the Volvo calipers and will they then fit under 15'' wheels??

[RetroBeemer]

I'm struggling to see what the benefits really are with fitting the Mini One discs? It seems like a lot of work with minimal, if any, real gains.

Has anyone got these on their car now and is the braking much improved?

[Jester323]

I'm struggling to see what the benefits really are with fitting the Mini One discs? It seems like a lot of work with minimal, if any, real gains.

Has anyone got these on their car now and is the braking much improved?

hypothetically, you wouldn't have to slot the mounting holes on the calipers, which would mount the caliper further out from the center of the hub and result in more stopping torque.

[Beemer Tech]

i read through all my resources on the week end and and couldnt find what i was looking for so its down to me drawing a triangulated brake circuit or i will have to ask round for it. it must have been in a book at trade school. pm me if you are interested or dont get it and i will make the effort to get it for you

Ed

[jrcook320]

mini rotor:
Pros: more stopping torque (larger diameter rotor), better heat dissipation due to a larger rotor which means less fade for track use. Less work- no need to slot calipers,

cons: heavier rotor, cumbersome mounting, and need to use centric rings to center the rotor on the hub.

[RetroBeemer]

Do you think they'd fit under 15 inch rims?

[jrcook320]

Yes, they should but you need to check spoke clearance since they will move outward by almost 1". You could simply mount the calipers in that position with no rotors to see if they'll fit.

[RetroBeemer]

Cool - thanks

[Beemer Tech]

hey, i was talking to an old school racer the other day and volvo four spotters came up. apparently instead of running a T in the brake line you can pull the caliper apart and carefully drill the a 3mm hole at the back of two adjacent bores to connect them, then you can just blank the second inlet off. if that makes sense. this is what this bloke has been doing for years.

[jrcook320]

wow, that makes great sense. I'd just verify 3mm is the same diameter as the rest of the internal fluid passages.

[Jmabarone]

mini rotor:
Pros: more stopping torque (larger diameter rotor), better heat dissipation due to a larger rotor which means less fade for track use. Less work- no need to slot calipers,

cons: heavier rotor, cumbersome mounting, and need to use centric rings to center the rotor on the hub.

bumping this to the top after a quick read.

in regards to the Mini rotors, if you are running studs, do you need to run centric rings? if you probably didn't, would it be wise to drill and tap the rotor for a screw to hold the rotor on the hub itself?

[epmedia]

bumping this to the top after a quick read.

in regards to the Mini rotors, if you are running studs, do you need to run centric rings? if you probably didn't, would it be wise to drill and tap the rotor for a screw to hold the rotor on the hub itself?

Simply put:
1) The centrics hold the wheel "on-center"
2) The lug nuts/bolts hold the wheel to the hub

It has to be "centric", drilling and tapping would be cumbersome, and probably "way-off". I'm not a wheel expert, this is just my opinion.

[jrcook320]

I don't know how tight the rotor would fit on the lugs only, and this would really only work if you've done a lug stud conversion.

Hub centric rings would be the best way to ensure the rotor is centered on the hub, and they're cheap at about $25-$35 a set. Do a google search for hub centric rings. Motorsport-Tech is the company that I bought my custom hub centric wheel spacers.

The e21 rotor hub diameter is 63mm (not to be confused with the smaller wheel hub diameter), and the mini cooper rotor hub diameter is 64.1mm. Maybe that's a tall order to get something that thin. The bolt hole size is 15mm for the e21 vs 14.75mm for the mini.

on an interesting note, the mini rotor weighs in at around 12.18lbs compared to 12.25 lbs for the vented e21 rotor.

[FranzE21]

And to answer your other question, yes there is a larger off the shelf rotor that will work. The mini cooper uses a larger 276mm vented rotor (compared to 255mm 323i rotor) that fits but the rotor hat is shorter.

Thanks to J.K.jr.bad. on Jeroen's network (and posted with his permission):

You can run 276mm new mini (2003+) rotors which are 21mm larger than the stock 255mm 323i rotors. The rotor height is 44mm, thickness is 21.9mm, and the hub bore is 64.1mm (compared to 63mm for the e21 hub bore) so you'll have to use hub centric spacer rings to center the rotor on the hub. You may also want to drill the rotor for the hold down bolt.

I have a question. Is it beneficial to have the inside of the rotor hub machined so that the spacer is more than 1.1mm thick? That doesn't sound particularly strong. 2-2.5mm maybe but 1.1mm. I am looking at a front and back disk brake setup currently and this mini rotor setup with volvo girlings sounds mint, but that spacer thickness worries me. Good to hear you don't have to slot the rotors for this setup though, that would be hell to pass the uninformed police who patrol Australia looking for people to pick on.

Cheers potential replier.

[Jester323]

Simply put: ...
... I'm not a wheel expert, this is just my opinion.

You always seem to have one... :P

[pastaroni34]

The e21 rotor hub diameter is 63mm (not to be confused with the smaller wheel hub diameter), and the mini cooper rotor hub diameter is 64.1mm. Maybe that's a tall order to get something that thin.

Should be no problem to machine. The ones I make for Fiats are 58mm ID 58.5mm OD.

Some manufacturers center rotors on the large OD of the wheel hub and the ID of the rotor hat. Not sure if that is a possibility in this case.

[jrcook320]

cool, thanks Jason. For future reference, how much would you want for a set of 4 rings, 63mm x 64.1mm? I have no immediate plans for them, just curious.

[EFreak]

You always seem to have one... :P

That's what forums are FOR!

cool, thanks Jason. For future reference, how much would you want for a set of 4 rings, 63mm x 64.1mm? I have no immediate plans for them, just curious.

I would be interested in 1-2 pairs as well depending on price, I found some SS tube I was going to shrink on the hub but this would be WAY easier.

[switlikbob]

I have my e12 master cylinder installed and a second set of hard lines ready to be installed (waiting for dual hard line mounting clips to be shipped). I have a question:


Someone Please answer this for me...

Does anyone see a problem with me running braided stainless lines directly from the hard line coming into the wheel well to the caliper?
____________________________
____________________________

Some pictures of the e12 MC, the lines connected up and one of the clips installed...

[Jester323]

I'm having Jason mill up a set of centering rings (needed to run the larger Mini rotor, and not available commercially) for me. While he is has it setup, he will make up a few extra sets. Cost will be approximately $30/pair shipped in the US. Please let me know if anyone is interested.

[switlikbob]

Jester...look at my pics above...those are the speed shop dual hard line mounts I was telling you about. You have to supply your own washer though.

[Been]

Jester, I'm interested in a pair of centering rings. Email sent too.