Austarion

I want to upgrade the brakes on my starion as cheaply as possible while still getting a good outcome. I've done a search and it looks like Willwood are the way to go but I have a few questions that maybe someone who has already been down this path can answer.

How much are the Willwood calipers and where do you buy them?
The NSX calipers are obviously just from DBA, any idea of price?
What brake master cylinder did you settle on using, how much was it and did you still use the stock starion brake booster?
I presume you are still using the standard rear rotors and calipers?
Does anyone still have the technical diagram for making up the mounting bracket?
Apart from new pads and new brake lines is there anything else that needs to be done?
Does the upgrade make your starion stop a bit better, much better or amazingly better?

I know there's lots of questions here but it will make the project much easier for me if I can follow the path of someone who has already done the mod.

I'll try to answer your questions..

dirty sanchez wrote:How much are the Willwood calipers and where do you buy them?

There are 2 sites that I have bought Wilwood products from. They are http://www.nerace.com and http://www.rpmnet.com. I have not had any problems with either company in sending me products.

For a pair of calipers your roughly looking at $AUS500 all up including shipping and import duties. Compare those 2 sites and see which one is cheaper.

The NSX calipers are obviously just from DBA, any idea of price?

If your using a 16" wheel or larger then you can go for the 298mm NSX disc. For a setup to fit under a 15" wheel you will need to go for the 282mm NSX disc. Send DBA a quick email to get a price.. somewhere in the vicinity of $4-500 for a pair of rotors.

What brake master cylinder did you settle on using, how much was it and did you still use the stock starion brake booster?

Merlin and myself came up with this brake conversion tech file.. it may answer most of your questions.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~cookiemonster/brakes.doc

I presume you are still using the standard rear rotors and calipers?

I am. Wantsom is using 4 pots on the rear with an MR2 front disc.. although there is no provision for a handbrake with this setup.

Does anyone still have the technical diagram for making up the mounting bracket?

See the tech file.

Does the upgrade make your starion stop a bit better, much better or amazingly better?

Amazingly. Although your front/rear brake balance will need some attention.

what about using 3000 gt/gto/stealth rotors and calipers?

NSX rotors have the similar dimensions to Starion ones so you don't need to make brackets etc that are offset (B dimension)

I sent an e-mail off to Wilwood about the calipers and they said that while the Billet Dynalite 4998 Caliper was still available, it has been superseeded by the Forged Billet Dynalite 6814 Caliper.

The difference is that the forged caliper is supposed to be more rigid, unfortunately it's not as nice looking as the old caliper. Both calipers use the same pad and have exactly the same specifications in every respect EXCEPT the overall width of the calliper. The forged caliper is 2mm wider than the old caliper. So after all that, is there a spare 2mm between the alloy wheel spokes and the caliper?

An extra 2mm should not be a problem. Of course it depends on what wheels you are running.

The other option is brakeman calipers.

http://www.thebrakeman.com

These calipers have identical mounting points to the Wilwood calipers and use the same pads. Same size pistons. They do seem more rigid though.. and the do cost more. Wantsom is using Brakeman calipers.

would it be worth the time making 3000 gt disks and calipers fit if i could get them cheap

you'll have to make a few brackets and things to set the caliper back to grip the disc. 3000GT discs have the B dimension of 45mm so your calipers have to go backwards 9~10 mm to suit. May not be worth the trouble but I beleive it has been done before.

I'm nearly ready to order the parts so I promise, only a few more questions.

Roughly how much was the Nissan Patrol master cylinder? And what brake pads did you settle on? How do they perform on the track?

dirty sanchez wrote:Roughly how much was the Nissan Patrol master cylinder?

Send Merlin a PM.. he is using the Nissan Patrol master cylinder. Im using Wilwood M/C's.

And what brake pads did you settle on? How do they perform on the track?

Im using Brakeman No.3 compound.
http://www.thebrakeman.com/compound_3
And the car is still yet to be driven on the track... 26th July will be the 1st outing. However I have driven the car on the road last year with the wilwoods and these pads and all signs seem to be positive.

What pads are you using for the rear brakes?

Metals of some sort.. I don't know what brand.

is there CAD files for the bracket design?

iXNAY wrote:is there CAD files for the bracket design?

Have you have a look here?
http://www.austarion.com/tech/brakeconversion.pdf

TOMSUN wrote:

iXNAY wrote:is there CAD files for the bracket design?

Have you have a look here?
http://www.austarion.com/tech/brakeconversion.pdf

yeah looked there was just wondering if anyone ever made a CAD file for the bracket