Brakes

Post Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:34 pm

Which would you good people recommend ,wms or willwood both are probably equal in quality so what I'm after is the best fit .
I have 16" staggerd alpinas and looking only for the front brakes to be changed,willwood have a 310mm brake kit (over kill)does anybody no if they'd fit straight on?
Would I need to change the brake servo ! Hoping I don't need to as these kits with fitting etc probably gets close to 1k .

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:07 am

You won't get 310mm discs inside a 16" rim.

Keri-WMS pretty much wrote the Brake Upgrade page in the Wiki, so it's well worth consulting him regarding your braking needs.

As for the servo - it doesn't do what you think it does. The servo just makes your pedal move easier - it doesn't increase the braking force. For that, you need bigger master cylinders.

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... s#Upgrades

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 8:00 am

When I gave the wheel size the 310 mm set came up,so would having the original master cylinder mean it would be a waste of time?having a quick read through the wicki on the brake upgrade it mentions the Clio break servo as the best option,thought it might be suggesting to change it for good measure.
I've given wms a pm so hopeful he gets back today as my pad lights have been on for a few weeks so need to do asap

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 8:59 am

You didn't read the Wiki properly.

The SERVO is only changed when you're doing an engine swap, because bigger engines don't leave any room for the existing servo. A servo will not change the strength of your braking in any way whatsoever - it just makes the pedal easier to move.

The MASTER CYLINDER is the big piston/syringe that squirts the hydraulic fluid into your brakes. If you have bigger cylinders in your caliper, then more fluid needs to compress and a bigger master cylinder is needed. The standard one should be good enough, but the only guarantee is to ask the manufacturer of the brakes you want.

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:03 am

The disc would go under the wheel but getting a caliper over it might prove difficult, I have 312mm discs and sliding calipers under my Hartge 16" wheels, just about,,,,
The problem with wilwoods is they are a standard piston size, so its likely you will have to change your master cylinder to get the ratios correct.
The WMS are designed to work with the E30 master cylinder, so you dont need to change anything else apart from the brakes

The WMS 300mm kit sounds perfect for what you need

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:08 am

I did read it properly just probably don't have the same invaluable knowledge around a car as you which is why I asked a question

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:11 am

Best you bone up on this page too then:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... Components

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:12 am

DanThe wrote:The disc would go under the wheel but getting a caliper over it might prove difficult, I have 312mm discs and sliding calipers under my Hartge 16" wheels, just about,,,,
The problem with wilwoods is they are a standard piston size, so its likely you will have to change your master cylinder to get the ratios correct.
The WMS are designed to work with the E30 master cylinder, so you dont need to change anything else apart from the brakes
The WMS 300mm kit sounds perfect for what you need

Post Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:04 pm

The problem is the shape of the inside of the 16" Alpina, they put a big radius from the back of the spoke to the inside of the drum part of the wheel - this limits 4 pot kits in that wheel to either 280mm with a thin spacer (or maybe no spacer), or 300mm if you're willing to have a very thick spacer.

I would suggest our 280mm kit and that's what most other 16" Alpina owners opt for. 17" Alpina reps can of course have the larger kit!

Our kits are designed for work perfectly with the standard Servo/M-cyl.

Gus I'll drop you a PM in a sec, we have everything you need on the shelf.