Big Brake Kit--Is it worth it?

Hello all,

I've got a least one brake caliper that seems to stick, even after much lubrication and a claimed rebuild by the dealer. I've also noticed that the rotor on that wheel is warped. The rust spots left from two months of sleeping wore off everywhere but one spot. About a 1/4 of the rotor.

I was thinking about fixing it good. With a big brake kit from somewhere, I haven't decided yet. In order to do the swap, I also need to change out my stock wheels with 15' min. rims. I was thinking Dayton BB4M Series? wheels.

Anyway, I would like to know what other's experiences are with the big brake kits. How much of an improvement is there? How easy are they to install? Is this a weekend project, a day, a few hours? Is there one kit that's superior? Do you think it was worth the cost? I've been thinking about wire wheels since I bought the car.

Thanks.

P.S. after I do this, my stock wheels will be totally useless. So if anybody wants them, make an offer. As far as I know, they're completely straight, the hub caps have some chipped paint.

i can tell you this much... check on the weight of your desired wheel/tire package.

every pound counts, and if you get 24lb rims instead of 12lb rims, you will be asking yourself 'what the hell is wrong with this blasted car?'.

the rule of thumb is 1lb of rotating mass is worth 10/11 lbs of dead weight.

so 12lbs per rim equals almost a 50lb bag of ready mix concrete in your trunk.

it may not really be that bad, but you will feel it.

1.5 lb, maybe. Maybe it depends on your thumb.

Your math is above my level.

Probably most by reduced traction on rough roads and reduced comfort. Though adding 50 lb to the wheels does reduce performance some too. Probably more than a high flow exhaust would add.

Leon and Bozo, now with big chunks of Brain-Storm chrome where a ridiculously low key and modest fuel lid used to be.

Okay, so the rims may not be worth it. Which knocks out the brakes. I'm still looking around for all of it. Maybe I'll find some aluminum wheels that suit my fancy. Dayton has them, just not in 4 lugs. Anyway, if I can get wheels which are of a reasonable weight, are the 'Big' brakes worth it? In theory, without running numbers, which I don't have: The brakes would be more touchy, the pads would wear faster, and it may not do a damn thing. After all, if you can lock your wheels now, the bigger brakes, which should stop a wheel faster because of increased leverage, are no improvement. But I'd like confirmation.

It's been a while since I was in Physics class, but isn't the inertia of a hoop 50% more than a solid cylinder of the same mass and diameter? 15/10 not 10/11ths? Just asking, no offense.

Okay, so the rims may not be worth it. Which knocks out the brakes. I'm still looking around for all of it. Maybe I'll find some aluminum wheels that suit my fancy. Dayton has them, just not in 4 lugs. Anyway, if I can get wheels which are of a reasonable weight,

definitely get good rims, there are actually 16' rims out there that weigh less than the factory aluminum. and the shorter sidewall and wider tread will help everything feel way better.

are the 'Big' brakes worth it? In theory, without running numbers, which I don't have: The brakes would be more touchy,

not touchy, but much more responsive. the feel will be much more positive.

i have not done my brakes yet, for the same reason (need bigger wheels, and the set i want are $1,800, so it will be a couple paychecks before those go on), but i have heard nothing but rave reviews for the Flying Miata big brake kit. word has it they stop you like you hit something. i would ask a few people who have tried a couple of different brake systems and see what they say, which, i guess is why you posted your question, and you got me babbling about wheel weight.

check out Racing Heart, they have a very light set of rims, and so does SSR.

33%. The solid cylinder has 1.5 times more inertia as the same nonrotating mass, the hoop twice.

Let me tell you folks about my experiences with the Big Brake kit:

I got the kit in 1998, and Bill Cardell installed it. I had trouble fitting it on my '94's aftermarket 16' wheels, but some careful filing resolved that issue. When I got back to Denver, I noticed that during panic stabs at the pedal, the dammned fronts would lock up. Also, at low speeds, they'd clatter annoyingly. Since I didn't feel like smashing into anyone at 30 simply because I had no control, I sent 'em back to Cardell, who, like the great businessman he is, gave me back my dough. It seems that the front/rear balance issue had reared it's ugly head with only one other purchaser, and Bill thought that the Hawk pads included with both of our kits had been mismarked or that something else was somewhat out of tolerances, thus contributing to this trouble.

The new kit Bill's got apparently addresses these concerns. Frankly, I could have resolved the issues with the careful addition of a front/rear bias valve sold for a tiny sum by any variety of racing mail order catalogs, but at that point in my life, I was terrified to hack into a perfectly functional brake line to install it.

Right now, I'm hand rebuilding a big-block Chrysler 440 in my storage

Racing Heart? Do you have web address for them? Or do you mean racing beat?

Racing Hart, aka, Dazz Motorsport.

http://64.38.194.78/main.htm

This assumes a hoop of some standard proportions?

Aside from (theoretically) higher braking force from a given pedal input, the big advantage to larger rotors is reduced fade. They also look better inside large wheels, which of course, is probably more important.

I looked at Racing Beat, they don't have any wheels listed. Would you include the address for SSR as well. If it's an abreviation of a company I know of, it's not coming to mind. Thanks in advance.