Caliper Upgrade

[Luger]

Currently looking at upgrading from OEM calipers and still keep OEM wheels (no spacers) but not proving an easy task. Willwood do a set that fit under OEM wheels but fits with smaller pads which i do not really like. Spoon are freakingly expensive so those are out of the question. D2 and Yellow Racing dont fit OEM wheels either and XYZ even though fit the wheels, only sell as a kit including discs and pads which I dont really need.

Any other caliper brands i might have a look at that fit the ek9 OEM wheels?

Thanks

 

[Kozy]

What is the main reason for wanting to upgrade te caliper?

 

[oscarsayco]

If you dont want to use OEM for whatever reason..( wich in my opinion i think is more than enough ) then your best option is wilwood..

 

[Luger]

OEM is a single piston caliper and upgrading to a 4 pot will give much better stopping power I suppose. I will be doing some work on the engine and planning to push it up to 230bhp approx so the extra stopping power would be useful.

There must be a valid reason why people replace OEM calipers to after market 4 pot calipers and extra stopping power is the only reason I can think of.

 

[Kozy]

As I suspected, you don't really have a clear goal in mind.

'Stopping power' is misleading, because the stock brakes have an abundance of it already, there is pretty much no real need to add any more unless you've got super sticky track tyres and downforce. Forget being able to stop the car with the lightest of touches on the pedal. This is not stopping power, it's just 'system gain', the ratio of force in to force out, and increasing it doesn't improve the brakes because the 'force out' part doesn't change. The only way to change that, is to increase tyre grip.

The usual aim with brake upgrades is better thermal capacity, i.e. stop them fading. You don't need a four pot caliper for this, you need bigger discs, the more mass they have the longer they take to heat up, and the more surface area, the quicker they cool.

There are a good selection of OEM upgrades available at low cost, most of them bolt on too. Something like the EP3 or ATR 300mm discs should be more than enough to cope with 230bhp. You'll need to change the calipers/carriers to match the discs usually, but the calipers aren't the important bits, they're just necessary to fit the larger discs.

 

[Ashy C]

I run the Wilwood set up, its really good, on track there is a lot less brake fade even on my hour long endurance runs i end up doing ( get carried away chasing and catching cars)

On the road its also a nice set up, altgough you do get a longer pedal travel

 

[Luger]

As I suspected, you don't really have a clear goal in mind.

'Stopping power' is misleading, because the stock brakes have an abundance of it already, there is pretty much no real need to add any more unless you've got super sticky track tyres and downforce. Forget being able to stop the car with the lightest of touches on the pedal. This is not stopping power, it's just 'system gain', the ratio of force in to force out, and increasing it doesn't improve the brakes because the 'force out' part doesn't change. The only way to change that, is to increase grip.

The usual aim with brake upgrades is better thermal capacity, i.e. stop them fading. You don't need a four pot caliper for this, you need bigger discs, the more mass they have the longer they take to heat up, and the more surface area, the quicker they cool.

There are a good selection of OEM upgrades available at low cost, most of them bolt on too. Something like the EP3 or ATR 300mm discs should be more than enough to cope with 230bhp. You'll need to change the calipers/carriers to match the discs usually, but the calipers aren't the important bits, they're just necessary to fit the larger discs.

Thanks for the detailed explenation Kozy and fully understand what you're getting through. So what i need are bigger discs and grippier pads.

So lets say I go the EP3 300mm discs and caliper route, would i also need to upgrade to EP3 rear calipers and discs which if im not mistaken are also 262mm same size as the rear ek9?
Would that be necessary as a front bias would be created due to bigger front discs?
Do EP3 300mm disks and calipers fit under ek9 OEM wheels or would I need spacers since EP3 calipers fit under 17" EP3 OEM wheels?

Thanks

 

[Luger]

I see there is a very similar EP3 brake upgrade thread further up and reading it now.....looks interesting

 

[Kozy]

Yes that thread answers most of your questions. If you spec the front brakes correctly, there's no need to upgrade the rears to match. Which is ideal, because options there are rather limited.