Wilwood Brake Upgrade.

[Shep69 149]

Im looking at upgrading my stock power disc brakes to a set of wilwood units. WILWOOD BRAKE DISC AND CALIPER 140-13476    . Just wondering if anyone has got these and are they much better than the standard power discs that im running. 

[LiLMike 42]

I just put on a set but haven't driven with them yet. Car is still being put back together. I called MP Brakes http://www.mpbrakes.com/ and talked to Pat. He didn't have anything good to say about Wilwood. I was asking about a power booster and master cylinder. He said the pistons are small in the Wilwood caliper. I think I will be fine with this set though. I see a lot of people running Wilwood Brakes.

[Shep69 149]

I just put on a set but haven't driven with them yet. Car is still being put back together. I called MP Brakes http://www.mpbrakes.com/ and talked to Pat. He didn't have anything good to say about Wilwood. I was asking about a power booster and master cylinder. He said the pistons are small in the Wilwood caliper. I think I will be fine with this set though. I see a lot of people running Wilwood Brakes.

That's not good news to hear . Is its because they want to push there own product?

[LiLMike 42]

It could be Shep69. There are a lot of people out there running Wilwood brakes so I am not worried about it. I did get a single 9" booster, a 1" rod master cylinder and their proportioning valve from MPBrakes. Wilwood said when I called them to upgrade to a 1/4" brake line. MP Brakes said it wasn't necessary and I read on Wilwood FAQs that the 3/16" stock lines are fine. Conflicting stories there from Wilwood. One thing is to look for, the size of the wheels you are running. I have 15" rims so I had to measure the backside of the wheel where the lug nut holes are. It needs to be 14 !/2" or 143/4" across for clearance of the caliper.

[Shep69 149]

Cheers for the info Lilmike

[Rsanter 152]

Some of the lower cost willwood systems are not much better than stock.

Some are using the stock rotors and have the same clamping power as stock.

You get the benifit or better looks, a little lower weight, and slightly better heat dissipation because the calipers are aluminum

 

What are your expectations from the aftermarket system you are looking for

 

Bob

[LiLMike 42]

Cheers for the info Lilmike

 

No worries Shep

[RPM 1,190]

I called MP Brakes and talked to Pat. He didn't have anything good to say about Wilwood. I was asking about a power booster and master cylinder. He said the pistons are small in the Wilwood caliper. I think I will be fine with this set though. I see a lot of people running Wilwood Brakes.

 

Were Pat's words "I don't have anything good to say about Wilwood" or did he have negative things ro say about them? I'm running stock 13" Cobra brakes so I don't really have a horse in this race. However, it would be nice to know at least close to Pat's exact words. Usually one company will bad mouth another because of bad dealings or sour grapes, not because of a design feature. I believe if one product is inferior the market will weed out the bad ones.

 

In my opinion Having stock size caliper pistons is not necessarily in itself a bad thing. Even a small brake system can't be overpowered by the stock power plant. Bigger than stock brakes generally come into play where higher speeds and repeated stops require it. Is MP Brakes a leader in the industry and does their word have credibility? I tend to steer away from folks who like to bad mouth others. I've raced karts equipped with small Wilwood calipers capable of frequent braking from 95 mph down to 45, but it's all about the application.

[Shep69 149]

Some of the lower cost willwood systems are not much better than stock.

Some are using the stock rotors and have the same clamping power as stock.

You get the benifit or better looks, a little lower weight, and slightly better heat dissipation because the calipers are aluminum

 

What are your expectations from the aftermarket system you are looking for

 

Bob

Hi Bob, Just not that happy with my standard setup. I have replaced just about everything except the front rotors and callipers. Pedal feels good but if i jump on the pedal hard they won't even lock up going slow. just don't feel safe. Just want some ideas for an upgrade without taking a mortgage out on my house lol. I was hoping to use the standard power vac and master just upgrading the callipers. As i live in Australia there might be some upgrades i can use from our late model falcons. 

Cheers Mark

Cheers Mark.

[shaun071 62]

Hi Mark, the easiest upgrade would be to XF Falcon alloy calipers. They're a direct bolt on, even the flex lines will go straight on. I have a rebuilt set here I paid $250 for them. UPC do a kit to fit BA 300mm rotors/calipers that you can usually pick up on eBay for around $700.

Cheers Shaun.

[Shep69 149]

Hi Mark, the easiest upgrade would be to XF Falcon alloy calipers. They're a direct bolt on, even the flex lines will go straight on. I have a rebuilt set here I paid $250 for them. UPC do a kit to fit BA 300mm rotors/calipers that you can usually pick up on eBay for around $700.

Cheers Shaun.

Thanks Shaun I will check them out.

[LiLMike 42]

MP Brakes just said that the pistons are smaller and he thought the people at Wilwood were idiots. I think he just favored his stuff and bad mouthed Wilwood. If Wilwood was so terrible, then why are a lot of people running them on their cars? Yes, Wlwood has smaller pistons but there are 4 pistons and not 2! Also, with Wilwood, the stock disc brake spindles need to be drilled out. The mounting holes are larger for Wilwood. They also send a 1/4" spacer that must be used to clear the hub. To me this is the way to go. They look great and I have all the confidence in them.

[mustangstofear 608]

We run nothing but Wilwood and have never had a problem with them. I did call Baer Brakes just for a price comparison this week, still having trouble getting my hair to lay down LOL. Wilwood 800.00 theirs 3,100.00

[Alan_Mac 48]

SS4 Baer brakes for your car are here  http://baer.com/11-Front-SS4-Brake-System-4261349.html  

What you can expect from Baer, excellent design, materials, quality and a complete kit.   

[sixt9stang 36]

He has stock disc's right now.  The Baer setup requires drum spindles as do most kits.

[Alan_Mac 48]

My mistake I had the wrong year and spindle.  :)  Here is the 69 disk spindle kit.  http://baer.com/11-Front-SS4-Plus-Brake-System-4261378.html

 

I have the SS4 with 13" disks on my rear and I really think they are an excellent choice.  Even the pads are top quality.   

[Rsanter 152]

Hi Bob, Just not that happy with my standard setup. I have replaced just about everything except the front rotors and callipers. Pedal feels good but if i jump on the pedal hard they won't even lock up going slow. just don't feel safe. Just want some ideas for an upgrade without taking a mortgage out on my house lol. I was hoping to use the standard power vac and master just upgrading the callipers. As i live in Australia there might be some upgrades i can use from our late model falcons.

Cheers Mark

Cheers Mark.

If you cannot lock the brakes then you have something fundamental wrong with that system. My 69 has great brakes and I might me able,to put your nose into the windshield if you are not buckled up.

 

I have a set of the aluminum falcon calipers as mentioned that I will be adding to the car. I'm not sure it will improve anything but I think they will be cool and perhaps a little lighter.

Are you sure the front calipers are on the correct sides? If they are not then not all the air can be bled out and your braked won't be so good.

Also are you sure you have the correct master cylinders? The wrong bore size will mess up your mechanical advantage and will make the brakes feel weak..

The factory disc brakes are good stuff and will get the job done for all but racing applications.

 

Bob

[Shep69 149]

Cheers bob. I purchased the booster and master from chockostang a few years back now. I can only assume he sent me the right gear. Is there any way of telling what size master I have while on the car?

[Rsanter 152]

Cheers bob. I purchased the booster and master from chockostang a few years back now. I can only assume he sent me the right gear. Is there any way of telling what size master I have while on the car?

Based on where you got it from it is likly correct, however to check it you will have to remove it and measure the piston bore.

 

Be sure that the calipers are on the correct sides so you can bleed all the air out, I have made the mistake before.

 

What is new or verified in your system? Brake hoses? Hard lines? Dist block?

Anything that has some sort of blockage or restriction can be the cause.

 

I'm assuming your pads are good? What kind of pads? I put ceramics on the truck and hated them. I had to push a lot harder and it still felt like it was not going to stop. I swapped them for semi metallics and the brakes went back to like they were originally

 

Bob

[69mach1build 22]

Take a look at my link below.  I very recently did a wilwood conversion on my mustang on all 4 corners that was very easy.  I have not had a chance to test them on the street however.