Z32 Aluminum vs Iron Calipers

[kenshinS14sks]

According to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z32#Z32 the z32's aluminum calipers were changed out to the iron calipers in 1992.5 to help warpage/shimmy problems.

But talking to people, some say aluminum better = lighter, and something or nother... i forget... bigger? ... or something. can anyone with the aluminum/iron swaps vouch for this?

sorry mods if this belongs in tech...please move as needed thank you

[unwed_transient]

i dont know what the weight difference is, but the alums are fairly light...

i doubt you'll work them enough to worry about warpage.

[OptionZero]

www.ka24development.com

lighter by a bit, and aluminum can be 26 or 30mm

get 26mm fronts for lightness and wheel spoke clearance

get 30 if u need an extra 4mm of rotor for cooling (not you, in other words)

[kenshinS14sks]

are there any performance differences between the aluminum or the iron though?? http://importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm

even writeups such as the great one above doesn't talk about the real difference between the two except for visual...

[Kaizen.]

I heard the aluminum calipers can warp but don't think anyones going to push their cars hard enough to do so

[OptionZero]

i highly doubt anyone here is going to notice "performance differences" between the 3 variants of 3Z caliper, just get the cheapest that doesn't affect wheel clearance for you

the Z calipers are inadequate for the Z32, hence the reason the castiron calipers were a cheap attempt at making them temporarily acceptable as an OE brake setup for that car. *every* z32 owner complains about brake performance, obviously cause the car weighs an extra 1000 lbs MORE than our cars.

so, on our cars.. ANY z32 caliper is good, especially the better aluminum ones. Stick with high quality italian made rotors, and you dont have a problem. Go with cheap, made in china bullshit.. and like most of anything made in china, you end up with fried rice.

Both calipers are durable, the cast iron being the stronger (and obviously heavier ones). so, for most.. alum is the choice caliper.

[Wei240]

yeah, any of the z32 is going to be more than enough for most people who have them...

180sx and q45's setups are good as well, since wheel fitment is easier...

[Chez]

Originally Posted by ixfxi

Stick with high quality italian made rotors, and you dont have a problem. Go with cheap, made in china bullshit.. and like most of anything made in china, you end up with fried rice.

Well said...Quality pads and rotors make a remarkable difference. best calipers in the world will still only be as good as the pads they are pushing agianst the rotors they are trying to slow down. My .02 since the calipers dont play into the hp and torque robbing rotational mass category i would say buy which ever set of calipers you can get your hands on for the best price in the best condition. As for me my friend upgraded his 300zx from the iron calipers to a set of brembo's. I paid 100 for his perfect loaded calipers with an almost new set of green stuff pads. Just my .02 though.

Chez

[infinitexsound]

get what ever u can, does it matter.. ur shaving weight from the calipers only... what about the whole car as a whole.....?

get what u can and run it...

[kenshinS14sks]

thanks guys, helped a lot... yea i guess aluminum vs iron doesn't make THAT much of a difference but just wanted to satisfy my obsessive compulsive need to know useless bits of information =) SO... i will get which ever ones i can get my hands on ... the alums will probably be cheaper cuz it's just older...

['90RPS13]

Not only just weight though, what about unsprung weight? *a

[pablo180]

If the dimensions and specs of the calipers are identical, then unsprung mass would be the biggest difference. Rule of thumb is that you want to reduce your unsprung mass as much as possible to maximize your wheel hop frequency. How much is the weight difference?

[OptionZero]

did you even read this thread?

['90RPS13]

Option, you talking to me or pablo? *a

[OptionZero]

pablo, who should have realized:
1. it doesn't matter. the weight savings are insignificant to virtually everyone here becuase no one drives their car hard enough to feel the difference

2. the weight difference can be found by going to KA24DEVELOPMENT, linked earlier

3. it doesn't matter

4. wheel hop frequency? seriously? on zilvia?

5. it doesn't matter

i use aluminum 30mm. in front with 350z rotors. when i replace my rotors, i'm probably going to try some two piece, slotted rotors for weight savings and cooling efficiency, and upgrade to some ferodo pads and real tires. i do track the car, probably at infineon again.

having driven there twice already i should be able to feel the difference in equipment and stopping power, even though i'm not an elite driver by any means

most people here, however, will never use their cars to the extent necessary for these concerns to matter

[revat619]

i think i have 26mm...or they could be 30mm. i dont know and i dont care. i cant tell the difference and the pads are the same anyways. I guess when i get new rotors i'll find out. Even if i could tell, like Option was saying, nobody here can tell the difference in stopping power and weight savings anyway so just get what you can and buy some nice pads and rotors and call it a day. And if you really wanna spice up your life, you can paint them. I'm a ricer so i did mine in gold with red letters. It helps me deal with the fact that i cant afford brembos.

[mixedwell]

revat 619... i feel you. haha

my brembo stickers already fell off.

[infinitexsound]

Originally Posted by OptionZero

pablo, who should have realized:
1. it doesn't matter. the weight savings are insignificant to virtually everyone here becuase no one drives their car hard enough to feel the difference

2. the weight difference can be found by going to KA24DEVELOPMENT, linked earlier

3. it doesn't matter

4. wheel hop frequency? seriously? on zilvia?

5. it doesn't matter

i use aluminum 30mm. in front with 350z rotors. when i replace my rotors, i'm probably going to try some two piece, slotted rotors for weight savings and cooling efficiency, and upgrade to some ferodo pads and real tires. i do track the car, probably at infineon again.

having driven there twice already i should be able to feel the difference in equipment and stopping power, even though i'm not an elite driver by any means

most people here, however, will never use their cars to the extent necessary for these concerns to matter

I 2nd that Notion

Originally Posted by OptionZero

pablo, who should have realized:
1. it doesn't matter. the weight savings are insignificant to virtually everyone here becuase no one drives their car hard enough to feel the difference

2. the weight difference can be found by going to KA24DEVELOPMENT, linked earlier

3. it doesn't matter

4. wheel hop frequency? seriously? on zilvia?

5. it doesn't matter

i use aluminum 30mm. in front with 350z rotors. when i replace my rotors, i'm probably going to try some two piece, slotted rotors for weight savings and cooling efficiency, and upgrade to some ferodo pads and real tires. i do track the car, probably at infineon again.

having driven there twice already i should be able to feel the difference in equipment and stopping power, even though i'm not an elite driver by any means

most people here, however, will never use their cars to the extent necessary for these concerns to matter

1) dont be an idiot
2) weight ALWAYS matters
3) it doesnt matter if you drive your car to the limit, or if you just drive your car. unsprung weight effects how your car brakes, accellerates, and handles.

i still think its funny when people install bigass 18x10 paperweights on their small 240's. you have a heavy ass wheel with a tire that doesnt absorb ANY road imperfections. you end up having the handling performance of a fucking tractor.

[revat619]

1) we're talking about the weight of brakes, not wheels. Pay attention.

2) when you can HONESTLY tell the difference in weight between z32 26mm or 30 mm iron or aluminum WHILE you're driving, you let us know.

That'll be never, so please just stop talking.

[OptionZero]

yes, because the average zilvian has so much driving skill that the difference between 26mm and 30mm or aluminum and iron calipers will really hold them back.

Most people here drive their cars to school or at most, to the local parking lot. 3Z brakes make a huge fuckin deal.

Originally Posted by revat619

1) we're talking about the weight of brakes, not wheels. Pay attention.

2) when you can HONESTLY tell the difference in weight between z32 26mm or 30 mm iron or aluminum WHILE you're driving, you let us know.

That'll be never, so please just stop talking.

tell you what, take the cast iron caliper.. hang it from your penis for 10 minutes

then, take the aluminum one.. hang it from your penis for another 10 minutes.

tell me if you feel the difference.

--

everyone has a different purpose as to why the put the parts on their cars and what they do with their car. why waste time with a cast iron caliper when you can pay the same and get better? unsprung weight is one of the hardest things to cut. if you can cut 4lbs per front axle, i think its a wise idea to get the lighter caliper.

[revat619]

You're an idiot. We're talking cars here. Not physical anatomy. Hence the reason i said tell the difference WHILE you're driving. Pay attention to what the fuck you're reading. Iron is heavier than aluminum....no shit sherlock.....

I know about unsprung weight. The point is most people here wouldnt be able to tell the difference on the track anyways....that is if they go to the track in the first place. So like I already said, just get what you can, get some nice pads and rotors and call it a day.

I just typed the exact same shit over again....

[projectRDM]

You guys are both right. 99% of the members on here will never notice the difference in weight. That's because they don't drive their cars to the point that brake weights make a difference.
For the 1% who actually track their car to it's fullest extent, the weight difference may not be noticeable behind the wheel, but it can mean the difference in that 1/10th a second around the lap or the one inch from hitting the wall. For those drivers, the lighter weight calipers are worth it.
So for almost anyone on here with a regular weighted Schassis who drives it like any other schmo, either caliper will do the job fine.

And to the OP, while it was already touched upon, the switch to iron to eliminate warpage was done solely because the Z32 is a heavy pig. S13/S14s will never see that type of problem unless you're running Laguna Seca putting down 400hp with your brake pedal depressed constantly.

['90RPS13]

Amen russ. *a

[revat619]

thanks russ.

[rubberbiscuitt]

2 more tidbits, as if it were really necessary:

the little bits of weight, even unsprung weight will add up. less a couple ounces for going alum on the calipers, half pound for going 2pc rotors, 1 pound on lighter wheels, blah, blah, it can ad up to a major weight savings.

a simple yes or no answer is a way more productive answer. just think if a thread is answered properly, then in a couple weeks when a noob goes to use the search button and he finds only bullshit flamed posts. "oh you don't need to do that because your not going to use it, i'm an asshat" this noob may just post another question that has already been flamed, and will get flamed again, because he was just looking for a simple answer. and he might be that 1% thats going to apply that info. wheather it be his feeble mind or his ability to push his car better than the fucktard flaming the internet.

[Chez]

Originally Posted by rubberbiscuitt

if a thread is answered properly, when a noob goes to use the search button and he finds only bullshit flamed posts. "oh you don't need to do that because your not going to use it, i'm an asshat" ... he was just looking for a simple answer. and he might be that 1% thats going to apply that info. wheather it be his feeble mind or his ability to push his car better than the fucktard flaming the internet.

I totally 2nd this ^^^^ especially the asshat part...totally classic!

Since i'm new i search all the time but a lot of the time you have to read so much flame just to find a real answer that it almost seems worthless. none the less that shit was sooo funny. Flame on.

[OptionZero]

Originally Posted by R240NA

You guys are both right. 99% of the members on here will never notice the difference in weight. That's because they don't drive their cars to the point that brake weights make a difference.
For the 1% who actually track their car to it's fullest extent, the weight difference may not be noticeable behind the wheel, but it can mean the difference in that 1/10th a second around the lap or the one inch from hitting the wall. For those drivers, the lighter weight calipers are worth it.
So for almost anyone on here with a regular weighted Schassis who drives it like any other schmo, either caliper will do the job fine.

And to the OP, while it was already touched upon, the switch to iron to eliminate warpage was done solely because the Z32 is a heavy pig. S13/S14s will never see that type of problem unless you're running Laguna Seca putting down 400hp with your brake pedal depressed constantly.

^^the truth^^