Z32 Calipers Or Q45 Calipers

[dan240]

The Q45 front brakes generate more torque than the 300zx fronts but to me that just says its making an already overly front biased set up even worse. Just throwing the biggest brakes you can find on the front of your car is not going to make it stop any better.

If your only going autocrossing I think you're better off with stock brakes, good pads and good fluid. You are not going to overheat your brakes on an autocross course. Remove the stock proportioning valve and get an adjustable one to dial in the brake bias how you want it (I don't know if that would be legal for your class).

An adjustable proportioning valve is probably ~$40.

[OptionZero]

q45 brakes look like the stock brakes so if u want to cheat in autox and escape any classification rules they are the way to go

[!Zar!]

Hmm.

q45 front, z32 rear?

[cdlong]

Originally Posted by jrocslider

Dousan is right... people get Z's cause they look better. not everybody but the majority.

in my defense, and lots of other people's...

the looks was a factor, but not the main reason i got them. weight, caliper stiffness, and pedal feel were bigger factors. it's also a reason i didn't go with a flashier, better big brake kit (aside from overkill). i love that it has the raised nissan on the caliper, but i'm a nerd like that.

[e1_griego]

I was under the impression (from Asad's techno-post) that the q45 brakes gave a very high front bias.....is this true? Is it noticeable?

Alex

[OptionZero]

Originally Posted by cdlong

in my defense, and lots of other people's...

the looks was a factor, but not the main reason i got them. weight, caliper stiffness, and pedal feel were bigger factors. it's also a reason i didn't go with a flashier, better big brake kit (aside from overkill). i love that it has the raised nissan on the caliper, but i'm a nerd like that.

pad selection

not that THAT matters to alotta people

[UNISA JECS]

Originally Posted by dan240

The Q45 front brakes generate more torque than the 300zx fronts but to me that just says its making an already overly front biased set up even worse. Just throwing the biggest brakes you can find on the front of your car is not going to make it stop any better.

If your only going autocrossing I think you're better off with stock brakes, good pads and good fluid. You are not going to overheat your brakes on an autocross course. Remove the stock proportioning valve and get an adjustable one to dial in the brake bias how you want it (I don't know if that would be legal for your class).

An adjustable proportioning valve is probably ~$40.

What you just wrote is only true if you run only upgraded front brakes, now if you were to run Z32 brake all around then your lacking front brake torque, in this case Q45 have a better brake torque split than the Z32 does.

p.s. who does that anyways (runs huge ass front brake and keeps the rears stock)..lol thats retarded

If it were up to me I like to run 12" rotors in the front with Z32 30mm calipers and the stock 11.5" z32 rears but im stuck with teh 12.76" fronts for now

[cdlong]

Originally Posted by OptionZero

pad selection

not that THAT matters to alotta people

ahh, yeah, that too. i forgot about that one.

[alkemyst]

I don't know if that math is right for the Q45 scenario...there is probably a huge reason why nissan did not elect to use these on their high line sports/gt cars though.

Personally if it's coming down to Q45 vx 300ZX is make or break a setup, then one should be looking at Brembo class calipers anyway.

I am running R33 GTS-T (296x30mm/297x18mm).

[UNISA JECS]

Originally Posted by alkemyst

I don't know if that math is right for the Q45 scenario...there is probably a huge reason why nissan did not elect to use these on their high line sports/gt cars though.

Personally if it's coming down to Q45 vx 300ZX is make or break a setup, then one should be looking at Brembo class calipers anyway.

I am running R33 GTS-T (296x30mm/297x18mm).

Well one reason could be the weight difference betweem the Q45 and the Z32 seater.

curb weight:
Z32 ~3300 lbs (2 seater)
Z32 ~3550 lbs (2+2)
Q45 ~4034 lbs

[CKAMC]

Originally Posted by !Zar!

Hmm.

q45 front, z32 rear?

I second the notion. Can I get a Yay or Nay?

[dan240]

Originally Posted by UNISA JECS

What you just wrote is only true if you run only upgraded front brakes, now if you were to run Z32 brake all around then your lacking front brake torque, in this case Q45 have a better brake torque split than the Z32 does.

p.s. who does that anyways (runs huge ass front brake and keeps the rears stock)..lol thats retarded

If it were up to me I like to run 12" rotors in the front with Z32 30mm calipers and the stock 11.5" z32 rears but im stuck with teh 12.76" fronts for now

I was just looking at your post above and you didn't mention the rear brake torque for any of the set-ups. Then your running an adapter bracket to get even more front brake bias. It sounded like thats exactly what you did.

Sorry if I missunderstood.

[alkemyst]

actually there are a ton of people only swapping fronts. Some say it's because that's how the Silvia top models were done, others due to cost and some due to not feeling comfortable doing the rears (which while not hard is a process requiring large tools many don't have and cable issues).

I did the R33 GTST front and rear. The brakes work and feel great.

A couple issues the Q45 setup suffers from is sliding calipers aren't as direct and modulation is more difficult, pad selection (although it has improved with many doing these swaps), and rotor availability.

The critical thing most really overlook is the tires. They do up these big brake swaps and go cheap on rubber.

[OptionZero]

did we ever come up with an explanation why s14/s14 silvias got 3Z 30mm fronts but stock s14 rears?

Was it:
1. the s-chassis has different weight distribution from a Z

or

2. the BMC is different and corrects the problem

or

3. other

[olah.inc]

you have a pic of the q45 caliper?

[OptionZero]

google is your friend, shoot

[olah.inc]

didnt found some, just pics of the rear and backside of the front

[alkemyst]

In regards to the Silvia getting only fronts.

For one most of the braking is done by the front, it also allowed for no redesign in the rear which would require more extensive setup on the assembly line.

Even the stock 240sx brakes are decent enough for many with just a track pad.

[driftskeetka24e]

so running q45s up front and upgrading the bmc is not necesary? or if you were to run q45s up front and stock rears which size bmc would you run the 15/16, 1, 17/16 or just keep it (7/8) stock?

[garagelu]

Originally Posted by driftskeetka24e

so running q45s up front and upgrading the bmc is not necesary? or if you were to run q45s up front and stock rears which size bmc would you run the 15/16, 1, 17/16 or just keep it (7/8) stock?

its actually best to keep the stock master cylinder when upgrading the q45 front with stock rears. The brake pedal feel is pretty incredible. I have had both the q45 and 300zx/skyline calipers and I cant tell much difference. It may be different on the track though.

[IGSDann]

+1 For Q45's. I just set my car up with them, rebuilt the calipers, got some brembo blanks, hawk hps and speed bleeders. And it made for a very quick and easy upgrade with great stopping power.

[hijack3d]

Running Q45's right now in the fronts w/ dimpled/slotted rotors, and Hawk pads. The rears are simply stock w/ Hawk pads. The only complaint was experiencing rear brake fade after a little over two hours at the Balcony (and this happened only once when my diff blew, and I was just yanking the ebrake)... But that doesn't really answer your question. It only tells you that I thought the Q45s were the better option for my slightly-tracked stock S13.

I guess you really have to look at what you're going to be doing with your car. If you're just daily driving without lots of power, why spend the extra cash? It's not too much more expensive, I know.. but at least you wouldn't have to worry about wheels clearing your calipers.

[smelly240]

i remember this thread - so everyone knows porterfield, hawk, endless all make pads for q45/j30 brakes

and yes the feel is good with stock bmc and q front and stock rear.

its not like the z front - where u get the brakes lockin up all the time.

ill never go back to z brakes - wilwoods yes... that i'd like.

[ALEXTHESUS*PECT]

Originally Posted by driftskeetka24e

so running q45s up front and upgrading the bmc is not necesary? or if you were to run q45s up front and stock rears which size bmc would you run the 15/16, 1, 17/16 or just keep it (7/8) stock?

you keep the stock bmc. it is what i run and have no problems. although the aluminum caliper looks cool when parked, it would be pretty hrd to see it when i drift by you.

[UNISA JECS]

Originally Posted by projectRDM

Bingo. Same size, same parts.

The fronts are identical. The rears are different both caliper and rotor size.

[apexhumper]

Good stuff.

Just a quick question, for street use I just have my stock brakes but every once in a while when someone that didnt pay attention because of; eating in the car/talking on the phone/applying makeup etc etc causes me to have to stand on my brakes there are times that it seems my stocks didnt get the job done quite as quick as they could've and I cant help but think that this close call wasnt necessary if I could just upgrade my brake set up properly.

So for the best stopping power in SoCal street use what do you guys recommend? (including pads, fluids, lines...anything that might help) Dont mean to jack a thread or sound like I'm repeating the question, but once again, no track use, just street.

[gotta240]

Just buy my j30 calipers for 50 bucks. Then buy my j30 rotors for 30.

BLAM!!!

Big brake upgrade for 80 bucks...

[OptionZero]

if its street use, just get fresh parts

new OEM pads, new blank rotors, new fluid (valvoline)

no need for anything more than that to roll around the streets, he even said it

[UNISA JECS]

Originally Posted by apexhumper

Good stuff.

Just a quick question, for street use I just have my stock brakes but every once in a while when someone that didnt pay attention because of; eating in the car/talking on the phone/applying makeup etc etc causes me to have to stand on my brakes there are times that it seems my stocks didnt get the job done quite as quick as they could've and I cant help but think that this close call wasnt necessary if I could just upgrade my brake set up properly.

So for the best stopping power in SoCal street use what do you guys recommend? (including pads, fluids, lines...anything that might help) Dont mean to jack a thread or sound like I'm repeating the question, but once again, no track use, just street.

IMO

#1 Q45/J30 all around

or

#2 Z33 Front rotors (ofcourse you need adapter bracket with Z32 calipers) and Z32 rear

Either if these two setup will knock the socks off of a stock s chassis brake setup and not be dangerous and have the correct front to rear brake torque/bias to not let you get into trouble like the Z32 setup all around will.

But your results will vary on Z32's all around based on weather you run a staggered wheel setup (have more grip in the rear) or have more weight in the rear of yoru car, somehting that keep the rear planted to teh ground like a 200lb sand bag will help a bit as well as a full tank of gas at all times...lol.

[naed240sx]

Originally Posted by UNISA JECS

Either if these two setup will knock the socks off of a stock s chassis brake setup and not be dangerous and have the correct front to rear brake torque/bias to not let you get into trouble like the Z32 setup all around will.

Why would Z32's all around "get you in trouble" ?