HELP! need help with new brakes / 180sx brakes / going 5 lug.

[Chaluska]

Why?
. Brake bias is the most important thing to remember when braking. Brakes arent even what stop you, tires do. If you had 100% front brake bias and 0 in the back then your stopping would be limited by the adhesion of the front tires. Optimally for the best brakes you want to be pushing the limit of adhesion on all 4 corners of the car equally. Then you are using your brakes efficiently and effectively. This doesnt mean 50 50 however because when braking your weight shifts in the car changing how much the distrobution is needed. its distributing the braking torque optimally.
People who just install 300zx front brakes on their car and do nothing else have DEGRADED their braking system. I said it I know. Its actually been found the z (front only) brakes to stop you a few feet LATER than STOCK with the same good pads. Why? Because the front brakes are now TOO big and take on the work of the entire braking system keeping the back brakes from assisting (ala rear fluid bias).
Slapping that 12 piston wilwood with 18inch rotor big brake kit on your car without touching the rears although blingy, will very possibly hurt MOST braking systems (unless your stock brakes were severely underpowered keeping people from being unable to ever lockup any time which I doubt)

For the owners of S13s ('89-'94) You can upgrade your stock front brakes to JDM 180sx spec using USDM parts. This upgrades main benefit is the additional mass to the rotor for heat dissipation. The caliper pistons are not so large as to impact braking bias more than a trivial amount, however shifting the swept surface outward gives additional leverage, in turn increasing braking force a bit. The following will be needed for this swap:

('93-'97) 1st generation Nissan altima rotors. These are 280x22mm and have a 4x114 bolt pattern.

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake calipers

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake caliper mounting brackets

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake caliper mounting bracket hardware kit

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake pads

These parts all directly bolt onto the s13 with no major modifications needed. There is no real special instructions, take your old parts off and put this stuff on instead.
This swap retains near stock pedal feel and clamping ability but gives you rotors with the same OD as Z brakes without the downsides of a Z swap.



Concerns worth noting:

-The brake swap will not fit anything smaller than a 15" alloy wheel. This will not clear a stamped steel wheel and drags on the caliper parallel surface.

- The stock rotor dust shield no longer clears the larger brake rotor. Modifications or removal to this are necessary for

fitment. 2" deep slices with shears spaced 1.5" apart should be sufficient to allow the outside edge to be bent flat.

-The pad hangs over the edge from this setup by approximately 5mm. Although it is visually striking, it does not negatively impact braking performance or cause any reliability issues.
-There is actually a pretty good selection of pads for this. Personally I run hawk hps on the front and rear of my car. It is very well balanced and very cheap. You can go to autozone and get the parts rebuilt like I did for ubercheap. Turn in your old 240 parts as the core and they wont know the difference
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9439.jpg
Above you can see my old brakes.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9428.jpg
Here is a side by side comparison of the old brake rotor vs the new one.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9434.jpg
This clearly shows the overhang as described, however it has not presented any reliability issues.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...z/DSCN9596.jpg
Heres how they look behind a 15 inch wheel. Sexy brakes...


==================================================

and yes, you have stock rear brakes.

[imnotniko]

Originally Posted by Chaluska

Why?
. Brake bias is the most important thing to remember when braking. Brakes arent even what stop you, tires do. If you had 100% front brake bias and 0 in the back then your stopping would be limited by the adhesion of the front tires. Optimally for the best brakes you want to be pushing the limit of adhesion on all 4 corners of the car equally. Then you are using your brakes efficiently and effectively. This doesnt mean 50 50 however because when braking your weight shifts in the car changing how much the distrobution is needed. its distributing the braking torque optimally.
People who just install 300zx front brakes on their car and do nothing else have DEGRADED their braking system. I said it I know. Its actually been found the z (front only) brakes to stop you a few feet LATER than STOCK with the same good pads. Why? Because the front brakes are now TOO big and take on the work of the entire braking system keeping the back brakes from assisting (ala rear fluid bias).
Slapping that 12 piston wilwood with 18inch rotor big brake kit on your car without touching the rears although blingy, will very possibly hurt MOST braking systems (unless your stock brakes were severely underpowered keeping people from being unable to ever lockup any time which I doubt)

For the owners of S13s ('89-'94) You can upgrade your stock front brakes to JDM 180sx spec using USDM parts. This upgrades main benefit is the additional mass to the rotor for heat dissipation. The caliper pistons are not so large as to impact braking bias more than a trivial amount, however shifting the swept surface outward gives additional leverage, in turn increasing braking force a bit. The following will be needed for this swap:

('93-'97) 1st generation Nissan altima rotors. These are 280x22mm and have a 4x114 bolt pattern.

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake calipers

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake caliper mounting brackets

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake caliper mounting bracket hardware kit

('89-'99) 3rd and 4th generation Nissan Maxima brake pads

These parts all directly bolt onto the s13 with no major modifications needed. There is no real special instructions, take your old parts off and put this stuff on instead.
This swap retains near stock pedal feel and clamping ability but gives you rotors with the same OD as Z brakes without the downsides of a Z swap.



Concerns worth noting:

-The brake swap will not fit anything smaller than a 15" alloy wheel. This will not clear a stamped steel wheel and drags on the caliper parallel surface.

- The stock rotor dust shield no longer clears the larger brake rotor. Modifications or removal to this are necessary for

fitment. 2" deep slices with shears spaced 1.5" apart should be sufficient to allow the outside edge to be bent flat.

-The pad hangs over the edge from this setup by approximately 5mm. Although it is visually striking, it does not negatively impact braking performance or cause any reliability issues.
-There is actually a pretty good selection of pads for this. Personally I run hawk hps on the front and rear of my car. It is very well balanced and very cheap. You can go to autozone and get the parts rebuilt like I did for ubercheap. Turn in your old 240 parts as the core and they wont know the difference
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9439.jpg
Above you can see my old brakes.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9428.jpg
Here is a side by side comparison of the old brake rotor vs the new one.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...s/DSCN9434.jpg
This clearly shows the overhang as described, however it has not presented any reliability issues.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...z/DSCN9596.jpg
Heres how they look behind a 15 inch wheel. Sexy brakes...


==================================================

and yes, you have stock rear brakes.

thankyou. i know you copy pasted 90 % of that.. but still there was nothing about the 5 lug swap. i use 95 maxima rotors for the 5 lug conversion in the front correct?

[Chaluska]

didnt take note on the 5 lug...

i know the 1994 maxima rotors are 279.4 mm in diameter, and 22mm thick, so its not exactly 280mm.. it would be really really close though..

Valucraft/Brake Rotor - Front (3218B) | 1994 Nissan/Datsun Maxima 6 Cylinders E 3.0L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com_

if your already 5 lug, why not go with the J30/Q45 brakes?

[imnotniko]

Originally Posted by Chaluska

didnt take note on the 5 lug...

i know the 1994 maxima rotors are 279.4 mm in diameter, and 22mm thick, so its not exactly 280mm.. it would be really really close though..

Valucraft/Brake Rotor - Front (3218B) | 1994 Nissan/Datsun Maxima 6 Cylinders E 3.0L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com_

if your already 5 lug, why not go with the J30/Q45 brakes?

im 4 lug now going 5 lug.. already have the brakes 5 lug hubs new rpf1's powdercoated candy red new tires sittin next to them and everything.. i don't need to be buying anything else haha. just brake pads and rotors.


i guess im going to have to wing it and give it a shot with the maxima front rotors. thankyou.

[deathbysedan]

yes 95 maxima rotors (5-lug) will work with 180sx front calipers. i did it with my 180.

you can search it and find it without having to listen to moron copy/paste out their ass about something else.