Jag front brakes...nissan calipers?

[Rebel1]

Hey fellas, All the recent chat about Jag brakes has lead me to consider changing my front calipers to something a heap lighter and maybe a little smaller that the huge heavy Jag 4 piston jobs I have now.

The two considerations are of course weight of the calipers and the thought that maybe the Jag jobs overpower the back brakes.

I know there are a number of "competition" calipers available but these in some cases are not legal for street use.

I have been told some folks have used nissan alloy 4 piston calipers. These I'm told have a smaller pistons and pads than the Jag.

Anybody got any thoughts or solutions as to what to use and what machining needs be done to get them to fit the Jag uprights?.

[Aussie Mike]

I had a look at some 300ZX calipers a while back with the same idea. There are a few things to consider with these calipers. The 300ZX runs 32mm thick discs where the Jag has 26mm so the calipers might need shims behind the pads or split the calipers and machine one half to slim them down. Pistons for these calipers are very expensive so make sure the set you get are in tip top condition.

Appart from that, if you can get them for a bargain basement price then go for it. Check the prices for new Wilwood or AP Calipers before you jump in though as some of them aren't that expensive.

Cheers

[Rebel1]

Hey Uncle Mike Thanks for the reply.

I was under the impression that the AP's or willwood calipers were not "legal" for street use in Oz.

Or is that just the racing versions of their calipers?.

[mylesdw]

As far as brake balance goes, you can just fit an adjustable pressure limiting valve in the front brake circuit. When I built mine the factory suggested this and it works a treat. They explained that the set up of the chassis means there is very much less weight transfer under braking than say a saloon car so you don't need nearly so much brake bias transfer from back to front.

[Aussie Mike]

The legality problem revolves around the lack of dust seals in many of the aftermarket calipers. The AP calipers are OK suposedly because they are one of the few that have dust seals.

It's often a case of the engineer not knowing quite what he's looking at. A Wilwood caliper may get through if you disguise it as something else. Stick a couple of Tickford wing emblems on them and say they came froma Falcon.

Cheers

[Mando]

When I was considering brakes my engineer asked me to send him all the technical info on the Wilwoods I was looking at. I gave him all the info available on the net and he was more than happy to give them the green light. You may be right Mike and he didnt know what he was looking at! Oh well, to late.

Regards.

[justbetter]

See Next Box

[justbetter]

I Got Wilwood, and they gave them a tick in the " How to stop this thing" Box

[Rebel1]

Hey fellas..thanks heaps for your suggestions.

The wilwoods and AP's etc are an easy decision if I was looking for improved braking.

But..

Like Myles. I'm looking at reducing front brake effort but I'd like to achieve this by replacing the calipers with some that use a smaller pad. I'd also like to save some caliper weight at the same time.

I have had a suggestion some cobra owners with jag suspension are using alloy nissan calipers. Have also had the suggestion of using the earlier (smaller) jag caliper but of course..they're iron so reasonably heavy.

Maybe this is the reason that some overseas cobra dont use brake boosters.

You are dead set right Myles. The RMC does not seem to transfer sufficient weight to the front ...it just locks the front wheels way before the rears even get a chance to brake.

Mr. NASSTY was somewhat right in another tread in that he commented that stickier tyres are the solution. You are more correct in saying that it is a weight transfer problem. The front tyres are not experiencing the increased weight during braking so dont have the increased stickyness.

I might just add this to the list of jobs for scotty when he gets to do some chassis work on the thing.

Thanks again Guys.

Cheers