I am working on the next phase of my racecar project. This is the brake
phase. It will serve two purposes. First it will remove unsprung weight and
total vehicle weight. Secondly it will increase braking capacity. Thirdly it
will give more wheel clearance. Autocross does not require tremendous braking
capacity. Over the course of 60 seconds there may be three 60-20mph hard
braking areas. The desired performance is a system that requires no warm-up,
has good initial bite, and has no fade.
I am currently running modified stock front brake calipers and a 280Z 7/8"
master cylinder. The calipers and front rotors have been modified to fit
inside my 13" wheels. The stock calipers are around 10 pounds each and have
two 2-1/8" pistons. The pad availability and selection is poor for autocross
racing performance requirements.
I want to replace the calipers with light weight aluminum ones. The two
candidates I have narrowed my search to are the Outlaw 1000 and the Wilwood
Dynalite.
The Outlaw 1000 contains two 1-3/4" pistons and weighs 1-1/2 pounds. I think
the braking capacity will be acceptable but the pedal effort will be too
high.
The Wilwood contains four pistons and different piston sizes and weigh 3
pounds. The 1-1/2" pistons give identical piston area as the 2-1/8" roadster
brakes. The pedal effort will be the same as the current setup.
My questions are:
1. What size master cylinder would work well with the Outlaw 1000? It would
have to be smaller than the OEM 5/8" Roadster unit. I would like to keep the
stock mounting location and bolt spacing. Did a 510, 411, 310, 210, etc...
come with a smaller diameter MC that will fit? I can deal with metric vs.
standard fittings so it isn't an issue.
2. Will the smaller diameter two piston caliper perform as well as the larger
four piston one? Both will have similar swept area but the two piston one has
less pad area. It seems that the smaller pads will heat up faster and provide
maximum performance earlier than the larger pads.
I will be making custom brackets to hang the calipers. Will hanging them near
the lower ball joint help any? It will lower the center of gravity. Is there
a reason that most calipers are hung at the top of the rotor?
I'm leaning towards the Outlaw 1000 because it is lighter and costs less. I
just need some solid reasoning from the peanut gallery to support or discredit
my choice.
Thanks,
Andy Cost
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