Is the Wilwood Big Brake kit worth it? I was thinking about getting one because they are reasonably priced. Anyone have it?

 

i you dont autocross and can without the bling bling factor....you don't need them. Stock ones work great.....bigger is not necessarily better.

Fluid and better pads plus steel braided hoses can give you a similar feel.

 

even if you are autoxing, its not necessary, BBK's biggest benefit for a driver is during track days by withstanding more temperatures... my wilwood 12.16 bbk didnt help me any on the autox, but it made a world of difference on the track as i can go on longer without pitting

of coze... if u are just buying for bling, buy what you want!

 

well then..Bling Bling! haha I just love the look. The price isnt too bad ethier.

 

Man, everytime you ask for a simple answer you get shot down. Tough crowd! I'm sure that what they say is correct, but man do they look great!
Bling Bling!

 

The Wilwood Kits are great. I used them on both race cars this year. They work so well and yes they do look good. The most important thing is that you decide on what wheels your going to use. As some wheels will not clear without a spacer. I've sold a lot of these kits and customers just love them.

 

Im going to buy some new rims. Then Im going to look into the wilwood brake kit!

 

Actually, the top three finishers of the NAMCC all used Wilwood 11.75 kits. Mine used a 1" thick rotor, but the caliper was the same.

You can't beat the pad choice. The price helps too.

-Brian

 

check out my brakes. 6-piston mono-block forged calipers using carbo-tec
F-50 style race pads. 13.1'' 35mm wide slotted two-piece rotors with alluminum hats front. these brakes are impossible to fade on a 3500lb car!!
i love them!! and 12.1'' two piece slotted rotors with carbo-tec pads in the rear. eye ball removing stopping...

 

Also look at the BBK from Detroit Tuned. It is less expensive than the Wilwood, the rotor is bigger, fits most wheels and includes SS lines, front pads and Outlaw four piston front calipers. $900.00

 

Crazy Brakes!

 

How thick is the rotor? I had the Outlaw kit (which uses the DP caliper) but the rotor was so thick I had to buy really thin pads and ended up going through one set a race. The pad life may be to small for most with that kit.

-Brian

 

That's a good question.

Luckily having been in the brake kit business for over 13 years I can honestly tell you that it's a question customers have told me over and over....

"I didn't buy brakes at first, I got a....and a....then a.....and now I'm finally buying brakes. Man, if I'd known then what I do now, I'd have bought the brakes FIRST. Every time I step on the pedal I know right where my money went. I can't say that for all the go-fast parts I bought."

And it still holds true today.

 

that's not a good design to have thin pads. my pads are super thick and last longer than oem. this combination uses a very slim caliper so clearence is very good but does not affect pad thickness. my set up is very similar to the set up current porche 911's are using. i did notice the wilwood set up uses very thin rotors whill heat up fast which is bad for brake fade.

 

These things are great, they stop "Right Now" the first time and the 20th time & very little dust with the BP10 pads.

Nice thick rotors !!!!!

Thanks Todd, for a great product at a great price.



Bill

 

Before we drop too far off the deep end and begin to get data out that's not correct concerning aspects of these kits allow me to list the exact numbers of these kits for those who may become confused.

All Wilwood factory kits employ .620"/16mm pads. Larger TCE/Wilwood kits use an even larger .800"/20mm pad.

Factory Wilwood and TCE Plus 4 kits all come in 'narrow rotor' .81/20.5mm form for optimum wheel clearance options. TCE Plus 5 kits offer optional 1.10"/28mm wide rotors for the most hardcore of track users.

For daily drivers and even many track junkies the .81 rotor and it's mass has proven over and over to be more than ample for a car of this weight. While wider rotors DO offer greater thermal mass and more air flow they come with the inherit disadvantages of wheel fit and rotational weight. Weights of the 13" rotor rings alone jump from about 11.5lbs per unit to 14.5lbs per in 1.10" flavor, to about 17lbs per in a 1.25" width. Swinging the added mass of such large rotors effects other aspects of the vehicle and should be considered as well when reviewing your options.

Narrower pads can lead to both premature wear as well as greater heat trasfer to the caliper body. The Wilwood factory kits offer a very reasonable balance of pad to rotor relationship. The TCE kits bump this up also to control heat transfer.

 

What other aspects of the vehicle are affected?

 

This picture just makes me want them evern more! What did you do to the rear calipers?

 

Heck yes they are worth it! They are something like 11lbs lighter than stock Mini brakes on the fronts, thats unsprung weight! Not to mention how great the work compared to stock brakes. You can swap pads in just a couple minutes for track days, or, for simple pad swaps as needed.

I say, if you have the money and want to mod your Mini, this is one of the best bangs for the buck IMO.

 

I bought the 11.75 kit for my street/track MINI. I hope to not have to install in until after winter (hopefully MINI will come through with a set of stock brakes before warranty is out), but when I do install them, I'll post my impressions.

Can't imagine they'd be any different than we've heard from every other thread on this site about the brakes: overwhelming positives balanced by a few people who may not have bled all of their old brake fluid, thus affecting pedal feel.

mb

 

Like heavy wheels, larger rotors (and in most cases heavier ones are really what we are speaking of here) effect acceleration, braking and turning.

More mass equals more energy expended (lost) to get things rolling.
More mass equals more energy expended (inefficiency) to get things slowed.
More mass in rotation effects turning effort as it requires more effort to change its direction.

 

Are the 0.81 inch rotors more prone to warp than wider ones?

 

Not in the least. The 'warping' is build up of pad deposits upon the rotor surface deposited there by poor compound choice and baked in place by poor driving habits.

Steel rotors on the other hand actualy dish or 'potato chip' as steel will not remain flat when overheated. I personally ran some that did this and went to iron for that very reason. No more pulse.

 

TCE alll the way


Bill

 

I love those rims too! I must say you have one of the best Mini's I have seen! Where Can I get a good deal on the Wilwood kit?