2fittyZ

Check it out These are like $1300 less than those "evolution" brakes.

http://www.arizonazcar.com/350zbrakes.html

I bet you will be hard pressed to see $1300 difference in braking performance, plus these look pretty *****en too. Have to see if he can get both rotor hats in the same color, but other than that they look pretty cool

OH and this guy has been selling Willwood brakes for Z's for over 20 (yes TWENTY thats not a typo) years. Pretty sure he knows what he's doing.

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

These are brakes for a track only car (essentially) since it eliminates the parking brake.

Also ... what is your affiliation with this company?

2003z

iTrader: (7)

I don't think you really need a parking brake for daily driving either. Just park with it in gear.

Its great to see them making 350Z stuff, they have made quality 240Z stuff for years!

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

I guess the hilly areas that I park here have just made me always think about my parking brake.

If I was back in Indiana .. these would be GREAT (read: flatlands) ... but I park on a 9% grade everynight ... and I like my brakes for that ... and there is no way I am doing the "wheel to curb" brake method ... it scares the hell out of me

2003z

iTrader: (7)

you have a point there.

Skrill

Wilwood brake calipers flex, do not have dust boots (requireing more frequest rebuilds) and are generally not as good as Stoptech, AP Racing, Brembro, etc.

There is a reason they are cheaper.

mojo powered

iTrader: (2)

and the rears on this kit is not the same as the kit Evolution sells..

note the 12.2" rotors vs the 13" rotors with 4 piston calipers on the Evolution's kit.

The 4 piston caliper on the 12.2" kit looks smaller in size with smaller pistons.

DocofMind

The new generation Wilwood calipers are far more rigid than the older versions. They also offer much better clearance for different wheel fitments as they are radially mounted.

Dust boots melt on the track anyhow and become useless within a few sessions. The boots themselves can actually cause a piston to seize.

Regardless, the new generation calipers are available with dust boots. So if thats a concern for you, it can be resolved as well

Oh yes, both the 14" and 13" Evolution kits retain the E Brake too.

2fittyZ

JimRHIT

I have no affiliation with them I just own a few of there brakes. I have 2 Datsun 240 z's. Both have Willwood brakes.

Yea Im sure they are of lesser quality than the others, thats why drag racers have been using them for almost 30 years, Stoptech was founded in 1999, AP's price is that even relavent, and brembo Im not sure they compete in this price range either.

Either way I drove a car with these brakes and they definately feel way better than the stock mush buckets in initial contact and modulation.

Besides 1st gear and a Line lock would out perform your little stock drum e brake any day. Hill or no hill.

Just thought it would be of interest to you guys, enjoy.

ColecatZ

iTrader: (1)

Here is an option that fits under the 17" stock wheels (6 piston) www.350zbrakes.com

Jeff@Evolution

Blue 03 Z

I installed a set of these on an SS camaro and it was a nightmare. The banjo bolts were to long, had to cut them and trace them. Then the aluminum threads are really soft, ended up heli-coiling all of the calipers. They stop good but no e-brake and really noisy. They squealed so much I wouldn't use them for anything but a strictly track car. Just my .02

Skrill

The fact that Wilwood had a generation of calipers that flexed terribly (and brought that product to market) already tells me that I don't want to buy there product -- ever.

Yes -- dust boots melt on the track. Bt not immediately, and they are nice, inexpensive things to have on a street car brake system.

Talk to folks that take their cars to the track and that really know their stuff. I know guys with race cars that run Wilwoods that never run them on a street car. And would run something else, if anything else fit.

Again -- I would look elsewhere, and not be fooled by the price. If you just want the bling of a BBK -- then I suppose Wilwood will do the trick.

Just my opinion.

AZC

There seems to be a substantial amount of misinformation floating around on the web regarding our brake kits and also Wilwood calipers, I would like to address some of this:
As the owner of ARIZONAZCAR.COM I have approximately
22 years experience with making racing brake kits for Nissan's Sports cars.
During that time we have sold well over 1000 kits in dozens of countries world wide including
Australia, Japan , England, Kuwait, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada , and many others, including all 50 US states.

Wilwood calipers have always provided an outstanding combination of performance,
weight, and cost. They have continued to evolve over the years and In my opinion the current crop of Forged Superlite, Billet Superlite 6 , and Dynalite calipers are world class in performance and quality.

Out of the over 5000 Wilwood calipers sold by Arizona Z Car since about 1983, I think
we have sold 3 or 4 rebuild kits. I personally had one set on 3 different cars (both race and street) over a 7 year period and never had any reason to rebuild them , AFTER 7 YEARS THEY WERE STILL IN GREAT SHAPE WHEN I SOLD THEM USED TO ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS!

I know of no reason for an additional seal, the O-rings completely seal out dirt,
water, dust etc., air can not get past the o-rings.

With the current ceramic pads I include, brake squeal is virtually nonexistent.
I can also supply higher temperature ( harder ) pads for track use only that may produce squeal that would be objectionable on the street.

I've had them on my street cars for 22 years and can outbrake anything on the road.
I currently have them on my 300ZX, 350Z and my 240SX

we've had hundreds of customers use them in full out competition such as GT2, and IMSA, also in open track events, solo , autocross, and hill climbs and endurance races.

Wilwoods are used on Super Modifieds, Winston Cup cars, Craftsman trucks, sprint cars, sports racers, and Nascar teams with budgets in the tens of millions of dollars .
Here's some links you should really look at:

http://www.martinandkenseth.homestead.com/mcar.html
http://www.martinandkenseth.homestead.com/kwccar.html
http://www.listercars.com/1951%20F100.htm
http://www.dalejarrett.com/team.asp
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=1162
http://www.expertimages.com/dw17/car.htm
http://www.quinnracing.com/garage.htm read about the supermodified

I hope this was informative, I think it very unfortunate that in general there are so many posts on the various boards from those with no firsthand knowledge of the subject.
Dave

DocofMind

Skrill, as with the evolution of any product, they should get better with time. The fact that Wilwood is constantly improving their product line only tells you that they are constantly looking forward.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Wilwood themselves does not produce many complete brake kits. There are many companies that buy their components and build their own packages for vehicles not in Wilwoods line. Sometimes, people who arent too keen on the science involved in assembling these kits, do so anyhow. What ends up happening is that you get a kit on the market not put out by Wilwood or a knowledgable company that puts a blemish on Wilwoods reputation.

Wilwood offers so many different calipers with different piston diameters that it is easy to make a mistake. We take a different approach. We actually try different piston diameters on each vehicle to ensure our designs work on the street and the track and maintain the proper balance of the vehicle without the aid of proportioning valves.

Here is a pic of one of the new "Booted" calipers.



"This specially configured Superlite SL4R narrow body caliper features an increased bridge radius to allow proper pad alignment and bridge clearance for use with 13.00" to 14.00" diameter rotors. A special body design is used with 16 mm pads to provide the narrowest possible profile for tight clearance applications. Radial mounting simplifies adaptation and provides two planes of adjustment for accurate alignment over the disc. These calipers integrate "Big Brake" style with Wilwood's latest technology to generate big stopping power over a broad range of custom, high performance, and off road vehicle applications.

A key to the superior performance of the SL4R comes from the extremely durable and efficient body design. It is the product of computer generated solid modeling and FEA stress analysis technology. A reinforced radial transition from the piston bore housings to the closed end bridges has produced the strongest Superlite caliper bodies ever built. Additional strength and resistance to deflection comes from the four high-strength steel end bridge bolts. A fifth center bridge bolt provides even more overall strength and easy access to the pads without the need to remove the caliper from the mount.

This special group of SL4R calipers is assembled with machined aluminum pistons and rubber dust boots. Coated aluminum is lightweight with high resistance to corrosion and fast heat dissipation qualities. The dust boots seal out all debris to keep the pistons and caliper bores running smooth in the harshest environments. High temperature square faced bore seals have the largest possible sealing area and provide controlled piston retraction on release. Three piston bore options are available to match the fluid and brake clamping bias requirements of any custom vehicle application.

In addition, each SL4R is equipped with SRS bridge plates. SRS plates eliminiate all bridge wear caused by pad gauging and extend the service life of the caliper. The spring-loaded action of the SRS plates also eliminates pad rattle and dampens the harmonic vibrations that contribute to pad squeal. Two piece bleed screws and dampened fluid tubes are recess mounted to shield them from track debris and other potential damage sources. A full range of PolyMatrix pad compounds is available to match the brake response and heat range of any competition or sports driving application."

Nano

iTrader: (1)

Everything evolves. I would be worried if any brake manufacturer would be selling the same calipers for the last 15 years. Look at the 350z, in 3 years even major components went through 4-5 generation of evolution, and parts could be at double that number. And it's like this for all car manufacturers. Materials processes evolve too and it's correct that products evolve with them. If generation 2 wasn't perfect, doesn't mean generation 3 sucks

From what I understand the newest wilwood calipers are extremely advanced and well designed and I know quite a few people who use them flawlessly on the track, AND on the street. They are next to indestructible if taken care carefully.

Notice that wilwood sells bulk calipers and components. It's obvious there are more chances of an asshat building a shitty kit and then complaining, then someone else buying the finished engineered thing from stoptech, brembo, rotora, etc...

This kit is not the same thing! I searched everywhere on s2000 boards for brakezone wilwood kit complaints and couldn't find one. Everyone was blown away by the quality and performance of these kits.

One thing that seems rampant, is disinformation. Give credit where it's due dude, why the hate?