Nick M Posted May 22, 2002 Share Posted May 22, 2002 For some reason, and I think it's down to the rear caliper piston sizes, there is an element of rear brake bias on SEiW cars (that's probably a massive over-generalisation but I've seen several cars where this is the case). Fitting 4 pot calipers to the front will redress this bias issue, but you need to be sure the calipers are compatible with your standard master cylinder - you could end up with a long pedal if you're not careful. That said, the Bremsport calipers should be OK, and Wilwoods definitely are. Not sure about the Cat Motorsport ones but I'm sure Andy can confirm one way or the other - I'd be surprised if they don't work well with the standard master cylinder to be honest. So, assuming you don't need to swap the master cylinder, it's just a case of taking the old calipers off (two bolts and the brake hose) and bolting the new ones on (two bolts, the brake hose and maybe an adapter for the brake hoses). You then need to bleed the system. You might want to consider new discs at the same time - there's no need for vented discs - but if your existing discs are still well within tolerance then I wouldn't bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted May 22, 2002 Share Posted May 22, 2002 Mine failed SVA 2 years ago on brake balance and the tester told me that a lot of Westies were pretty borderline. Westfield must have been having a bit of SVA trouble with this at the time as they took my car in FOC, fitted a mini compensator (on the t-piece bracket under the bootbox - fits nicely) and paid for and took my car to the retest. Told me at the time that they were going to make this standard fitment but, AFAIK, they haven't done. Have to say that my brakes are pretty good - reasonably hard pedal and fronts lock up just before rears. So, seems to me that you may not need any fancy calipers for brake balance, only for the reduction in unsprung weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Salisbury Posted May 23, 2002 Share Posted May 23, 2002 About 70% of braking effort on all cars is done by the FRONT brakes. This is because of weight transfer. As you brake, the weight of the vehicle transfers forwards. ( this is why heavy braking causes the car to stand on its nose). On no account do you want the braking biased to the rear. This will not only cause extremely poor deceleration, but can be very dangerous if the rears lock up. you will probably see the rear of the car overtaking you in an energency! too much rear bias will seriously affect stopping distances. the only time you would want to bias towards the rear is on a rally car or similar for loose surface use when you want to provoke the rear to slide into corners. (rear wheel drive). The standard M16 calipers and solid discs are more than adequate for a westfield - brakes are designed for MAXIMUM vehicle weight - i.e., the car plus passengers. In a cortina, this is a vehicle which weighs more than twice a westy PLUS 4 occupants. You only need four pots and vented discs etc if you are going serious racing. If you put them on a westy for road/occasional track use, you are wasting your money. Hope this helps Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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