K-Sport on FWD

[ictponder]

Their website lists brake kits for the FWD cars but has anyone here ever put a set on one? When it says that an 18" wheel is required for a 14" kit is that an absolute must or do some wheel have more clearance? Also, can I upgrade the front brakes without doing the rears?

14 Inch ProComp Front Big Brake Kit (http://www.ksportusa.com/asp/brake_kits_detail.asp?product_id=bk02) is what I was interested in.

[MR2]

the reality is the larger you go on the front the smaller you need on the rear...might need to play with brake distro though (possibly)

the way I see it your break upgrade does not matter if it's a TT or NA...just one is more likely to driven wildly :p

[Pensky3thousand]

Yes, you can just do the front.

[IPD]

yes, you can do just the front. yes, you will almost certainly need 18" wheels.

adding larger brakes on the front only will likely change the brake bias forward. this isn't an issue if you're stopping in a straight line, but it could come into play on a road-course or other such. my opinion is that larger brakes on the front is best paired with larger (though not quite as large) brakes on the rear. the gist of it is that if you increase clamping force on one axle by 50%, you should increase clamping force on the other by 50% also. if you don't, it alters the brake bias. you want a balanced bias...so that your car will stop in the shortest distance under all braking conditions.

[MR2]

only reason to increase the size of the rear brake kit is if your exceeding it's limitations...else adjusting brake bias will do everything you need??

[IPD]

adjusting brake bias is much easier said than done. additionally, adjusting the brake bias to compensate for better front brakes only "gimp's" the front brakes.

[ictponder]

Thanks for the info.


the reality is the larger you go on the front the smaller you need on the rear...might need to play with brake distro though (possibly)

the way I see it your break upgrade does not matter if it's a TT or NA...just one is more likely to driven wildly :p

So you think my stock brakes will work just fine for Autocross?

[MR2]

I'd say stock rear with upgraded front....your money for rear brakes would be best spent elsewhere :p

[GTOJOE]

would be cheaper if you just upgrade to 2nd gen TT brakes all round. If it's an NA FWD car then I can;t see any possible reason to go bigger than 2nd gen.

[ictponder]

I already bought a set of 1st gen TT front calipers/spindles but realized (after I bought them) that they do not fit with my rims. So they are sitting on a shelf in the garage lol

[GTOJOE]

Email ksport and ask for a fitment card for the brake upgrade your looking for then you can see if they will fit your wheels. IIRC there is a 13" upgrade maybe they will fit under your current wheels?

[MR2]

sell them to a Magna driver :p

[IPD]

n/a brakes have the stopping power (mostly) but they don't have the stamina. not by a long-shot.

[MR2]

GTwizard

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
I run NA brakes. Upgraded with EBC rotor and yellew stuff pads and 3SX sst lines. You really don't need those heavy VR4 stuff. And they will slow you down in the 1/4.
It is always best to upgrade front with rears. And that rule of thumb were as the bigger fronts you got the smaller the rears. That's nonsence. If you do that you upset the balance of apples in the cart.
Treat your brakes with respect. There is nothing, Nothing more important than brakes. If you go red stuff, do all for corners, or yellow stuff all for corners. What ever type you run, do all four corners.

Rule of thumb? what? the only reason to upgrade any brakes is usually due to you exceeding the thermal capacity of the pad/caliper combo or the rotor itself...assuming the brakes can hold enough pressure to lock up the wheel itself.

[IPD]

he's talking about brake bias. needing a larger thermal heatsink is a great reason to upgrade the fronts; however, doing ONLY the fronts will almost always shift the brake bias forward....reducing maximum stopping power. this is only countered by resetting the brake bias (which is difficult) or upgrading to brakes which are known to be balanced (vr4 1g or 2g, stoptech, etc).

[ictponder]

I have looked and I'm sure it's been asked before, but is K-Sport the only place that makes big brakes for the NA?

If I had the money I would just upgrade to the TT spindles and get some Stoptechs, Brembo, etc... but then I need new wheels/tires on top of all that cost. I want to try Autocross/Track but not with what I have now.

[IPD]

lots of places make n/a bbk upgrades. for the cost though, i'd upgrade to 2g tt brakes and call it a day. you'll save $$$ and get the next best thing. many owners swear by the 2g tt brakes--with upgraded rotors/pads. and they're technically correct. larger than 2g tt brakes is for most owners a cosmetic improvement. additionally, 13" rotors aren't a sizable upgrade...so you'd really have to move to 14" (355mm) bbk to really "upgrade" beyond 2g tt brakes.