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I noticed a number of people coming to my site looking for information but sadly there wasnt alot to be had. I thought perhaps it was time to stop dissapointing people and write up my knowlege and experiences in a few articles. I`ll slowly grow the collection but most articles will be specific to S13 Silvias and 180SXs (seen as their chassis are virtually identical) as thats where the majority of my experience lies. I have experience and knowlege about corollas but you`re better off going to Rollaclub for that info! R33 GTSt brakes on (RP)S13 Silvia/180SX R33 GTSt brakes on (RP)S13 Silvia/180SX This is a pretty straighforward swap. Basically all bolt on. Really the only parts you will need is R33 GTSt or R32 GTR calipers and rotors which will set you back around $400. You can substitute these with S14/15 Z32 and R32 Type-M calipers and rotors however the rotors are not as big. S14/15 calipers are cast iron as are some Z32 calipers. The others should be alloy. The smaller rotors are 280mm by 30mm and the larger R33 GTSt/R32 GTR rotors are 296mm x 32mm (R33s are reportedly only 30mm, but DBA replacement part for them is 32mm so you shouldnt have a problem. I`ll measure mine later). If you feel that 296mm arent big enough (but trust me they are PLENTY!) and feel like splashing out this article also applies to the R33/34 GTR and R33 GTR Vspec II which run Brembo calipers on 324mm rotors 30mm thick. They would perhaps be a good upgrade if youre building a dedicated sprints or circuit car but complete overkill on a road car. Look to pay upwards of $2000 for these, depending on which model they come off. I believe a version of the new Z33 350Z also runs the same size brembos In preparation, as all these brake options come off 5 stud cars (5x114.3) the first thing you`ll need to do is have your rotors either redrilled, or purchase blank rotors brand new and have those drilled to your stud pattern. You can upgrade to 5 stud however thats a whole article in itself. Its easiest to get an engineering workshop to do the work for you, thats what I did. My way of thinking is that its alot easier for them to do it and its then guarinteed that it will fit properly. Cost me about $100 (you could get it cheaper if you shopped around). Alternatively you could try and do it yourself by clamping your old rotors onto the new ones, lining up the common hole and using a drill press...much easier to get someone else to do it!! Onto putting them on the car. First you`ll need to take off your old brakes. Start by undoing the banjo bolt which is a 12mm bolt that attaches the brake line to the caliper. You can either just let the brake fluid drip out into a container (you`re going to have to bleed them later anyway) or try to clamp it GENTLY! Next is two 21mm bolts that attach the calipers to the steering arm/spindle/hub/whatever you want to call it. That should allow the caliper to slide off the rotor. Next the rotor should slide off. If its a bit tight you can find a couple of bolts that fit in the threaded holes on the rotor. Doing the bolts up in the holes should push the rotor off the hub. Now! If you`ve still got splash plates on your car you`re going to have to remove them. To do this you`ll have to remove the hub (or get very angry with an angle grinder). To take the hub off you`ll need to carefully take off the cap over the bolt. I use a fine blade screwdriver and gently work at it. Once off you`ll see the bolt, secured with a split pin. Take the split pin out (you should replace these each time you remove them!) and then get a socket onto the bolt. I cant remember exactly how big it is but its up around 30mm! It`ll be pretty tight to get off. Once off remove the washer, taking note of which way round it goes. I dont think it matters a whole lot, but its best not to find out the hard way! The hub should slide easily off now. The backing plate should be easy to remove now. Slide the hub back on, put the washer back on and do the bolt up equally as tight as it was to remove. You dont want that wheel coming off do you! Put a NEW split pin in to retain the bolt and replace the cap/cover. Now we`re onto putting the new brakes on. Slide your new rotors on checking that the pattern has been drilled correctly. I found R33 rotors stiffer to get onto the hub for some reason, just get your wheel nuts and bolt it down tightly. Spin it to see if it runs true. If its wobbling all over the place either it hasnt located properly or the rotors warped and will need to be replaced. With your rotors on you can put your calipers over. Make sure youve got pads in them obveously. I use Ferodo Excels which seem to work well. Now youre going to have to make a decision regarding how you use the banjo bolt. Theres really 2 options. Either you dig the little olive out of the bottom of the brake line attachment hole (I couldnt figure out how to get it out) or trim the banjo bolt. I went the trim option and I know a number of other people who have without issue. You should only have to take off about 2 threads. Make sure you clean it up before you try to bolt the brake line on. ----UPDATE---- I have since put braided lines on my car and found that removing the olive out of the bolt hole is achievable using an easy-out tool. I was under the impression that they were difficult to remove but they are infact very very simple to remove. I HIGHLY suggest you remove it instead of trimming your banjo bolt. I have replaced my trimmed banjo bolts with brand new full length ones. Much better for piece of mind. When attaching the line, make sure you have the copper washers either side of the brake line and try not to overtighten this bolt, the calipers only alloy after all! Bleed the system out and go for a cautious drive. You`ll notice the pedal is rather spoungy. You can either choose to put up with it/get used to it or install an R33 brake master however you`ll probably have to install the rears as they are larger 2 spot calipers. I think if you dont install the rears you`ll end up with a bad brake bias issue and end up locking the rears up frequently. Hopefully all went well for you! Enjoy! |