Hey,has anyone bought and installed Willwoods new brake kit.I use the word kit, but it is not.All components,spindle,caliper and rotor [12,13 or 14 in] are bought separately.The 13 and 14 in rotors use the hats that are secured to the rotor.The forged narrow superlite 6R caliper.powdercoated,of course,are used.They also use a brake hose that must be used with these calipers.They are not cheap,Starting at about $2000 up depending on rotor size.We all know that the brakes on our trucks are okay for everyday use,but it is a good upgrade ?Any thoughts.
Willwood brake upgrade:
- Thread starter pokey
- Start date
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What brakes do you have NOW? JB3/JN3? JB5? JB6?
What vehicle? What booster--vacuum or hydroboost?
If you've got the hateful, crappy 254mm (10-inch) rear drums, THAT'S almost certainly the biggest problem, not so much the front brakes. Or maybe you've got the "good" 11.x Duo-Servo rear brakes, but the brake hose is plugged so they don't work.
Add to that the likelyhood that after all these years, the ABS may need PROPER bleeding, the existing front calipers may have sticky pistons, or the calipers may not slide properly on the mounting pins. Might be you could have a significant "upgrade" in braking power by scrapping the REAR brakes, and merely "fixing" the fronts so they work like they're supposed to.
In other words, it would be worth your time and effort to carefully inspect your existing brakes for defects; and if the fluid looks horrible as is so often the case, the calipers/wheel cylinders may be totaled inside where you can't see it easily.
Two Freaking Thousand dollars for fancy front brakes is silly if the big problem is in the rear; or if there's air trapped in the ABS unit, or if your front brakes are outright defective but could be economically repaired. And with extra-powerful front brakes, how are you going to maintain front/rear brake balance? Will those bigass rotors clear your wheels, or do you need new wheels and tires in addition?
Nope. Not my first choice.
What vehicle? What booster--vacuum or hydroboost?
If you've got the hateful, crappy 254mm (10-inch) rear drums, THAT'S almost certainly the biggest problem, not so much the front brakes. Or maybe you've got the "good" 11.x Duo-Servo rear brakes, but the brake hose is plugged so they don't work.
Add to that the likelyhood that after all these years, the ABS may need PROPER bleeding, the existing front calipers may have sticky pistons, or the calipers may not slide properly on the mounting pins. Might be you could have a significant "upgrade" in braking power by scrapping the REAR brakes, and merely "fixing" the fronts so they work like they're supposed to.
In other words, it would be worth your time and effort to carefully inspect your existing brakes for defects; and if the fluid looks horrible as is so often the case, the calipers/wheel cylinders may be totaled inside where you can't see it easily.
Two Freaking Thousand dollars for fancy front brakes is silly if the big problem is in the rear; or if there's air trapped in the ABS unit, or if your front brakes are outright defective but could be economically repaired. And with extra-powerful front brakes, how are you going to maintain front/rear brake balance? Will those bigass rotors clear your wheels, or do you need new wheels and tires in addition?
Nope. Not my first choice.
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I did not include year/make/model in my post because I am not having any brake problems with my truck.I put it out there to see if anyone in our community has heard of Wilwoods new brake system,or has had any experience with it, nothing more.Maybe someone will find Schurkey's words helpful.This was never meant to be asking for help.I would think that anyone reading this,would have enough mechanical background to check all of the problem areas that were listed,if they had a problem.So again, what are your thoughts on Wilwood's new brake package for 88-98 GMT 400'S.
thegawd
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you would think that most people would go through the steps that Schurkey listed. it seems though that many people are quick to swap the MC blindly not even know anything about brake RPO codes and how many differences there actually are.
I know nothing about willwoods, sorry.
I know nothing about willwoods, sorry.
