zcarnut Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 One thing that help me out a great deal to know is if the 4-lug solid rear disc 300ZX rotors and the the 5-lug rear 300ZX rear rotors are the same offset and diameter. I assume you are talking about the solid Z31 rear 4 and 5 lug rotor. Yes, they have the same offset and diameter. The later Z31’s went to a vented rear rotor (5 lug) with the same diameter, but the offset is a little different (by 3mm). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Mine Motors Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 in the vented 300zx rotor kit since we have to use a spacer does it make the hub stick out more than it does when it's stock? becouse it says that it makes the wheel sit farther from the caliper. so does this mean that my wheels would stick out of the fender more then they do when my brakes are stock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 in the vented 300zx rotor kit since we have to use a spacer does it make the hub stick out more than it does when it's stock? becouse it says that it makes the wheel sit farther from the caliper. so does this mean that my wheels would stick out of the fender more then they do when my brakes are stock?The spacer goes between the rotor and the hub so it doesn't affect the position of the wheel on the hub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Mine Motors Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 does anyone know the measurments of the spacer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 does anyone know the measurments of the spacer?Off the top of my head I don't, but I know that has been discussed here before, perhaps even in this thread. I believe someone even posted the drawings if you want to make them yourself. I'd try searching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvanen Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 for the record the swats won't fit either, unless you grind or put another spacer in and thats on the vented rotor setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hard_knock_man Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Sure the plan have been posted before ! I have done the conversion with toy 4x4 S12+8 vented calipers and 300ZX rotors, and the famous spacer, it is perfect ! It's relatively easy, a french guy like me can do it !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z Turbo Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Turns out I just got S12-8 vented calipers with Z31 vented rotors. These use the same pads as the solid rotor S12-8, right? Are Hawk pads available for these or do I have to get Porterfields? Also, does anyone know if they are narrow enough to clear the 15x6 '81 ZXT snowflakes? Which rear brakes would be the best match for S12-8 calipers? 240SX calipers, 200SX calipers, 280ZX calipers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideways Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I cant really find a solid answer on this, hope no one minds if i ask here. Ill be diving into the 4x4 vented conversion soon- But what do i need to do about brake lines? Id like to use stainless steel lines of course, but can i use any 240z replacement stainless steel lines, or do i need to use the SS lines offered by modern motorsports? Are they the same lines and I just use some kind of adapter on the brake caliper? Any details would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRedZ Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 The 240sx rear calipers require brake lines with banjo fittings, so you will need the 240sx SS lines on the rear. The S12+8 calipers require the same fitting as the stock 240Z calipers, so 240Z SS lines on the front, unless you modify the S12+8 calipers for banjo fittings, and then you can use the 240sx SS lines on the front. See also: Toyota vented caliper fitting ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideways Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Ah thanks very much. Sometimes it helps to know "what" to search for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hatchet9mm Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks... much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z Turbo Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I'm trying to decide on brake pads. I have S12+8 vented calipers in front and S13 240SX calipers in the rear. '84 N/A 300ZX rotors all around. Stock proportioning valve and a 7/8 master cylinder. I want Porterfield R4-S in front. Should I keep the stock pads in the rear or go with R4-S's there too. If I kept the stockers, I could save $60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideways Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Id suggest going for the rears as well and spend the extra cash. Strong fronts and weak rears = poor performance. Ive never had that particular set up but i assume thats the set up itd give. You want the fronts to lock up before the rears, but only barely- Not locking up well before. Those rear tires are there so make good use of them otherwise braking could suffer big time. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z Turbo Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Id suggest going for the rears as well and spend the extra cash. Strong fronts and weak rears = poor performance. Ive never had that particular set up but i assume thats the set up itd give. You want the fronts to lock up before the rears, but only barely- Not locking up well before. Those rear tires are there so make good use of them otherwise braking could suffer big time. Just my 2 cents. They won't be weak no matter what. I want to use the stock proportioning valve if possible, so I don't want too much rear brake. I know the S12W front + 240SX rear guys can't get enough rear bias, but the S12+8 is different. I definately don't want the rear locking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 280Z Turbo, I hope I'm not out of line with what I'm going to say next, but I can't help but challenge you on the approach you're taking with your brakes. You obviously set out to improve the braking performance of your car, and by the picture in your signature, I can see you like to autocross, and perhaps track it. You've obviously invested some significant $$$ to do the caliper and rotor swaps, and you're looking at high quality front brake pads. Yet you want to continue to use a proportioning valve that was never intended to be used with any of the components you now have on the car. You're also looking to save a relatively small amount of money by using "stock" pads (which means you probably know nothing about their performance at elevated temps). If you look at the coefficient of friction vs. temp for brake pads you'll see that the premium pads have a much more linear coefficient over temp, and maintain it at higher temps, than "stock". This will matter on the track, especially with your turbo which will allow you to build speed faster than those of us with n/a engines. You want your brakes to behave the same across the broadest range of temps possible. My point to you is that I think you should finish your brake project properly and put an adjustable prop valve in, and use a quality brake pad on both ends, not just the rear. I will grant you that you have "erred" in the direction that is almost certain to result in your front brakes locking first (safer), but nonethess, you have also left some significant braking performance on the table, and have added another element of unpredictability into your rear brakes as temps rise. Again, I hope you don't take these comments personally, I just think that you've gone most of the way to building a safe and high performance brake system, and you should really take the last remaining steps that will give you another level of performance AND predictability on the track. Ok, I'm finished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z Turbo Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 First of all, I would never run the standard pads in the front. I'm going to run R4-S up there no matter what. I've run my car on track several times and I know the value of good pads. I used to run Hawk HPS up front, but the rotors just weren't good enough to keep the temps down. I always had standard Raybestos shoes in the back too. They never really got hot. This 240SX setup is still 10x better than my old drums no matter what pads I run. It can't be worse than it was before! I realize that brake proportioning via friction materials is less than ideal, but I am on a budget and my rebuilt 240SX calipers came loaded with normal pads. Frankly, I probably will just bite the bullet and pay $60 + $40 for the prop valve, but I don't really want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 FWIW, when I found a better pad for the rear so I could start to use the prop valve to get the brakes balanced, I noticed a much larger improvement in braking than I had expected. I had previously assumed that the fronts do most of the braking, and I'm sure that's true, but I was pleasantly surprised how much difference I felt when I had the rears helping too. As a point of reference, on our last club track day, a friend with an early Z like mine and a similar brake set up, but without an adjustable prop valve and using unknown pads in the rear, was braking much earlier than I at the end of a long straight leading into a sharp (>90 degree) right hander. I was seeing just over 100 mph before braking to about 35 and I'd guess I was braking at least 50 feet later than he was. Plus I was carrying more speed as my engine is stronger. We have similar tires and suspension components, and I'd rate him a slightly better driver than me, so I'll chock the difference up mostly to the pads. Glad to hear you're considering the rear pads/valve. I think you'll be glad you did on your next track day with them installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timek1m Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 quick question dont know if anyone is answering anything, but for the rear calipers with the 240sx? do you still need the control arm? should i remove it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjracin240 Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 I have been trying to find some answers as to what needs to be done to run the 280ZX calipers in the front of my 72 240Z? It seems like I read a thread on this before however I cannot find it. If I remember correctly the 280ZX calipers bolt right on then you use a 300ZX rotor that has to be machined to decrease its diameter. This to me seems like a much better solution for me than using the heavy truck calipers. I hope I am right on this also by using the rear 280ZX brakes you can use the 280ZX master cylinder as well as the proportioning valve. Allowing for better brake balance. This setup should be good for a car with appx 250HP Any help on this would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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