4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
08-12-2013, 05:13 PM
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Nice Efforts!
I did notice that the rotors are more "Lug Centric" rather than "Hub Centric." Have you experienced any ocillation from this? Or do they center up well enough?
I did notice that the rotors are more "Lug Centric" rather than "Hub Centric." Have you experienced any ocillation from this? Or do they center up well enough?
08-13-2013, 04:33 AM
#28
Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
A couple of questions, please.
1. You stated that the 350Z rotors were 30mm thick. Centric shows the ones they sell as either iron or aluminum, with the iron at 28mm and the aluminum at 32mm. I am guessing that yours are another brand which may have different specs?
2. Are the center of the 350Z rotors 68mm? I use hubs with a 70.1 center, so if they ones you used are 68mm then I can have them machined out.
I am looking at using these calipers with Enkei Tenjin wheels which have a LOT of wheel to caliper clearance so I am hoping to get away without any spacers.
1. You stated that the 350Z rotors were 30mm thick. Centric shows the ones they sell as either iron or aluminum, with the iron at 28mm and the aluminum at 32mm. I am guessing that yours are another brand which may have different specs?
2. Are the center of the 350Z rotors 68mm? I use hubs with a 70.1 center, so if they ones you used are 68mm then I can have them machined out.
I am looking at using these calipers with Enkei Tenjin wheels which have a LOT of wheel to caliper clearance so I am hoping to get away without any spacers.
06-04-2016, 11:38 AM
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
I hope these brackets are still available. CU2's are on the rise now that they have dropped in price so the demand is there. This mod will definitely fit my build
06-05-2016, 07:41 AM
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
I did a pretty explanatory writeup on this setup on some other forum. I'll try and find it.
Use fat cat customs brackets. Use a rotor for a 06 350Z WITH the brembo package. Not the "4 piston caliper" package. Buy rotors for the car with the actual Brembo caliper package.
The rotors do not have to be brembo brand. You're looking for the ones that are 30mm thick and 324mm in diameter.
Use fat cat customs brackets. Use a rotor for a 06 350Z WITH the brembo package. Not the "4 piston caliper" package. Buy rotors for the car with the actual Brembo caliper package.
The rotors do not have to be brembo brand. You're looking for the ones that are 30mm thick and 324mm in diameter.
09-23-2018, 01:21 PM
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Hello all,
I have just finished my first mod involving a part I made myself, so I am especially happy with the results!
I know this has been done before, but supposedly the guy that makes the required hardware is hard to find, and I thought it would be fun to try it on my own.
People with TSX's frequently try to put TL-S brembos on their car, but I wanted to go a different route that didn't require swapping spindles, ball joints, tie rods, etc, especially since the TL-S spindle geometry isn't identical to the TSX. Also, you are limited to a smaller rotor with the TL-S.
This identical setup would work on all years of TSX, late model accords, 8th gen civics, and possibly other cars.
Here is the stock front brake on the TSX. Standard issue Honda stuff, a two piece single piston caliper on a 11.8" x 1.1" rotor (300x28).
Attachment 441367
I got a spare TSX spindle from a junkyard, and used '06 RL calipers via car-parts.com for $200
Attachment 441368
Had I more patience, the route to go would have been disassemble the calipers, have them powder coated, and then rebuild them. However, after some wirebrush, masking tape, black high-temp paint, and a high-temp clearcoat, I was happy enough with the results.
Attachment 441369
The next-step was to draw up the bracket to mount the RL calipers to the TSX spindle. The RL calipers are radially mounted, which makes that easier. Others in the past have made an aluminum block with threaded holes - I just couldn't find a way to make that work in a way I was comfortable with. The bolts through the spindle and the caliper bolts fight for the same space, and both would have far fewer threads to grab then they should - in aluminum. So, in the end, I made a steel bracket, with threaded studs cut out of the billet. A (very) small fillet blends the studs into the bracket to reduce the likely hood of stress cracks. The threaded studs mount through the spindle, and the threaded holes accept the OEM caliper bolts for an RL. This made the bracket a little more expensive, but I felt this was an area that couldn't afford compromise. The weight difference is negligible.
Attachment 441370
Eventually, the brackets arrived. Here is the bracket with the nuts & washers for the spindle, and the OEM RL caliper bolts. I gave them a quick clear coat spray to keep the corrosion down.
Attachment 441371
Install time! The stock setup.
Attachment 441372
This is probably a ghetto way of doing it, but I couldn't get the screws off for the dust-shield... so I cut it off as close as I could to the hub. Ugly, but no one is going to see it.
Attachment 441373
Before bolting the bracket on, I took a wirebrush to the area shown in the pic. (I don't recommend the ergonomics shown here!) The bracket contacts parts of the spindle that the oem caliper bracket doesn't, and I wanted to make sure it was absolutely clear of corrosion, dirt, debris, etc, to make sure the bracket sat straight.
Attachment 441374
On goes the bracket.
Attachment 441375
OEM TSX rotor vs powerstop cross-drilled, cryo-treated 350Z brembo option rotor. 300x28 vs 324x30. The rotor is about 3lbs heavier. The caliper is probably at least 3 pounds lighter, so in my mind it worked out. If you were more baller then me, you could use two-piece rotors, but I wanted to make sure this was actually going to work before I dropped $700+ on a pair of rotors!
Attachment 441376
More comparison
Attachment 441377
Bam. No more set screws, so you can use a lug or two over a stack of washers to hold it in place while you work...
Attachment 441378
Or, if you have OEM wheels, you're gonna need the spacers to clear the calipers. Not a fan of the spacers, so new wheels are high on the list now.
Attachment 441379
Not much left to do except load up the caliper and bolt it on!
Attachment 441380
Factory RL calipers are 28mm thick... these are 30. They fit... but man its close. There is less then 1mm of clearance between the rotor and caliper. Clearance between the rim & caliper however, is more then enough with the 1" spacer. 10-15mm would probably have worked, but I didn't want to mess with extended studs for a temporary fix.
All done!
Attachment 441381
I am still in the prescribed EBC break-in period, so I'm being nice to the pads. However, there are no surprises in the driving experience. Initial bite feels like normal new brakes, with a linear increase in braking torque as you apply more pedal pressure. Beyond a 'normal', gradual braking pressure, they are noticeably stronger then stock.
I know my car will not stop ANY sooner with this setup. I do however, have aspirations of participating occasionally in HPDE's, and hope this mod results in less brake fade, and better resistance to heat with the abuse that comes from track driving.
...and I can't help but say, they look fantastic.
Anyway, there ya go, thanks for reading.
I have just finished my first mod involving a part I made myself, so I am especially happy with the results!
I know this has been done before, but supposedly the guy that makes the required hardware is hard to find, and I thought it would be fun to try it on my own.
People with TSX's frequently try to put TL-S brembos on their car, but I wanted to go a different route that didn't require swapping spindles, ball joints, tie rods, etc, especially since the TL-S spindle geometry isn't identical to the TSX. Also, you are limited to a smaller rotor with the TL-S.
This identical setup would work on all years of TSX, late model accords, 8th gen civics, and possibly other cars.
Here is the stock front brake on the TSX. Standard issue Honda stuff, a two piece single piston caliper on a 11.8" x 1.1" rotor (300x28).
Attachment 441367
I got a spare TSX spindle from a junkyard, and used '06 RL calipers via car-parts.com for $200
Attachment 441368
Had I more patience, the route to go would have been disassemble the calipers, have them powder coated, and then rebuild them. However, after some wirebrush, masking tape, black high-temp paint, and a high-temp clearcoat, I was happy enough with the results.
Attachment 441369
The next-step was to draw up the bracket to mount the RL calipers to the TSX spindle. The RL calipers are radially mounted, which makes that easier. Others in the past have made an aluminum block with threaded holes - I just couldn't find a way to make that work in a way I was comfortable with. The bolts through the spindle and the caliper bolts fight for the same space, and both would have far fewer threads to grab then they should - in aluminum. So, in the end, I made a steel bracket, with threaded studs cut out of the billet. A (very) small fillet blends the studs into the bracket to reduce the likely hood of stress cracks. The threaded studs mount through the spindle, and the threaded holes accept the OEM caliper bolts for an RL. This made the bracket a little more expensive, but I felt this was an area that couldn't afford compromise. The weight difference is negligible.
Attachment 441370
Eventually, the brackets arrived. Here is the bracket with the nuts & washers for the spindle, and the OEM RL caliper bolts. I gave them a quick clear coat spray to keep the corrosion down.
Attachment 441371
Install time! The stock setup.
Attachment 441372
This is probably a ghetto way of doing it, but I couldn't get the screws off for the dust-shield... so I cut it off as close as I could to the hub. Ugly, but no one is going to see it.
Attachment 441373
Before bolting the bracket on, I took a wirebrush to the area shown in the pic. (I don't recommend the ergonomics shown here!) The bracket contacts parts of the spindle that the oem caliper bracket doesn't, and I wanted to make sure it was absolutely clear of corrosion, dirt, debris, etc, to make sure the bracket sat straight.
Attachment 441374
On goes the bracket.
Attachment 441375
OEM TSX rotor vs powerstop cross-drilled, cryo-treated 350Z brembo option rotor. 300x28 vs 324x30. The rotor is about 3lbs heavier. The caliper is probably at least 3 pounds lighter, so in my mind it worked out. If you were more baller then me, you could use two-piece rotors, but I wanted to make sure this was actually going to work before I dropped $700+ on a pair of rotors!
Attachment 441376
More comparison
Attachment 441377
Bam. No more set screws, so you can use a lug or two over a stack of washers to hold it in place while you work...
Attachment 441378
Or, if you have OEM wheels, you're gonna need the spacers to clear the calipers. Not a fan of the spacers, so new wheels are high on the list now.
Attachment 441379
Not much left to do except load up the caliper and bolt it on!
Attachment 441380
Factory RL calipers are 28mm thick... these are 30. They fit... but man its close. There is less then 1mm of clearance between the rotor and caliper. Clearance between the rim & caliper however, is more then enough with the 1" spacer. 10-15mm would probably have worked, but I didn't want to mess with extended studs for a temporary fix.
All done!
Attachment 441381
I am still in the prescribed EBC break-in period, so I'm being nice to the pads. However, there are no surprises in the driving experience. Initial bite feels like normal new brakes, with a linear increase in braking torque as you apply more pedal pressure. Beyond a 'normal', gradual braking pressure, they are noticeably stronger then stock.
I know my car will not stop ANY sooner with this setup. I do however, have aspirations of participating occasionally in HPDE's, and hope this mod results in less brake fade, and better resistance to heat with the abuse that comes from track driving.
...and I can't help but say, they look fantastic.
Anyway, there ya go, thanks for reading.
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