Mankee Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 As above really. Looking into the big-disc Wilwood and Hi-Spec kits using 265mm and 260mm discs, respectively. But wondering if the discs are off-the-shelf OE parts or custom jobs manufactured specifically for the kits? Trawled through a few brake catalogues but none of the dimensions match the original 232mm x 10mm Triumph discs with 66.7mm centre bore and 26.2mm total height. Don't really need big discs to be honest, so will probably stick with standard discs. Just thinking out loud and wanting to lose some weight from the heavy standard calipers. And my wallet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 HiSpec do a direct replacement caliper to fit on the standard 232 disc The brake pipes will need to be changed as well as they don't use the banjo connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankee Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Hello Q102. Yes, that's going to be my top option I think. And change the rear calipers for Ultralite 2-pots (as I don't need a handbrake), the bonuses being much lighter in weight, using the same dimensions of discs and pads front and rear and OEM parts being plentiful. My only worries are getting the brake balance right and Hi-Spec build quality/customer service, but I'm willing to give them a shot so that I can see for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Had no issues with quality or customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Hi mankee, Another thumbs up for the Hi Spec 4 pot Ultralight calipers using M1144 pads and standard discs. Had a set for 3 years and they are good. An option you could look at, and rather kicking myself for not going down this route originally, is to use Vitesse/GT6 discs. 245mm diameter and bolt striaght on to the hub with the right bore, bolt pcd and total height. Be aware that the discs are 1/2" thick and that you will also need to check with Hi-Spec for correct lug length to take account of the slightly larger disc diameter. The Ultralight 4 Princess mount looks to be the answer. Good luck, Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave McCulloch Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Phil Do you know if those would fit with 13" minilite wheels? Thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Biddle Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I can confirm that they are readily available, I bought some recently, and that was a mistake because mine are 280MM DIA. I will post them in for sale one day. You say you don't need bigger discs, but the bigger they are, in terms of diameter, the more control you will have over braking effort. If you are going to upgrade, fit the biggest ones that will under your rims, you will be amazed at the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Dave, With my 232mm discs, Ultralight calipers and 13" Minilights, there is about 17mm clearance. A 245mm disc would only need 7mm. Also my car originally had 245mm discs with iron Princess calipers and no clearance problems under 13" wheels. Before anyone asks why did I change, the answer is unsprung weight. I replaced iron calipers and hubs with alloy units and went for the standard discs, which reduced the unsprung weight by almost 12lbs per side. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave McCulloch Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thanks Phil. Been looking on the Hi Spec website and they also do a kit with 260mm disks - based on your clearance figures they should fit ok. Decisions, decisions! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil66 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I have to agree with Mike here - for me, control is the key and I've ordered the 260mm set on the grounds that the larger the disc, the better the brake leverage => the better the leverage, the better the ability to modulate the brakes - and thatis the primary reason for my upgrade. I haveto feel what's happening during braking... Whilst there's nothing wrong with the powerof the standard Spitfire brakes (ie. they have the ability to lock the wheels); I cannot abide their 'wooden' feel: dead, dead, dead, locked - arrrgh! It's impossible to hold them at that point justbefore lock-up... Dave: I'm also fitting them under 13" 'minilites' but it could be tight (finger's crossed)... In the desire to shed unsprung weight, I do have a contingency plan of moving to 3-piece splits someday; so if the brakes don't fit, this contingency will move immediately to the top the upgradeitis priority list! Mankee: good luck in your decisions - it's not easy when you're almostguessing...! Edited by - Neil66 on 7 Feb 2012 08:21:20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I have the HiSpec 260 solid disk (10mm thick) and Ultralight 4 calipers with 13" Caterham minilights, no clearance problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave McCulloch Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Q102 That's great - thanks. They're working out at £491 including VAT - so almost £200 cheaper than the Caterham AP big brake kit. Are you happy with the 260 kit? Did it all fit without drama? And how do you find the brakes compared with the standard Caterham (Spitfire) front brakes? And finally, what pads are you running in them, and what have you done with the rears to maintain brake balance? Thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 It might also be worth having a chat with Paul Richards of this parish who fitted the big Hi-Spec disks and callipers relatively recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 That does look good .... is it really £150 extra for any colour of caliper other than silver ????? Assume the Mintex 1144 pads are the ones to go for ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I bought the HiSpec kit as I had fitted a SPC TracSport axle in my car - originally had the Ital live axle - so I now had disc brakes at the back. Rear brakes had a larger surface area than the and was locking the rears first No issues fitting the kit, started off with M1144's but now running DS2500 . I have now fitted a bias valve in the rear circuit as can still lock the rears first in the wet. Edited by - Q102 on 7 Feb 2012 09:22:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankee Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Some interesting thoughts guys. Looks like the minor weight penalty with the 260mm Hi-Specs are well worth it. Can you get the replacement discs elsewhere other than Hi-Spec themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave McCulloch Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 SM25T - that was my thought too about the price difference - if you look at individual calipers rather than the kit the price difference seems to be only £25 per caliper - so I'm not sure how a £50 difference translates to £150....... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Probably plain discs too ? I have just e.mailed them to ask (they are only 2 miles down the road from me !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankee Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Ian, let us know what you find out. PS. Did you utter the words "buy" and "bulk" in your email to them...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I could do when they reply. Sounds like a garage full of brake kits coming up ... for distribution on my travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil66 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Quoting Stationary M25 Traveller: Probably plain discs too ? I have just e.mailed them to ask (they are only 2 miles down the road from me !) Good luck with getting a reply - you might be better to phone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 ok - thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Just spoken to Hi-Spec. 260mm Economy kit has anodised calipers, plain discs and doesn't include pads, hoses or brake fluid. Adding in the M1144 pads gives a price of £374.35 including VAT. 260mm Regular kit includes all the bits and has calipers polished before finish coating in a pretty colour. With grooved discs, M1144 pads and VAT, and no carriage, I reckon the list price is £541.15 With plain discs, this would be £481.75 I reckon. You can buy the economy kit and add in all the bits, which will cost less than the regular kit, but you will still have the lesser finish on the calipers. They quote a lead time of 28 days, but claim to usually achieve 2 weeks from order. Orders can be collected to avoid carriage. Bulk buys - yes they can offer discounts of 10-15-20% for total order values of £2500-3000-4000 respectively, but they can't handle multiple orders to make this up. They want to deal with one buyer and get one lot of payment. The kits don't have to be the same - the order can be made up of any products. Thoughts from the floor ? Edited by - Stationary M25 Traveller on 7 Feb 2012 17:49:56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil66 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Darn - I've already got my orders in...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankee Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Thanks for the effort Ian! Economy kit has anodised calipers, plain discs and doesn't include pads, hoses or brake fluid. This ^^^ in the 260mm option is spot-on for me as I want to select my own pads, make my own hoses and use my own fluid. Plus I don't want pretty-looking calipers, just ones that do the job. I'll happily help out with arranging the group buy, collecting money, collecting the parts, sending out kits etc., but it will depend on time scales and what other prospective Hi-Speccers would like to do as I've not got a spare £500 to lash out on brakes until probably May/June time. ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now