NA6 Big brake upgrade?

[mxfive]

Hi All,

The brakes on my 1993 NA 1.6 are covered in rust and are making a screeching sound as I pull up.

I have been wanting to upgrade to bigger brakes all round since I got it as it takes some stopping at the moment.

I have heard that Willwood and Brembo are good brands and that you can just bolt on a set of 1.8 brakes which are supposed to be bigger brakes but that is as much as I know.

I would rather get new equipment all round if I am going to do something about this.

What does everyone recommend I get?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Grant

[Boyracer]

Just get some 1.8 brakes with good pads...will do the job.

[scb]

Hi Grant

I have just finished my NA6 to NA8 brake upgrade project yesterday. Braking has improved considerably from the original brakes and I have only done 10kms round the block so they still need to be fully bedded in.

I went with:
NA8 calipers
RDA slotted rotors
Hawk HP+ pads
Goodridge stainless steel brake lines
Castrol super DOT 4 brake fluid

I am based in Carseldine just off Graham Rd if you want to pop round to go for a drive

Cheers Stewart

[Jeo]

Just get the NA8 upgrade. More than enough stopping power unless you're chasing those 10ths of a second.

[Juffa]

There are a number of options open to you.

1. Have your current brakes inspected. Rust on the rotor centre is not unusual, or even on the body of the calipers/pistons. But if the rotors themselves have rust then something is wrong as using the brakes should keep them clean. The rear brakes need inspection at least once a year as the slider pins can corrode and seize. If they do seize the rear brakes basically stop working and you are left with only the front brakes trying to stop the whole car. Also if the brake fluid is old the brakes will work less efficiently as brake fluid absorbs water, and the water reduces the boiling point.

2. If the inspection doesn't turn up anything then try some upgraded brake pads.

3. The next step is to replace the rotors with slotted rotors. These allow the gases created by heavy braking to disapate faster as well as stopping the brakes pads from glazing.

4. Upgrade the rotors, calipers, pistons and pads to those from a NA8A or NB8A. More surface area provides better stopping power. You can pick these up from wreckers or members of this forum for under $1,000.

5. Upgrade to a massive set of brakes suck as Wilwoods. Lots of money and probably best suited to a regualr track car than a street car.


J.
ps have a look in the for sale section. I have a complete set of NA8/NB8 brakes for sale.

[mxfive]

Ok a picture tells a thousand words so here is the rust I am talking about.



I never noticed it before as it was behind a different set of rims but now it is very obvious. This might explain why it is hard to stop the car.
All 4 wheels are the same.

Is this amount of rust normal for an MX5 ?

[GS]

If you have surface rust like that on your rotors before you drive it (eg if parked overnight) then this shouldnt be an issue. If any of your rotors still look like that after going for a drive and making a few sharp brakes, then you've got problems

[mxfive]

This is what they look like after a long drive yesterday, snapped the picture this morning.

On the way to get the new rims and tires yesterday I had to slam on the brakes to pull up quickly after someone decided they were not going to go through the lights after all as the lights turned yellow even though they had already gone past the white line. Wheels skidded and let out a loud scream and the car did a rabbit hop to stop and it sounded like a grinding scratchy noise of metal coming from the brakes.

I will check them again straight away the next time I go for a long drive.

[Steampunk]

Just confirming what others have stated, 2nd hand NA8/NB8A brakes are a good option since you are unlikely to do much track-work. Better yet, if you decide this path, then why not go slightly bigger with the NB8B brakes since you are also thinking of getting bigger wheels.

Willwood and AP kits are available readily from the US, and if you can afford it then go for it. It will be way more than what you need, but it will be cheaper and less hassle than trying to source brand new OEM replacements.
Stay clear of untested brands like K-Sport and such.

Keep in mind that regardless of what you choose, the type of brake pad you use is the most crucial part.

I think 16-bit, over in The Valley, is still selling his NB8A brakes which has relatively low mileage.

[bensale]

In my opinion the standard na6 set up is more than adequate if everything is working right, especially for a standard street car. A na6 only weighs 950kg after all. You shouldn't need to go for a long drive, a few resonably hard stops should remove surface rust.

I would take Juffa's advice, thats some great info.

All I have is the standard na6 brakes with a set of TRW Lucas pads as recommended by some of the motorsport guys down here. As long as you bed them in properly (get them really hot) they'll be awesome, lots of stopping power, impossible to fade on the steeet and they don't squeal when cold. They're quite inexpensive too.

However, the best improvement in stopping perfomance will actually come from learning how to stop a car without ABS properly. You shouldn't be locking the wheels if you want to stop quickly, you'll stop a lot quicker if you keep the wheel rotating right on the threshold of them locking, rather than locked up and sliding. I can highly recomend an advanced/defensive driver training course, it was a great experience for me.

[mxfive]

Thank you all for the great advice, I contacted Richard Larson from MX5 Plus this morning and purchased the big brake upgrade kit he sells.

[danga]

Hi Grant

I have just finished my NA6 to NA8 brake upgrade project yesterday. Braking has improved considerably from the original brakes and I have only done 10kms round the block so they still need to be fully bedded in.

I went with:
NA8 calipers
RDA slotted rotors
Hawk HP+ pads
Goodridge stainless steel brake lines
Castrol super DOT 4 brake fluid

I am based in Carseldine just off Graham Rd if you want to pop round to go for a drive

Cheers Stewart

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but do you mind me asking how the brake pads hold up for trackwork? your setup sounds exactly like the one I want to embark on so im just trying to understand what your impressions of your setup are like.

What is the weakest link you think in the setup you have? the pads, fuid or tyres?

At the moment I am tossing up between Carbotech XP8's and Hawk HP Plus so anyone who has experience in this area I would love their feedback, i notice alot of the track guys run HP Blues and DS3000. I have always run DS2500 in the past with other cars (street/track) with great success but would love to give either the XP8s or HP + a try given they are cheaper and quite popular with the MX5 guys.

Im new to MX5's so im reading and learning as I go.

Thanks,
Danga

[93_Clubman]

Ok a picture tells a thousand words so here is the rust I am talking about. I never noticed it before as it was behind a different set of rims but now it is very obvious. This might explain why it is hard to stop the car. All 4 wheels are the same. Is this amount of rust normal for an MX5 ?

This is what they look like after a long drive yesterday, snapped the picture this morning.

From the photo it appears to be moisture that's dried on the surface of the disc rotor. Rust coloured moisture commonly develops overnight on disc rotors, if you've dríven through water not long before you got to where you parked the car; or had the sprinkler on near the parked car; or hosed on or near the car; bucket washed the car; or possibly even if there was a heavy enough dew while parked overnight.

[scb]

Hi Danga

Too early to tell with my new brake setup as I have not had it on the track yet. However.....

I did a track day at Queensland Raceway late last year with only the fronts done and they stood up very well - I did not get any fade that I noticed, could easily lockup the fronts when I got too excited and minimal wear from 120kms of track work. That was with Bridgestone adrenalines on the front. I now have Kuhmo XSs on the front and they have in my opinion more grip than the adrenalines. The weakest link is possibly the brake fluid. I decided to go with a cheaper super dot 4 and replace it more often than the more expensive options. If I was going to upgrade the fluid I would probabley try Penrite sin 600.

I would steer clear of HP Blues if you are going to use on the street as they are a pure track pad and need a fair bit of heat to work well. The HP+ squeal a little and make lots of dust but I can live with these comparmises given the braking capability as it is mainly a weekend car.

DS2500 also get good reviews but I have never used so can not compare with the HP+s.

Hope this helps


Cheers Stewart

[wun911]

What big brake kit does mx5 plus sell??? Its not on thier website is it??

Im looking at 4 pot willwoods either from flyin miata or goodwin hopefully with two piece rotors shaved down to minimum thickness and aloy brackets.

I dont need to stop better NB8B breaks are great, I just want to save unsprung weight.