BREMBO conversion

[colVR4]

DISCLAIMER: all work carried out was done by an amateur. No responsibility is taken for any damage caused to your vehicle if you follow the instructions below. Nor will I accept responsibility for damage to fingers, knuckles, overall hand area, back, neck, or broken fingernails.

Any costs that have been incurred through overuse of the 'swear-box' will not be refunded and nor will liability be taken for unnecessary verbal abuse of the wife leading to fatal or near-fatal retaliatory injuries.

END OF DISCLAIMER.

STEP 1: Buy the stuff.

This conversion was carried out on a post-facelift 2001 model VR4 saloon and was for the front calipers only. The major parts required were the two BREMBO calipers, two 320mm brake disks and pads to fit. You will also need 4 x M12 bolts (by about 25mm long I think) as the thread on the BREMBO calipers that holds them to the hub carrier are different than the standard calipers.

If you don't already have some you will also need some copper slip, brake cleaner, brake fluid (to top up the reservoir after bleeding), a one-man bleeding kit and 2 x axle stands (not essential but very useful).

[colVR4]

Crack the nuts on the wheels while the car is on the ground. This saves both embarrasing and unnecessary cursing after you have jacked the car up, put it on axle stands and then realised that the wheel won't stop turning when you try and undo the nuts.

Jack car up and pop under the axle stands Just look at the state of that rotor!!

[colVR4]

Fairly straight-forward for the most part. There are two ways that you can go about this I suppose, either take the whole caliper off as a 'one-er' or, as I did, take off the bit with the pistons in and tie that up safely and then take off the bit connected to the hub carrier.

So, undo the bottom of the two guide pins as shown in the first picture. Remove the pads and stuff and then take out the top guide pin as in picture 2. Note: I kept the pins and pads in a safe place just in case anything went wrong and I had to put the lot back on again.

[colVR4]

There are two options now. You either tie up the caliper out of the way until you fit the new BREMBO calipers and swap over the hoses later, as in picture 1, or you can clamp the brake hose with a pair of mole grips and take the calipers off.

I used the first option for the one side and the second option with the other. I found that taking the caliper off and clamping with the mole grips gave you more access when fitting the new calipers later.

Whichever way you choose, the next step is to undo the two bolts holding the rest of the caliper parts to the hub carrier, picture 2. These proved to be very stiff and I used a wooden mallet to bang on the end of my socket to loosen them off.

Remove the bottom bolt and take off the bracket thing, picture 3.

[colVR4]

I had a bugger of a time removing them until I started using my brain instead of brawn... Starting out using method number 1 (pic 1)

I then found a much easier way. I realised that there must be a nut somewhere on the car that fits the one in the disk to remove it, and there is. I used one of a bracket for the radiator (pic 2)

Stuck that in the hole, gave it a few turns (pic 3)

and Robert is your mothers male sibling!!! (pic 4)

The following pic shows what it looks like with all that gubbins removed

[colVR4]

Just for the sake of it, here is a quick size comparison between the two sets of disks.

[colVR4]

Give the face of the hub a real good clean with a wire brush and some brake dust remover. I then put on a real thin layer of copper grease over it to prevent any rusting in the future.

Place the new disks on your hub, pic 1. Ooooh shiney!!!

Now place the new calipers over the disks and using the M12 bolts attach to the hub carrier. Don't worry if the disk moves around a bit on the hub, there is nothing to fasten it on there, pic 2.

Once you have both bolts done up it should look something like the next pic.

Put a healthy smear of copper slip on the back of the pads and slip those little beauties in and you should have something closely resembling the last pic

[colVR4]

Now its time to swap over the hoses (if you haven't already done so). It is dead simple.

Clamp the hoses with some mole grips to stop the flow of brake fluid; undo the nut holding the hose on to the old caliper; fasten on to new caliper; remove mole grips.

See, easy!!

If you are on your own you will now need a one man brake bleeding kit from somewhere like Hal****s. Follow the instructions in the box or kit to bleed the brakes, starting at the rear passenger side wheel. You may have to do it a couple of times to get all the air out of the system.

I found that it needed very little bleeding due to the quick swap over of the hoses. Just needed to top up the brake fluid in the reservoir once the new BREMBO calipers were filled with fluid.

[colVR4]

Job done!!

Put the wheels back on, drop it off the axle stands and take it for a drive to test them out. I would advise driving it somewhere quiet until you are confident that everything is working properly, then you can start the bedding in process.

I have probably skipped over a whole lot of important things, or given bad guidance, etc so if you have any suggestions for improvements to this 'how-to' guide please let me know and I will edit them.

Hope this is of some use anyway

[SGHOM]

excellent write up Col !
now can you do one for the pre-facelift ??

[Wodjno]

Am i right in thinking this will be different Derek.. As i was just trying to find the thread of when you did yours and IIRC you had probs with the ABS sensor Does this not exist on the face lift ..

OH Yes .. Godd right up Col ..

[SGHOM]

several threads on the topic Glenn.... here's one; / two;

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthr...t=hub+carriers

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthr...t=hub+carriers

[Wodjno]

several threads on the topic Glenn.... here's one; / two;

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthr...t=hub+carriers

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthr...t=hub+carriers

Aha..

It was hub carrier aswell.. Not just caliper

[Nick Mann]

Excellent write up! I have copied the thread into the articles section in the members area.

Top Banana!

[bradc]

Thats a great write up, thanks col

[VR4 MAD]

Outstanding 'How to' guide Col

Now please move onto the rears soonish as I will need a guide for that as well

I believe that there are a couple of issues that complicate the rear conversion. The stone guard fouls the larger rotor so needs to be removed and I think there's an issue with the caliper end of the brake hose connection needing to be different from that used for standard calipers

Speaking of the break hoses, in your 'Step 6', were the old front hoses long enough as several threads on here talk about needing longer break hoses for Brembo conversions for the front.

Cheers and keep up the good work on the guides

[Nick Mann]

Outstanding 'How to' guide Col

Now please move onto the rears soonish as I will need a guide for that as well

I will try to help.

I believe that there are a couple of issues that complicate the rear conversion. The stone guard fouls the larger rotor so needs to be removed

You are right. Just break the spot welds with a small chisel and the guard falls off. Easy!

and I think there's an issue with the caliper end of the brake hose connection needing to be different from that used for standard calipers

You are right again. The Brembo rears need a banjo fitting which the standard rears do not have.

Speaking of the break hoses, in your 'Step 6', were the old front hoses long enough as several threads on here talk about needing longer break hoses for Brembo conversions for the front.

Cheers and keep up the good work on the guides

The longer hoses quote I think relates to the EVO 6 hoses. If you buy braided hoses they need to be as per the Evo 6 hoses but with the fronts slightly longer. I think quite a few of us have added braided hoses when upgrading the calipers.

HTH!

[VR4 MAD]

Nick, thanks for the clarification regarding the brake hoses. I have a set of Brembos from an EVO sitting in the garage waiting for me to get around to fitting them and they came with braided hoses so those won't be of much use at the front then

By removing the rear stone guard do we increase the chances of getting stones jamming or lodging in the rear brakes. Has anyone had this happen after removing the stone guards Is this a likely to be a big problem

I will try to help.

You are right again. The Brembo rears need a banjo fitting which the standard rears do not have.

HTH!

So does that imply I can use the braided EVO rear caliper hoses I have to replace our standard rear hoses and that they are the right length, have clips etc in the correct places and are otherwise a correct fit but differ only in that they have the Brembo required banjo connection Do hope so as that will make things a whole lot easier

[Nick Mann]

Never had stone problems on the rear. I think you will be able to use your braided hoses back and front, but you may have to route the front hoses differently. Be careful fitting and check on full lock and for rubbing on tyre/wheel.

Let us know what you find!

[VR4 MAD]

Cheers Nick - Will do.

I've been holding off the brake upgrade because this change to the car will (I'm lead to believe) require me to get, what's known over here, as a 'Low Volume Certificate' of compliance.

This bloody thing costs about $350 to get and each time you change significant components on your car you need to get a new cert. (at $350 a time!).

So I'm going to combine a suspension upgrade with the Brembo change and only have to have one compliance check done (hopefully). So till I get the suspension upgrade sorted the brakes are on hold

Thanks for the help though

Wynn