WillWood Brake Calipers - Worth it?

[BeirutTaxi]

As per the thread title, are they worth it? How would you rate the experience?


Thanks,

Matt.

[skinny]

what do you need them for? unless you're getting fade or you like the look, probably not.

[MX-5 Lazza]

You don't need them. I don't need them and I have over 240bhp and use the car on track. 1.8 brakes with plain discs and uprated pads are absolutely fine for 99.999% of MX5s.

[BeirutTaxi]

To be honest they're OK but nothing to write home about. Once the OEM spec pads I have in there have heated a bit I find the bite is OK, but I would like the pedal to have a bit more feel and progression. I find it takes a good amount of force and travel before anything happens. Personal preference though I guess.

[skinny]

try decent adjusting the rear brakes, decent pads, braided lines, and a master cylinder brace (and not the folded bit of metal one).

my pedal feel is fine. if you're coming from an over-servo'd modern car you might find they lack initial bite, but the control and ability to modulate is a lot better. if i drive a modern car like a vauxhall something, my head hits the steering wheel the first time i try to brake. yet it would probably fade after a few hard stops. don't confuse servo assistance with braking power.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Skinny is spot on. The brakes can feel a little dead if you are used to a modern euro-box with over assisted servos but they are actually pretty good, even standard 1.6 brakes. They take a bit more of a push to get hard braking but that's a good thing as it's much easier to modulate your braking i.e. there is a wider scope between light and heavy braking.
My Mrs old Megane was terrible. It had tiny front discs and rear drums but was over servoed so that the slightest touch of the pedal was enough to almost lock the wheels but it was hard to brake gently and any attempt to drive with a bit of enthusiasm mean overheated and fading brakes.
Try driving an Elise. I'm not sure if they have a servo but it takes a really good shove to get the car to stop. The brakes though are superb and allow for very delicate braking making it much easier to brake to scrub off a bit of speed, even while in corners or trail-braking to get the nose in quicker.

I'd try just replacing the fluid first. If you have never done you won't know how old it is and old fluid can make the brakes feel spongy, as can old brake pipes.

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Thursday 18th April 09:28

[JQ]

Having had Wilwoods on a mk1 and standard brakes on a mk2, there's no way I'd pay for the upgrade - I preferred the standard brakes. Both cars were used on track, so were fully tested.

[snotrag]

I can't comment on the Wilwoods as i've not tried them.

But I will agree on the master cylinder brace. My first Mk1 had one, a chunky Cusco item tied into the OSF shock mounting - brakes felt brilliant, and based on the comparision with my current Mk1, is made a good difference. I'll certainly be fitting one again.

Rebuild/service any calipers that need it, or even do it pre-emptively (not hard or expensive). Fresh fluid all round, hoses in good nick, good pads (masses of choice here) and cheap plain (1.8 sized) discs. Should be plenty good enough!?

[sbird]

skinny said:

try decent adjusting the rear brakes, decent pads, braided lines, and a master cylinder brace (and not the folded bit of metal one).

I've gone down the route of improving my brakes.

IMO, do it this order:

- check that all 4 of the calipers rewind and engage smoothly
- new brake fluid : find out what fresh, air-free fluid feels like
- go for better brake pads. this makes the most difference
- braided lines
- brace

I've got the "folded bit of metal" brace, and still makes an improvement to how the brake pedal feels.


I was considering 4-pot brake calipers, but decided it wasn't worth it, but I have bought 2 fully-reconditioned front calipers (makes a big difference). I've yet to feel brake, and the car can brake quite sharply. I only wish I had the balls to stay off the brakes for longer.

[mgrays]

I have FM Willwoods on front only on an FM2 Mk1. Original cast ones on Corrado VR6 discs. They do allow you to get a lot more energy out if stopping from 90 plus when abroad but they also mess up the balance so you loose the balance required on slippery dirty B roads. Always meant to do the rears and then they should come back nicely in line. Just doing the fronts will reduce stopping distance a bit in a straight line but you loose the balance. Comforting when at 3 figures on Autobahn but worrying when on greasy B roads.

[Kozy]

mgrays said:

Just doing the fronts will reduce stopping distance a bit in a straight line but you loose the balance. Comforting when at 3 figures on Autobahn but worrying when on greasy B roads.

These cars are front biased as standard, adding more front bias cannot reduce your stopping distances, although it can feel like they do because you get more brake force for the same pedal input and the car will nose dive more.

OP, if you DO decide to go with Wilwoods, pick the piston sizes carefully. Big pistons does not mean better braking. Given the stock front bias, you actually want smaller overall piston area to give you slightly more rear bias, which will make a genuine improvement to the braking performance.

Edited by Kozy on Wednesday 24th April 11:13