[chris77]

I am looking for a bit more in the braking dept . The vehicle is not road legal and assuming I have the room under the wheels is it worth going from 1600 16v vitara brakes to v6 vitara brakes ?

Cheers
Chris

[Mike_B]

Probably worth being a bit more specific about which 16v Vit brakes you have now, my understanding is that SWB had solid front rotors & LWB same diameter ventilated front rotors and slightly bigger rear drums, converting from SWB to LWB brake spec will give you better fade resistance, depends on what you need. Not sure if the V6 Vit had bigger brakes again (someone else on here will know), if so would be better...if they fit. Is it worth it? Comes back to cost vs benefit.

[Gwagensteve]

Pad area between the 16V Estate Wagon (Ventilated) and 2.0 bakes is almost identical. 2.0 rotors are larger in diameter and require the use of 16" wheels, or some 15" rims with some caliper grinding. I also think the rotor offset is a touch different which will mean some spacing of the caliper will be required. Don't take that last bit as gospel though, It's some years since I looked at that stuff.

Apparently swapping to a 2.0 booster (which is all but a bolt in) significantly lowers pedal effort. That doesn't mean the brakes are improved in any way, but a lighter pedal might be a good thing.

Steve.

[DarkHorse]

Rotor offset is indeed different. I did the swap on my old car and found the easiest way was to swap out the entire knuckle/hub assembly for a 2L one, plus calipers and rotors. Otherwise you will have to space the rotor out from the hub, meaning longer studs probably required, plus increased scrub radius etc.

The difference:


Also correct that it will require 16" rims unless you want to get happy with a grinder (and potentially stagger pad changes so you always have one worn pad and the caliper sits that little bit more compressed. Too much stuffing around for me, I just ran 16s and lived with the slightly limited tyre choices.)

Can't comment on the booster, though I wish I'd thought of it when I was doing the upgrade!

As for whether it's worth it... depends on how you value your time and effort. If you can get the parts for less than a couple of hundred bucks and are handy enough to do it in a few hours, then probably. It does make a noticeable difference (I was running rear discs too, but did them at different times so could spot the incremental improvement.) It's not going to be mind-blowing, and not going to have you locking up as soon as you think about braking, but it is an improvement.

[chris77]

Thanks for the info . If they are not a bolt on job I will wait and see how the brakes are when I get it out properly . I am wishfully thinking they will be ok as they are .

Cheers
Chris

[Gwagensteve]

I think they will be fine.

Steve.

[chris77]

Well the brakes are not up to par .
Quick question , are the 2.0 V6 and gv calipers single pot ? None at the local wrecker to look at . Will google for a pic .

Thanks
Chris

Teach me to google first . Seems to be single pot at 57mm bore , hmm .

[Gwagensteve]

Yes they are single pot.

Just to reiterate, I'd be surprised if you notice much difference in braking capacity between 1.6 and 2.0 brakes in good condition. It's quite a lot of work to fit them (properly) as you need to change knuckles.

I'd fit a 2.0 booster first and check the rear brakes are in good condition. Vitaras generally have plenty of brakes.

Steve.

[got_bar_work]

Would the 2l master cylinder help at all
Are 2 L swb gv the bigger brakes
I have a parts car and could take the complete knuckle off

[chris77]

THIS IS NOT A ROAD LEGAL 4WD

After much surfing of the web and trying to mix and match some better brakes I have ended up with a V6 vitara front rotor and a Mazda RX7 4 pot caliper . This is not ideal but the best I could work out . The extra caliper housing on the outside of the rotor ment I had to install a min of 1 inch wheel spacers . The calipers only just clear the rim . Done a rear for a test fit and now off to make the brackets for the rest . Looks like all the brackets will be a straight piece of plate , much better than the old mitsi caliper bracket .

[fordem]

That's a lot of rear brake power there - overkill if you ask me...

Having more rear brake capacity than required does not shorten the stopping distance, it actually lengthens it and can also present some very real dangers as control can easily be lost.

[Lil_Rat]

Okay so abit of a grave dig but better then starting a new thread. So to fit a 15x8 sunraysia rim to my sv620 vitara it should be possible with some caliper grinding and staggered pad changes?

[Samurai81]

Take care with the caliper grinding. I went too far.

[DarkHorse]

Atari is the only one I know of running 15" steelies on an SV. I think they are Speedy Desert Rats, but I could be wrong. Even with shaving and staggered pads not all 15s will fit over them, and offset is obviously critical.

[atari4x4]

yep as darky said, speedy desert rats in 15x7 & -15mm + flap disk + staggered pad changes = 15's on a SV