Wait what?

"YSI-what can brown do for you" (ysi-what-can-brown-do-for-you)
08/22/2014 at 00:37 • Filed to: None

Some dude, got a set of 317mm rotors and calipers off of a 300zx and place them on the BRZ for a total of. . . 600 bucks.

DISCUSSION (15)

GhostZ > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 00:44

Seems reasonable. People have been hot-swapping 300ZX brakes into almost every nissan (particularly S-Chassis, but also including maximas and 280ZXs) for years because they're pretty high quality for their size and cost.

FriskyDingo > GhostZ
08/22/2014 at 00:48

I bought a set for a 240sx coupe i owned, painted them gunmetal grey and sadly never got to use them because i sold the car.

Kinja'd!!!

YSI-what can brown do for you > GhostZ
08/22/2014 at 00:48

People are debating whether or not the braking force is either equal to or greater than the stock brakes. I am pretty sure these are 4 pots and the stock ones were 2 pots, although I am 74% sure that the Nissan calipers are sliding where the FRS has fixed.

GhostZ > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:05

The 300ZX brakes are way overkill for most cars. Like I said, there's a reason they're used in lieu of new brakes for S-chassis drift cars. Dollar-for-dollar, used 300ZX brakes outdo pretty much everything else you can find. They're 11" 4-piston calipers on (usually) 30mm aluminum rotors (some were even vented, some are only 26mm, some are iron). They're very similar to what was one the Skyline.

I think the big advantage, which you mentioned, is the Fixed VS sliding calipers. Swapping the stock brakes for aluminum rotors with fixed calipers is a huge improvement in feel and rotating mass, even if the actual braking force isn't better (though I bet it would be).

YSI-what can brown do for you > GhostZ
08/22/2014 at 01:12

I think he has the iron ones, I remember reading somewhere that the 300zx changed over to iron calipers due to warranty/heating issues.

I am going to wait it out and see what people do with this. If this keeps a nice brake balance(which I think people are discussing right now). If he get 4 pot up front, then adds a 2 pot, and then tests it thoroughly, then I know what my BBK is going to be!

lonestranger > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:23

I'm 100% certain that you're correct about the number of pistons, and you've mixed up which one has fixed and which has sliding calipers. The 300ZX has fixed 4-piston calipers, and the FR-S has 2-piston sliding calipers.

FYI, fixed calipers are really easy to spot, and easily show how many pistons they have. They always have paired sets of pistons on either side of the rotor, and often are sculpted around the pistons. This means that you can see how many pistons they have just by counting the round bulges that contain them. Here's a 6-piston monobloc fixed caliper. Three round bulges on each side:

Kinja'd!!!

The Z32's front calipers have 2 bulges showing on the outside, so they're 4-pot:

Kinja'd!!!

The FR-S's are two-piece (sliding) calipers. Sliding calipers usually have pistons on only one side of the rotor (the inside). On the outer side of the rotor, there is often one or more round cutouts opposite each piston. One cutout = single piston, two cutouts= two piston.

2-piston sliding caliper on 2011 Mustang V6:

Kinja'd!!!

YSI-what can brown do for you > lonestranger
08/22/2014 at 01:29

Yup yup yup, you are indeed right. I did mix it up. They way I learned it was that fixed calipers look 100x cooler than a sliding one. . . which generally is true. I mean no one says brembos don't look beefy. Either way, I did indeed mix it up, in which case the 300zx calipers would be perfect cheap BBK for the car. Even though the piston are smaller(by like 2 cm, it isn't much) there are twice as many!

chaozbandit > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:30

Its not uncommon for Z32 (300ZX) braking systems to be swapped over between generations. Yes most notably S-chassis cars, but the R32 also heavily favours Z32 brakes as a popular early braking setup. Whether OEM or aftermarket, these are arguably the best systems for the dollar. I've known guys to even swap in R34 brakes into older cars, and likewise R35 calipers into R33s and so on. If there is a will, there is a way!

chaozbandit > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:30

YSI-what can brown do for you > chaozbandit
08/22/2014 at 01:33

My car will be a Frankenstein car! It is a Scion with a Subaru engine and Nissan brakes!!

chaozbandit > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:49

Toyota lights + emblems and maybe honda wheels? :)

YSI-what can brown do for you > chaozbandit
08/22/2014 at 01:52

That would be fantastic, but I don't think they have my bolt pattern.

wallaby13 > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 01:53

It should be a simple test to do. Disable the abs, usually unplugging a vehicle speed sensor should work. Then slowly make more aggressive stops until one axle locks up. A GoPro should do the trick to telling which axle it is. If the bias isn't what you like, just throw a proportioning valve in there and adjust to your liking. Ideally the front should lock up first. The rear provides all your stability (keeps you from spinning) so locking up the rear can be very dangerous, and also prevents you from turning (think tray sliding). However my thoughts are that the ABS system should be able to handle a certain amount of imbalance on the axles. These systems have to work in a variety of situations where one side of the car or one axle may have more grip than the other.

MRtwo > YSI-what can brown do for you
08/22/2014 at 11:25

Was there a need for a adapter bracket? What is the size of the FR-S rotors if the Z32 rotors are 11"?

If it was my car, I'd try and get a machine shop or a skilled hand to shave off the Nissan logo. They sure do look beefy in there. Wonder if they can be fit on my MR2..... brb.

YSI-what can brown do for you > MRtwo
08/22/2014 at 11:34

Well the rotors are off a Legacy GT not a Z32, which are bigger than the FR-S's brakes.