Brake Up-grades MR2 Parts Vented Rotors Corolla Spacer Figs

[Petros]

This is just a detailed description of what I did to my car. Anytime you work on brakes, or even if you never work on your brakes, you have a certain amount of risk in making sure they are maintained, and the maintenance is done correctly. You do your own repairs, or modifications, at your own risk, always.

I recently had to make a panic stop on dry road, sudden stop in moving traffic. My stopped faster than I expected with lots of room to spare, no doubt due to the extra stopping power. It would have been close with my old brakes.

[splatterdog]

It is a very detailed description. Well done.

You forget though, common sense is nearly extinct as is personal responsability. How do you think we have all kinds of stupid warning labels on nearly everything? Things like a chainsaw warning- do not try to stop chain with hands or genitals. Pop bottle cap injury warnings. Things just cooked or brewed may be hot. Or my favorite- if you can't read this do not use product.

I like Red Green's disclaimer given when making a boat out of pop bottles and duct tape and the potential of having too much power for the craft. I wouldn't recommend it, but you can do whatever you want.

BTW, I have been blamed and expected to reimburse car owners that call for free tech help and can't fix their problem. Example- My pedal is low, could it be my master cylinder? My reply- yes it can. What do you want for free guessnostics when I'm on the clock? haha Sometimes I would give them the phone# for the local votech if they were a real jerk. No problem for me losing a customer that never was or would be. This site is about my only benefactor of free info. At least until someone blames me for something they did!

Any lawyers here like to comment? Oh that's right, it's awfully hard to catch up to an ambulance with 62 horsepower!

Sorry, I'm rambling....

[ARCHINSTL]

Any lawyers here like to comment? Oh that's right, it's awfully hard to catch up to an ambulance with 62 horsepower!

GREAT LINE ! ! !
I'm going to pass it on to my lawyer friend. This guy owns a 1935 Boyer Marvel fire engine and can actually work on it - but he's still a legal tech (he hates that term ). He kids me aboout the T4WD.
Q. Why don't lawyers drive T4WDs?
A. Because you can't catch an ambulance with only 62 HP...
Tom M.

[takza]

Never buy cheap friction! I do not/will not get pads or shoes from the zone. Chinese rotors are hard to avoid these days, some are better than others. Who knows what ingredients they put in their pads. Lead seems to be a primary material in most everything they make. haha

Many moons ago at a place I was working there was an issue about Chinese materials being radioactive from being recycled from material from old reactors...then re-imported....think this was brass. So who knows? Not the Am consumer for sure. Probably much more out there than drywall and dog biscuits. There are around 8,000 chemicals used in US products that haven't been tested for toxicity?

[dlb]

Things like a chainsaw warning- do not try to stop chain with hands or genitals.

now that is f-ing funny. i like the visual i have for it. when you consider the size and weight of most ambulances they do pretty well but even my terc could beat the ambulance in a 0-60 race.

[4doorVIP]

hey guys will the MR2 brake upgrade fit stock wheel sizes?

[Petros]

I do not think there is any issue, I still use a stock 13" wheel for my spare and I have had to use it a few times. But you should go for at least wider wheels and tires if you want to take advantage of the extra stopping power. The MR2 uses 5.5x14" wheels, and I believe the '92 and newer Tercel has also gone to the 14" steel wheel.

The rotor and outside of the caliper are in the radius out from the hub, the rotor and caliper are 15 mm thinker (to accommodate the vents in the rotor).

[4doorVIP]

That's the info I was looking for, thanks Petros I'm a newb on here and found this post to be super helpful!
Yep tires play a huge part in stopping distance, I cheaped out on tires once on my other car and learned the hard way (Wanli tires, yuck!)

[SynthDesign]

I'm still running the stock 13" Factory Alloys with 94 Tercel Calipers and vented rotors. I have roughly a piece of corrugated cardboard space between the caliper and the rim. If I were to warp the vented rotor I'm sure there would be some rub with full brake pads. A 13" factory steel rim should have a bit more clearance being a thinner material and all shouldn't it?

[peter_tuning]

http://www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtop ... ing#p32337
my upgrade

[gretchen]

Awesome write up petros! I just did the wheel cylinders and shoes in the back and the front needs replacing as well. I will probably start collecting parts for this upgrade tomorow. I've had enouhg of being able to warp the rotors with one hard stop!

[Petros]

yup, me too! After 2 warped rotors I have had it and started doing some investigation on what else would work, and came up with this really easy swap. You can do the front brake upgrade without the MR2 master cylinder, but the slightly larger booster and the smaller dia. MR2 master gives you more braking power by a noticeable amount. Well worth it, especially if you need to replace them anyway, no reason to put the undersized junk back in.

[gerviswaddell]

I had these spacers cut at a local shop for $20 bucks (10 gauge steel is approx 4mm, so...perfect!) I figured I would pass along the technical drawings I used to get the shop to cut it. enjoy.

GW.

ps: All measurements in mm, change the thickness to 4mm if yo like...

[Petros]

Great addition to the list.

I used 1/8" (the 3.18 mm shown) spacer with the '92 Tercel rotors, which is about correct for this rotor's offset. The Corolla rotors have a larger off-set and likely need the 4mm or perhaps slightly more thickness (watch your wheel stud length, this may require longer studs depending on the wheels you are using). The calipers are almost the same and are effectively interchangeable, same is true with the early MR2 calipers.

This will increase the track width of the car slightly, which will improve handling and reduce body roll a little bit. Unless you are already running oversized tires, there should not be any fender clearance issues.

[SynthDesign]

Nice.