Brake Setup Options

[Luken10]

Hey everyone, need a little advice on what to do with my brakes. I am looking for a setup that will do me well in a HPDE. After doing a bunch of research on the forum it became a bit overwhelming.

If possible I would like to put a little bit bigger setup on the front. I have stock 16 inch wheels, so it seems the speed6 is out of the question. This leaves open the Mazdaspeed Protege, and 626 brakes I believe. Some people were saying they were identical, while other people claimed there were subtle differences. The cheaper the better for me, but at the same time I want the upgrade to be worthwhile.

I was also looking at the brake kits from StopTech which seem to be of good quality. I had my eyes on the stage 3 kit, but maybe that is overkill?

My plan for the front would be to find upgraded calipers from another Mazda, and then put the appropriate StopTech kit on them. I also have stainless steel lines to put on the front.

I was thinking it would be okay to leave the rears stock, minus the break pads. The rears currently do not lock up when you grab the hand brake. Although it holds the car in place on an incline just fine. I would like to have some fun on a wet skid pad every now and then. Could different brake pads be the solution?

Open to all suggestions! Let me know what you guys think.

 

[mp5la]

I think a 4 wheel mazdaspeed protege brake setup would suit your needs without breaking the bank. Depending on your preference, you could try to find a full setup used from a partout here on this site or buy everything you need new for less than the cost of a big brake kit.

As far as msp vs 626, there was a thread on here showing that they were largely the same calipers. The main difference was in the castings, the msp calipers were marginally lighter than those from the 626.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123826187-Why-626-V6-front-calipers-are-so-cheap

 

[Luken10]

Thanks for finding that link! Exactly what I wanted to find out. Most likely easier to find MSP parts on here rather than a 626. I was hoping to be all in at around 400 dollars. I'll have to see how much MSP calipers go for used. Haven't been to any junk yards in my area. Maybe I will get lucky!

 

[CR3 Motorsports]

I have Ford Fusion (from 2008) front brakes. direct bolt on.

 

[Luken10]

How do they compare to the MSP brakes?

 

[CR3 Motorsports]

Here are the Fusion rotors on the bottom and P5 rotors on top. Fronts

 

[esnave09]

^^ Agreed. Go with MZ6 brakes (same as Fusion for 06-08) up front and MSP/626 rears. That way you don't lose your e-brake from a full MZ6 swap (unless someone finally found a solution to that) and you still get the stronger brakes from the MZ6.

 

[Luken10]

That sounds like a solid plan. Will the MZ6/Fusion calipers be cheaper than the MSP? The kit from StopTech is about 50 dollars more for the Fusion vs MSP, however that seems attributed to the larger diameter rotor.

I found a set of front calipers online from a local junkyard for 90 dollars. Seems like a good price to me, although I am a bit skeptical of buying used brake parts. Should I be worried? I like to be cheap, but would rather not be stranded!

Here are the prices I found for brand new calipers for both the 6 and the fusion.

For being the same parts, the prices seem to be all over the place.

 

[mp5la]

Don't forget to factor in the core charge since you'll have to eat it. They won't accept p5 calipers as a fusion/mz6 core return.

As far as pads and rotors go, I'm always a fan of going new. You have no idea of how those rotors were treated, and if you end up having to turn them you'll be out more money. I usually go with centric premiums (no drilled /slotted nonsense) on a daily driven car. Calipers would probably be ok used depending upon the mileage and if they've seen a lot of salt.

 

[CR3 Motorsports]

I got mine from car-part.com. Used a full rebuild kit and haven't had any problems since installing them.

 

[Luken10]

Don't forget to factor in the core charge since you'll have to eat it. They won't accept p5 calipers as a fusion/mz6 core return.

As far as pads and rotors go, I'm always a fan of going new. You have no idea of how those rotors were treated, and if you end up having to turn them you'll be out more money. I usually go with centric premiums (no drilled /slotted nonsense) on a daily driven car. Calipers would probably be ok used depending upon the mileage and if they've seen a lot of salt.

Didn't see the core charge for the Ford calipers. Thanks for pointing that out.

I am honestly a complete novice when it comes to brakes right now. I like to drive my car fairly hard. A good amount of my driving is up in canyons or mountains and soon the track. I don't mind suffering from a loss of practicality for performance. Just from my research so far it seems that maybe I would want something with a bit more performance than what you are suggesting. (Centric Premiums) But then again, what do I know? Maybe they will suit me just fine and I am blowing my money on useless extras!

I got mine from car-part.com. Used a full rebuild kit and haven't had any problems since installing them.

That is actually the site I used. Quite helpful!

A rebuild sounds like a good idea. My plan with my P5 has been to do all the work myself in order to learn more about cars. Seems like a cheap way to do just that.

Do you happen to know the difference between these kits? The cheaper ones just seem to replace the rubber seals and clips, while the more expensive ones seem to come with certain bolts. Maybe the pictures aren't accurate to what is in each kit.

 

[sleepwalker]

I have Ford Fusion (from 2008) front brakes. direct bolt on.

Do those fit inside the stock 16's?

 

[Justin2129]

Do those fit inside the stock 16's?

yes...theyre the same as mazda6 brakes

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123797660-Mazda-6-Brake-upgrade

 

[mp5la]

Didn't see the core charge for the Ford calipers. Thanks for pointing that out.

I am honestly a complete novice when it comes to brakes right now. I like to drive my car fairly hard. A good amount of my driving is up in canyons or mountains and soon the track. I don't mind suffering from a loss of practicality for performance. Just from my research so far it seems that maybe I would want something with a bit more performance than what you are suggesting. (Centric Premiums) But then again, what do I know? Maybe they will suit me just fine and I am blowing my money on useless extras!

If you're sold on going with drilled/slotted, at least be sure to get a quality set that have the holes cast into them when they're manufactured. I've seen lower end rotors crack from very mild track/autocross use or even just daily driving. Those are the rotors that are drilled after they've been cast, they just can't cope with the stress from the heat. Go with a quality manufacturer (stop tech, DBA, etc), and you should be fine.

Also keep in mind- you can have the biggest/best brake setup on the planet, but it wont matter if your tires aren't up to snuff.

 

[CR3 Motorsports]

 

[Luken10]

I invested in some Continental ExtremeContact DW's a couple months back. They are max performance summer tires, so I would assume they will work great with this setup.

Does anyone have any experience with what is suitable for a track day as far as pads and rotors go? My main concern is to avoid brake fade. I have mainly been looking at StopTech just because ProParts advertises them on here. Any experience with other brands?

^Loving how it fills in a bit more empty space in the wheel. Are those FD RX-7 wheels?

 

[Luken10]

Does anyone have any way to tell if I already have Mazdaspeed calipers? The guy I bought the car from briefly mentioned that he had put them on. However, he was being vague so I am not certain. Are there any defining features that I could check to make sure?

 

[mp5la]

The MSP calipers and rotors are bigger. This thread has exact measurements between the two, so you could just measure your rotors and see where youre at.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123659502-MSP-vs-P5-front-rotor-size

 

[Brains]

because i like to ***** out my pictures... here's my mazda6 (from a 2007 from a junkyard in florida...from ebay) calipers in the 2001-2002 protege 16" alloy wheels:

Complete junkyard set up... no problems other than driving down some mountain roads in the blue ridge mountains warped my rotors...
...
...
... i can't get away from warped rotors.
Don't get mazda6 rears like i did.
If you've already got mazdaspeed parts than i think you're good to go...yo.

 

[Luken10]

The MSP calipers and rotors are bigger. This thread has exact measurements between the two, so you could just measure your rotors and see where youre at.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123659502-MSP-vs-P5-front-rotor-size

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Just by looking at my calipers, I am pretty sure they are the stock P5 ones. I'll have to go to the wheel off any measure the rotor in the morning just to make sure.

I am a little bummed, thought I was going to save a bit of money! Going to check out some junk yard tomorrow. I'll probably end up grabbing some mazda6/fusion calipers if I can find them. The rotors may be a bit more expensive, but the calipers are cheaper than the Mazdaspeed used. Plus, bigger is better right!? ProParts USA isn't too far away either, so I may go stop by there and see what they have for brake setups.