TunersNation.com big brakes
TunersNation has stepped up and sponsored the One Lap VR-4 with a new set of brakes. It’s no easy task matching the stopping power and economical maintenance cost of the Baer Track system it replaces. So when Garfield called with the news I was sceptical at first but when the parts started showing up and I could actually put them in my hands it became clear that these new brakes are up to the task.
TunersNation has supplied us with one of there custom 3000GT VR4 kits for the Galant VR-4. The kit uses the 4-piston calliper from the 91-93 GT VR4 along with its 12.4” rotor. The callipers are big and beefy. Cast from only two pieces and with no bridging bolts they feature 0 calliper flex. This allows for an internal fluid passage between halves which is a more durable design then the Brembo/Wilwood external balance line.
The rotors are from DBA 4000 series which are DBA’s mid-series enhanced performance rotor features Thermal Stability Profiling for improved heat handling and Thermo-Graphicpaint markings for effective heat monitoring. This rotor incorporates the innovative Kangaroo Paw ventilation design, which runs cooler, stronger and outperforms traditional straight vane disc rotors by up to 20%.
Mounting the callipers are a set of TunersNation own mounting brackets water jet cut from ½” steel. Hardened bolts hold everything in place and a new set of SS brake lines were included too. To make sure the One Lap VR-4 was well prepared for battle TunersNation sent along two sets of rotors, callipers, and brackets!
Garfield, using one of his countless connections in the business, contacted the people at Project Mu. Project Mu is like the Hawk Brakes of Japan. Project Mu donated a set of there HPC+ which feature a high coefficient of friction with the ability to take a beating at the track.
Installation was simple. After removing the Baer track gear and the brake lines the new bracket is bolted to the spindle with the supplied hardware. I then mounted the rotor and held it in place with a lug nut. An interesting side note with the Mitsubishi rotor is that you no longer need the hub centric ring that the Baer kit requires. One the rotor was on the calliper can be mounted. Using the supplied washers, I adjusted the calliper spacing so that it was centered on the rotor. It only took a few minutes and that was done. The new callipers use the slick drop in pad like the Brembo callipers which makes changing pads at the track a snap. Installing the brake lines was strait forward and from the removal to the bleeding of the brakes it took all of about an hour to do both sides.
…I will update the post with my driving impressions later in the week.
