bmwfrk87

hey guys, i'm sure there is an article on here somewhere but i can't seem to find it.

I'm looking for information on how to upgrade to the 4 caliper brakes. I still have the 4 lug wheels on my 87 base model fc, and i want to keep these hubs cuz i already have a really nice set of 4 lug wheels. I've heard mixed reviews from being able to straight bolt on the new parts, to having to make a custom bracket, to having to swap over a 5 lug hub.

Thanks

scathcart

To keep you 4 piston lugs, you would have to redrill a S5 brake rotor to fit four lugs, and you would have to ensure you drilled dead on in order to keep the assembly balanced. I don't know how well the holes would interfere with the existing 5 lug holes... possibly have them TIG'd closed first. Then, you would bolt on the 4 piston calipers and brake pads to your control arms.
The problem with keeping your stuff four lug is that the 4 lug disk is smaller in diameter, and the 4 piston pad would only make contact with half of its surface... so you need the larger disk from the 5 lug cars.
If it were me, I wouldn't bother. With decent pads, the single piston calipers can provide more than braking power for normal/hard street driving.

bmwfrk87

i was going to upgrade to the larger disc and everything. i just bled the system and it has fairly new hks pads on the car and i'm not very impressed, i've been scared just on the street driving before

zbrown

^^^^ something sounds wrong then.....

my stock single caliper brakes can pull over 1g while braking

they can start to fade after hard driving is all

do you have good pedal feel?

scathcart

You must still have air in the system then, or failed calipers. I am guessing the first one... very few people can properly bleed brakes for some reason.

Red'vert

Is it just about following the proper bleed sequence in the manual or is there a trick?

scathcart

There are a few tricks for standard bellding, but the most important one is simply patience. With the standard bellding technique, you really need to take your time.

I exclusively pressure bleed now with 10-15 psi off a refrigerated dryer and a 0.1 micron filter to keep all the water out.