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| Q: | Does Wilwood have a kit for my muscle car, hot rod, or street rod? |
| A: | With over 250 bolt-on kits, Wilwood manufactures brakes for most front and rear applications, and we're constantly adding to the list. |
| Q: | What is the basic difference between a drag kit and a pro street kit? |
| A: | Drag kits use solid steel rotors (or optional drilled rotors) and yield high brake torque, yet are very lightweight. They are engineered to the absolute minimum in rotating and unsprung weight, where a single stop at the end of a drag run is what's required. They should not be used for multiple stop applications. Wilwood Pro Series brake kits include vented iron rotors designed to be lightweight, yet capable of rapid heat dissipation that is necessary to handle multiple high energy stops. |
| Q: | Do bolt-on kits require any alteration to the spindles or rear axles? |
| A: | Usually not. In a few cases, minor modification may be necessary. |
| Q: | Can I use my stock wheels? |
| A: | Most kits require use of a 15" wheel or larger. Review our dimensional drawings for actual brake caliper clearance requirements. |
| Q: | What bolt patterns and stud sizes are available in Wilwood bolt-on kits? |
| A: | Front kits which include Wilwood aluminum hubs have ½" studs. With a few exceptions, hubs are manufactured to accept both 5x4.50" and 5x4.75" bolt patterns. Hats used in front kits are generally drilled to fit over the original OEM studs. Hats used in rear kits are generally drilled to accept ½" studs, and accommodate multiple stud patterns: 5x4.5", 5x4.75" and 5x5.00" bolt circles. Some hats are available with oversize stud holes or with no holes at all. See our list of mounting hats for complete dimensional information. |
| Q: | Why are some rotors drilled or slotted? |
| A: | Rotors are drilled to reduce rotating weight, an issue near and dear to racers searching for ways to minimize unsprung weight. Drilling diminishes a rotor's durability and cooling capacity. Slots or grooves in rotor faces are partly a carryover from the days of asbestos pads. Asbestos and other organic pads were prone to "glazing" and the slots tended to help "scrape or de-glaze" them. Drilling and slotting rotors has become popular in street applications for their pure aesthetic value. Wilwood has a large selection of drilled and slotted rotors for a wide range of applications. |
| Q: | What master cylinder should I use with Wilwood brakes? |
| A: | The goal is to select a master cylinder system that supplies sufficient fluid volume to provide a firm, responsive pedal, while generating enough pressure to stop the car comfortably. Dual master cylinder pedal systems are used extensively in racecars and have completely separate master cylinder systems for the front and rear brakes. This setup permits easy adjustment of front to rear brake bias with the integrated balance bar assembly. A tandem master cylinder will have two fluid output ports; one for the front brakes and one for the rear. A single fluid output master cylinder, or "fruitjar", will be plumbed to all four calipers as a single system. To determine the appropriate master cylinder and hydra- mechanical combination, review Wilwood's Tech Tip Guide for proper pedal ratio, caliper piston area and master cylinder bore selection criteria. |
| Q: | Do I need to use a Residual Pressure Valve? |
| A: | Residual pressure valves maintain a nominal amount of pressure in the brake system to alleviate fluid from draining back towards the master cylinder and causing excessive pedal travel. Use 2lb. RPV's when the master cylinder is mounted below the level of the disc brake calipers to prevent brake fluid from draining back down into the master cylinder. Use 10 lb. RPV's with all drum brake applications to offset return spring tension. |
| Q: | When do I use a proportioning valve? |
| A: | A proportioning valve is a pressure reduction device. It is typically installed in the rear brake line to reduce braking efficiency and compensate for premature wheel lockup; a result of incorrect front to rear brake bias. An adjustable proportioning valve permits incremental adjustments to fine tune brake bias. |
| Q: | What size brake lines should I use? |
| A: | Use 3/16" steel line wherever possible. Use flex line only where necessary. |
| Q: | Will stock rubber brake lines work with Wilwood Brakes? |
| A: | Yes, but they require 1/8" - 27 NPT adapters to fit the calipers. We recommend use of high quality -3 or -4 braided stainless steel flex lines as replacements to the stock rubber lines. |
| Q: | What type of brake fluid should I use? |
| A: | Wilwood's EXP 600 Plus is the best choice. Other fluids are available, but may have a substantially reduced boiling point, which can cause fluid boiling and brake fade under moderate operating conditions. DOT 5 Silicon Fluid is not recommended. In addition to being easily aerated which leads to a spongy brake pedal, it is not hygroscopic, which permits moisture accumulation in the brake system, lowering the boiling point. Note: To maintain a high dry boiling point and maximum performance, change the brake fluid often, especially after high heat cycles. |
| Q: | What do I do to eliminate a spongy pedal? |
| A: | A spongy pedal can occur for a number of reasons: air in the line, misaligned caliper, incorrect caliper/master cylinder bore combination and more. See our complete Troubleshooting Guide for a more thorough list of causes and solutions. |
| Q: | Why does my pedal "fade" or "go away" after I've warmed up my brakes? |
| A: | Old brake fluid is the main cause of this problem. Brake fluid deterioration occurs from heat cycling and absorption of moisture. As brake temperatures increase, the old fluid boils, causing the pedal to fade. See our "lose your pedal" section of the Troubleshooting Guide, and make sure you are using fresh Wilwood brake fluid. |
| Q: | I have a hard pedal, but the car won't stop. Why? |
| A: | Common contributors to "hard pedal, won't stop" issues are oversized master cylinder bore and inadequate pedal lever ratio. See our Troubleshooting Guide for more complete information, and make sure you have Wilwood Quick Check Pressure Gauges available to assist you in evaluating the problem. |
| Q: | Why do my brakes drag? |
| A: | Brake drag can be caused by a failing master cylinder, incorrect use of Residual Pressure Valves, mis-aligned calipers or a badly adjusted brake pedal. Brake drag can cause excessive pad and rotor wear, and a spongy pedal due to fluid boiling. Our Troubleshooting Guide has more helpful hints. |
| Q: | Why does my pedal pulse when I apply the brakes? |
| A: | Brake pedal pulse or oscillation can be caused by excessive rotor run out, rotor faces out of parallel, excessive bearing clearances or inadequate suspension components. Solutions to these issues and more can be found in our Troubleshooting Guide. |
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