Who here has done the BMW 320I brake upgrade for their 914?

Opinions?.

I've done it to two 914s, works pretty darn good.
I also took the prop valve out and replaced it with a tee.

I did the conversion and like the results. It is not earthshaking but alittle better. Pads make a difference too.
Geoff

I had them on for the drive home, w/ a bad MC to boot!! I think they were my only working stopping device when I drove her home...

YIKES

Just had it done on my 914, in the process of braking it in,,, so far it seems ok, glad I had it done.
I purchased a kit from Paul Allen,, great kit with everything in this kit for a good install.

I got the same set, but back when they were 350; painted, shipped, etc. Also got my 916 bumps from him.

Only problem is the so called caliper paint doesn't seem to be real caliper paint. A couple drops on the paint, and she's flaking off like acetone on paint. Caliper paint should stand up to a few brake bleedings... Oh well. Prolly coulda had it done for 1/2 price locally

I am going to put Volvo calipers on, they dont require machining and are 4 pot with more disc area. got the tees from Rich. they should bolt on with a washer to adjust the space on the rotor.



Bernie

Bernie, what MC are you going to run with the volvo calipers? I had a pair sitting in my garage for a few years (just threw them out last month) and the only reason I didn't install them was because I figured the 19mm MC wouldn't be enough to run them.

Oh, and are you going to grind off the outside edge of the pads, or just let them hang over the edge? I wasn't too concerned with it, but I probably would have ground off the pads to fit just for something to do.

I just ordered a set from Dave at GPR for 299$ with all the hardware. Seemed like a safe bet to go with them. Now I got to break down and buy a Powerbleeder also.

Pat

I will be using the 19 MC and yes I will leave the pads alone I will let the forum know how it works. There should be no machining required. It should be a much cheaper conversion.



Bernie

With the 320i upgrade, 19mm MC, does anyone else feel like I do...that the fronts work too well. Seems they lock up quite a bit too soon for rears, so I am considering a proportioning valve UP FRONT...anyone else have this experience?
Powerbleeder works awesome by the way. High pedal.

Jim

Remove the stock rear brake bias Jim and install a tee. You now need to "even" out the amount of braking force in your car. Once you do this... the car will really stop.

B

Sorry, forgot to add that I did remove prop valve from rear and installed tee.

Jim

Good luck. LOL That is what I do to "even" out the pressure when running Turbo 944 calipers on the front and SC fronts on the rear.

I have said all along that the BMW kits dont work all that well. Locked up wheels leave you with NO control of the vehicle.

B

When I first upgraded my MC to 19mm (stock brakes) I used to lock up the fronts all the time, almost rear ended a couple people.

Here's the poop:

If you have skinny tires that's too much brake and it will lock up too easy, switch to 195 or 205 and you'll have better luck with the 19mm MC.

Volvo calipers? Off of what year and model?

Brad, when I replaced the front discs on my 944 they were the same as the 911. The Turbo callipers are the same as the C2, I know the 944 (NA) struts are coil sprung but are the callipers the same as the 911 -89? If so I'm sure I have a pair in my garage.

My BMW callipers would lock up the fronts way too early...I hope when I install the "T" piece it helps. Being midengined the weight nearer the back should mean the rears can handle more pressure.

Another variable in effective brake bias is your pads. If you're running a very aggressive sport/race pad (high coefficient of friction) at one end, and a 30-year old street pad on the other end, be prepared for some interesting behavior. If your fronts seem to have too much bias even w/o the stock prop valve, you may be able to fine tune things a bit by putting a different pad in the back.

volvo calipers

Volvo calipers? Off of what year and model?

Mine are 85 240 GL calipers

More Pics

minor clearence problems with Riveria Wheels. Had to polish about 70 thou. on caliper.

another pic

Bernie

Thank you

re. volvo calipers:

Drove the teener today after the installation. Very impressive differance in performance. Havent put the tee in the rear brake lines yet but expect even better results when that's done.

Bernie

ps see pics in previous entry.

I'm running 1972 BMW 2002 4 piston calipers in the front with a 19mm master. Direct bolt up no machining needed. The 2002 pads run in the same path as the 914. The 320 rotor is larger in dia. I think. The pads hang over the outer edge of the 914 rotor. More pad than the stock 914 but less pad than the Volvo. I have a set of those also. They are huge! I just ordered the kits for the calipers last week. Install will be soon.

Those big calipers won't be any good at the race track - they will just overheat the rotors quicker. If installing aggressive pads in stock calipers doesn't do enough, the only upgrade worth the effort is a strut upgrade to get ventilated disks.

If you are autoxing, I believe my region (SF) allows you to only go to 911T front brakes (vented and a little more pad area) without bumping your class.

mine is a daily driver, not planning to use it in autoxing. I just want to improve the brakes.

Bernie

That's only in the "Production" class, which is two up from the stock class. If you want to keep the car in "Improved", you cannot use any brakes but stock.

Actually, the Zone 7 rules specifically state that "any [stock] 914 or 914-6 brake" can be used in Production class. That does mean the 'M' 911 brakes, of course, as those are what the original Sixes used.

Ducting can help the four-cylinder brakes. I know FP (SCCA class) cars that run stock brakes and have no problems with 30-minute races. Then again, B claims that you shouldn't need to use the brakes anyway...

--DD