I am getting through stripping the parts from my donor running gear and cleaning them up. Having just done the front uprights, hubs & breaks, I
was thinking are they the best option for the final build parts or are there better items out there.
The reason behind this was that I have recently seen a nice looking wheel set up by willwood on Rally design spindles hubs and breaks (
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1375_1594_1595&products_id=13605&osCsid=gh2v2kosjuj0ocol1kafmnpjc0 ).
Now the hubs uprights and sundries look to come in at about £300 which after I have reduced slightly by flogging some of the cleaned up donor parts is
not going to break the bank but is it worth it or will they do no better job than the 10 year old maxda parts I currently have.
Same question for the wilwood break kits. Now these are a bit more money but same question applies.
Can get you the wilwoods brakes a bit cheaper if that helps through the rally design discount.
People tend to be a bit nervous of the alloy uprights, there were some other ones that fractured
They're shiny, that's for sure.
As far as being an upgrade goes, I'm sure they are because they are no doubt lighter. But I don't think many of us mere mortals (IE not
first class professional race car drivers) would tell the difference.
I put the wilwoods on my Indy and while they looked great, always kind of wished I'd spent the money on something better, like some track
days.
All IMHO of course.
If there is minimal performance increase then I may as well stick with the original hubs and uprights. Is it worth renewing the hubs (for originals)
before building or are the bearings on them normally long lasting?
Is there anything stopping me powder coating the hub and upright? Would like them to look a bit nicer on the finished project (sad I know).
By the way did u get the wilwood MX5 upgrade kit or opt for something completely different and adjust set up to suit. I know they look the bees knees
but do they perform well as well. Main use for my car will be track days. Whilst I am a very novice driver I am thinking if I am to splash out on
something in the build this may be one of the better options?
Still liking the idea of the brake kits but have plenty of time to think about this one.
[Edited on 30/7/12 by Padstar]
I had Sierra uprights on my Indy and the bearings are pretty bomb proof on those things.
The thing to keep in mind is the weight of the original donor car and the weight of your kit (probably half, if not less, of the weight of the
original). If the bearings are good now they'll be fine for a long time. The brakes will be more than adequate for your needs too - might need
to play around with a bit of balancing but that's a post IVA thing to diall in the setup to your preferences.
As for powder coating, no reason why not - the uprights on my current Westfield are powder coated and are fine. Just need to make sure the bearing
seats etc are well masked off first.
quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
People tend to be a bit nervous of the alloy uprights, there were some other ones that fractured
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
People tend to be a bit nervous of the alloy uprights, there were some other ones that fractured
Those aren't ally. They're great big solid lumps of forged steel!
Don't get me started on China Ben!
I'd go to MK Engineering for uprights - you might need to tell Martin what you want though.
Brake calipers good for the coaters aswell? The 2 rears from my donor appear to be brand spanking new but not the fronts. Wouldn't mind them
being finished in black as a smart finishing touch.
[Edited on 31/7/12 by Padstar]
I found it surprisingly hard to find the Wilwood upright on the rally design web-sight. The alloy ones where nice and easy to find, does any one have a link to the threads about failures. I was looking at them the other day and fancied a pair.
Before you invest in aftermarket brakes try driving one with standard donor brakes. These are very light cars that don't require large anchors and can suffer from over braking. Many feel that braking is pretty optimum on a 7 with bog standard Sierra disks and callipers up front and drums at the rear.