reatta Brake Upgrade Please chime in

[diesel991]

Hi, I found out my car is making plenty of noise in the rear due to a brake pad that is loose (tried to bleed the brake no fluid comes out, also on jacks pressed brake and was able to spin wheel, seems like its ceased). I am VERY interested in a brake upgrade and have a few questions. I heard camaro brakes fit the reatta? this true? how hard is the upgrade? whats the largest brake caliper and rotor I can run? I have 18' wheels on my car so i have the space.

[NCReatta]

The Olds Aurora (i believe) is a bolt on. Jon (63Viking) has put those on his car.

[Kingsley]

Suggest you check Ronnie's Journal www.reattaowner.com as I believe he has addressed this subject in the repair section. The Journal should be required reading for new Forum participants!

[Mc_Reatta]

88-92 Camaro calipers and rotors will fit up front if you also get with the mounting brackets banjo bolts, and you at least 16" wheels.

I've got the twin piston aluminum one's on on of mine.

You need to solve your issue in the rear first though.

Did you have the key turned to run and the pedal depressed when you tried to bleed so the pump would run? The are meant to self bleed this way on the rear.

If you aren't getting fluid out, you need to find any kink or blockage in the rigid or flex lines, or the proportioning valve.

If you get it bleed, and the piston still doesn't move it may be frozen

Any upgrade of the rear calipers would need as a minimum modification of the parking brake actuator mechanism.

[handmedownreatta]

[QUOTE=Mc_Reatta;880179]88-92 Camaro calipers and rotors will fit up front if you also get with the mounting brackets banjo bolts, and you at least 16" wheels.


not standard camaro brakes. the hard to find lie?brakes maybe.

[Mc_Reatta]

Find a set of dual piston calipers off an 88-92 Camaro or Firebird V8 RS, Z28, Trans AM etc at a Upullit. Pull the mounting brackets, along with the calipers and the flex line ends with hardware.

Remove the bare calipers keeping the brackets and banjo bolts.

Since you will probably only find cast iron calipers, take to your FLAPS and use as cores on a set of aluminum dual piston calipers for a 92 Trans AM or Z28. Brake Caliper - Front | 1992 Pontiac Trans Am 8 Cylinders 8 5.7L FI | AutoZone.com

Bolt on to your Reatta. Will require adjusting how the flex line mounts at the strut slightly as you need a little more reach for the larger caliper, but will work.

Bleed and enjoy your new stopping power.

[handmedownreatta]

my 89 v8 rs camaro has single piston calipers and 15" wheels......there was an upgrade package with bigger brakes but im sure they are rare.here is a useful website.

http://www.ws6transam.org/1LEbrake.html

[63viking]

Seems like a lot of work for that "UpGrade" The Olds brakes are a bolt on and they give you about double the braking power over stock.

[RulesReattas]

Jon!!!! Where do you get this "double the braking power over stock" ?????? Did you do before and after brake tests on your own Reatta??? Have you tested your car against a stock Reatta? Did you do the math? Delusions of Grandeur?

[DAVES89]

Jon, Thanks for your work on the brakes. Two questions regarding your use of the Aurora brake upgrade;
1] Does 15" Reatta wheels still fit?
2] Does this change the emergency brake to a more traditional e brake?
I know it eliminates the "rattle" found on our current brake system, but as I have two Reattas one with Buick 16" wheels, and one with Reatta 15" wheels I want a system that fits all wheels.
Question to all is there a brake upgrade for the front that uses a dual piston front disc brake system that allows use of our 15" wheels?

[63viking]

For the front wheels you will have to use 16" or bigger.
The parking brake will be a standard e-brake, NO pumping.

[RulesReattas]

Daves89: I have 1989 Park Ave brakes all the way around on one on my 1989 Reatta. I have Reatta 15 inch wheels on this auto. I had to reshape the top of the caliper a bit with a body grinder. I had to chuck the front wheels in a lathe and remove a small amount of metal from inside of the wheels. I have over 30,000 miles on this conversion---NO problems at all. I have two red/tan 89s--------I wanted them to LOOK the same. 16 inch wheels are the BEST way to go however. I spent way too much time maken' the 15s fit. Both my Reattas have working Teves ABS brake systems. They both stop in the same time and distance. The feel the same. The big payoff is one push EMERGENCY brake and No rattle.

[Mc_Reatta]

The main reason to do an upgrade to the front is to be able to increase the contact area between the rotors and the pads which will increase stopping power.

This is easiest accomplished by going to a larger rotor which then allows a larger caliper and pads to be mounted, but unfortunately does require going to a larger wheel to provide clearance.

It probably would be possible to find custom aftermarket calipers that would allow use of larger pads from a speed / racing supplier especially ones for imported rice rockets that would increase braking power with the stock rotors, but these would need custom mounting brackets, hardware and pads which would make this a much more expensive way to go.

Twin piston calipers would have an advantage over single piston in power and feel, but it would not be as dramatic as the what the increase in the contact area that any upgrade provides.

The best reason to upgrade the rear brakes is to improve the mechanics of the caliper to eliminate pad rattle etc. If the parking brake cable and lever arrangement is modified well, an improvement in its operation may be experienced as well. Since ~80% of braking power is supplied by the front brakes, increasing the rear brakes size to match will only increase total stopping power by about 25% as much as the same increase of the fronts will. Not sure what would happen if only the rears were upgraded leaving the fronts alone, but doubt it would still yield as much of an increase as the same change fronts would since the majority of the weight still shifts to the front.

[RulesReattas]

Mc-Reatta: What do you mean by "Stopping Power"? MY two Reattas stop in the SAME time and distance---I CAN PROVE IT. May be that stock Reatta brakes already have enough "Stopping Power"!!!!!!! May be if you need to slow the heavy trailer you pull with your Reatta you will need more "Stopping Power"!?!?!?

[Mc_Reatta]

The stopping distance of the car is controlled by the tires and the road surface. If both cars have the same type and size of tire, the stopping distance of both cars will be the same under similar conditions. As long as the both brakes are capable of providing enough torque to the wheel to achieve the cut in point of the ABS or wheel lockup, and the vehicle weights are the same, you will stop in the same distance.

The advantage to the upgrade brakes is that they allow the ability to achieve this torque target with less pedal effort (clamping force) due the increased lever arm provided by the larger diameter rotors, and they allow greater heat transfer due to the larger surface area which helps in maintaining brake performance with increased usage from increased speeds or loads etc.

The decrease in pedal effort needed to accomplish the same stopping torque, means the Teves pump will not need to run as often or long to maintain system pressure.

So if you are on stock tires, and are confident that you can provide the needed pedal effort to achieve the cut in of the ABS system or wheel lockup, then there is no need to upgrade your brakes. But if you want to mount larger stickier tires, drive at higher speeds, drive on steep mountain roads or tow some extra weight, or just reduce the amount of pedal effort needed to stop, then an upgrade definitely makes sense.

The aluminum Z28 calipers also have the advantage of reducing the unsprung weight on the front wheels, and have better heat transfer than the standard calipers.

[padgett]

Think mainly they look good with open wheels. Do prefer disks to drums (driver's ed said to feather brakes and never lock. With a 61 Caddy from 80+ (Nevada before the speed limits right ?) the only way to stop without hitting something was to lock em up completely. Feather and there would be nothing left before 30.

Disks OTOH I have faded before but took stopping hard from over the ton. E-type brakes could be glowing orange (hotter than cherry red) and still stop.

Suspect the stock brakes are fine for any legal use and the Reatta is NG for autocrossing (get a Fiero). As for the rattle, without my hearing aids it is not there.

[RulesReattas]

Mc-Reatta: Thank you for the vocabulary lesson. Now I understand.

[Mc_Reatta]

Rules, thank you for sharing all your hard gained information about upgrading brakes especially the rears. I have not seen the benefit to me to undertake the upgrade of my rears at the present time, but when the time comes that the rear calipers need to be replaced, I will look for your latest and greatest information on how to perform the upgrade.

I encourage you to keep sharing your knowledge with all of us.

As Rules pointed out from his experience, I don't recommend upgrading your rear brakes unless the fronts have or will be upgraded also. Squirrelly things can happen.