16v Rear disks on a 8V

[treed2@u.washington.edu (T. Reed)]

William,

Haven't done it (as I already have a 16v) but the primary pro would be
easier maintainance.. braking won't improve much if at all.

You need a 16v rear axle (or a drill, die grinder and 8v axle, and rear
rotors, wheel bearings, wheel bearing seals, stub axles from your old
axle, axle nuts, axle nut locks, cotter pins, grease caps, proportioning
valves, pad carriers, calipers, brake lines, parking brake cables, guide
pins, dust boots, brake pads, etc). You can probably guess by now why most
people just get the whole axle out of a junkyard or parts car.

IMO don't bother. The rear brakes don't do diddly anyway - all the weight
of the car shifts up to the front wheels during braking. Just make sure
you have good rear shoes, fresh brake fluid (change every 12 months) and
properly bled brakes and your brakes should be great.

If you want to improve braking, spend your money on a good set of
street/race pads like Ferodos (highly recommended). I put these on my 16v
(they're $50 a set) and it now stops on a dime, hot or cold. The downside
of Ferodos is more brake dust. but I can absolutely live with that for
such a significant improvement in braking. Try Mintex if you want less
dust and similar braking performance.

BTW one disadvantage of disc brakes (since you asked about cons) in the
rear is that the parking brake mechanism integral to the calipers tends to
sieze up, causing your rear brake(s) to stick and overheat (also making it
dangerous to drive because of unpredictable handling). This is a very
common problem and the only cure is a new or rebuilt caliper on the
affected side(s). Even rebuilt ones are expensive, and some people report
them freezing up again in a matter of weeks.

Good luck,

-Toby

On Wed, 7 Jan 2004, William wrote:

> Hay i'm thinking of puting on a set of 16v rear disk breaks on my 85 8v.  Now the questions are:  is it worth it, what are the pors and cons, and what all is involved/needed to do this mod.
>
>
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> Thank you
>
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> William F.
>