The AW11 Brake Upgrade Thread

[Joshstix]

is that the only mod ifications need to fit the larger gt4 dics and big singles? re drilling the rotor and trimming the dust shield, You don't need to put any spacer plates or anything on? the caliper bolts directly to the original caliper holes?

Yep, once I had drilled the three extra holes and trimmed the dust cover it was just like doing a standard rotor and pad change.

[Joshstix]

Ok, so I use GT4 twin pistons at the front (it seems like the best bang-for-buck), the AW11 front rotors at the back with SW20 rear callipers and some mods. How much modification is required to make the SW20 callipers and AW11 front disks all bolt up? And what's a good place (prefer in Perth) to source the parts?

Edit-Can I re-use the front callipers as rears, or is that not a worthwhile swap?

Cheers guys, great thread. RM.

As far as I can tell the twin piston calipers aren't going to be much of an upgrade. They are on the standard size disks so you have no additional heat capacity and the pads are the same distance from the axle so they have no leverage advantage. The only advantage is a bit bigger pad area and a bigger piston area, neither of which is something I would see being a huge improvement.

You need a ~6mm spacer between the hub and rotor to make the AW11 front rotors and SW20 22V rear calipers fit on the back of the AW11. You could use front AW11 calipers on the back but then you'd need to rig up some kind of hydraulic hand brake setup.

[davedave]

Ok, so I use GT4 twin pistons at the front (it seems like the best bang-for-buck), the AW11 front rotors at the back with SW20 rear callipers and some mods. How much modification is required to make the SW20 callipers and AW11 front disks all bolt up? And what's a good place (prefer in Perth) to source the parts?

Edit-Can I re-use the front callipers as rears, or is that not a worthwhile swap?

Cheers guys, great thread. RM.

I wouldn't bother with the twin piston upgrade, unless you have pre 1987 brakes.
I replaced my AW11 front brakes with the ST185 twin pistons (for engineering reasons) and I can't feel any difference. I'd say there's a slight difference (don't know which way) but because it was a year between driving the two, I had no chance of knowing.
Verdict: Not good enough to say "shit, can't remember them being this good"

[wiso]

i can remember a bit of differance when i swapped my st162 singles to the gt4 twins, it wasn't much, but it did have more bite, yeah josh is right though, didn't make much differant on the heat, they still lasted about the same

[myne]

Ultimately the tyres are what makes a car brake.
Bigger discs/calipers are only ever to reduce fade and increase consistency.

[TooF]

going to the twins for me made a huge difference. some time when i get around to it ill fit up the big singles ive got kicking around here and go do some runs on the gtech and measure what the exact numbers are with all three combinations.

my suspicion is that the big single on 278 disc will be the best. duuhh.

but ill get some good numbers to say exactly how good

hmmm that might be this weekends task instead of the oil cooler

[mullett]

Hehe...don't suppose you want to sell the big singles setup do you? I can order the rotors new, get some slotted ones with the right holes drilled in, but I'll need the callipers.

Wiso: I know what you mean about tyres, but I suffer fade under hard braking (I do some motorkhana work and heavy street on backroads, the fade can get pretty dramatic. Bigger disks seem like the way to go to me, there isn't a twin piston calliper that'll fit is there?

RM.

[4agte]

aparantly if u use the twin piston caliper on the single piston slider they will fit onto the st185 single piston disc but aparantly you have to grind a bit here and there

[mullett]

So you get the larger disk with the twin piston callipers? That sounds like a goer...I can machine custom sliders and suchforth...

[TooF]

i wouldnt bother with the twins on the larger rotors.. the single has a larger piston area iirc.. and also has a much better selection of off the shelf pads.

no i wont sell the singles or the twins.. the singles are going on my car and the twins are going on the miss's


you said you can get the rotors with the right holes in them ? do you have a contact that can source undrilled ones ? as ive come up a blank trying to source DBA743SU (U being undrilled)

[4agte]

the singles are pretty easy to get your hands on i found mine on these forums wasnt that hard think they cost me $150 + $80 for a toyota rebuild kit and about $15 for some brake caliper paint

[mullett]

Yeah, I think I can get the undrilled rotors, shouldn't be too hard. I'll keep my eyes open for some callipers, if anyone sees them I'd appreciate a PM, that'd be great. Just to clarify, it's the ST185, Aust spec callipers that I want? And for the rears use a 6mm spacer, the stock front disks, and SW20 rear callipers. Are all the generations of SW20 the same? Oh, and how good is the handbrake? My stock AW11 handbrake is shite....

[4agte]

yeah st185 gt4 mine are from an australian group a but i think there is no difference between the group a and non group a not 100% tho

[mullett]

Ok, got some prices.
ST204 front callipers-$110 each (are these the same? I don't think so, he does)
3SGE TB: $132
SW20 rear callipers: $110 ea

[Joshstix]

The SW20 calipers you want are the 22V unit's off the late model SW20 turbo. I have no idea if the ST204 calipers are the same, but there were several cars with the same calipers as the ST185, in fact I think even some of the SX celica's had them.

If you're looking for undrilled disks forget about RDA and DBA neither of them make their own disks for the ST185. I was quoted 18 months until a new order would be done and they could get some undrilled disks in.