1995 3000GT VR-4: Supercar Engineering W-I-D-E Brake Rotors

• Why Do I Want To Do This?

  • The braking system installed by Mitsubishi at the factory is (IMHO) quite good under most conditions. However, under repeated braking, especially from high speeds, the stock braking system starts to show its limitations. During repeated high-speed track use, I've experienced pad fade, boiled fluid, rotor grooving, and excessive pad wear, even when using brake pads designed for track use. As best as I can tell, these problems are caused by excessive temperatures in the [front] braking system.

    These excessive temperatures indicate that the braking system is not able to dissipate the heat generated by repeatedly slowing the car under track use. To put this in other terms, the heat generated by decelerating the car is greater than the heat that leaves the system into the air. To address this problem, one can increase the thermal mass of the braking system or increase the system's ability to dissipate heat. The first option is only a band-aid as it will only delay the onset of excessive brake temperatures. The second option is a more thorough solution, as it increases the speed at which heat leaves the system.

    Larger brake rotors generally increase the thermal mass of the braking system. They can also increase the surface area available to dissipate heat. Unlike the OEM rotors, SCE rotors are directionally-vaned, which will also increase airflow through the rotor, which helps take heat out of the system. Hopefully, these rotors will address the excessive brake temperatures while allowing me to continue using the OEM calipers, and OEM-sized pads.

  • Since installing these rotors necessitates swapping out the pins that hold the pads with bolts, it should increase caliper stiffness.

  • The SCE rotors are a two-piece design, which means that the hat (the central black part) is a separate piece from the disc (the outer silver part). This means that when the discs eventually wear down to their minimum thickness, I can simply purchase replacement discs rather than having to buying whole new rotors.

  • From Philip at SCE:
    

    SCE rotors have a wider air gap and larger directional vanes for better heat dissipation. Air normally flows through the wheels in the direction from under the car and to the outside. The vanes' air inlet on these rotors is on the back(in-board) side of the rotors, which is the proper location for that inlet. I do not recommend using C-clamps on brake calipers. It if takes more than a hand effort to press them in they should come out for gunk/rust cleaning and seal replacement.





• How Long Will It Take Me To Do This?

  • Once you have the front end of the car in the air and the wheels off, plan on an hour per side if you're taking your time by cleaning everything off prior to disassembly and double-checking for leaks after reassembly.




• Anything I Should Do Prior To Attempting This Procedure?

  • Raise and properly support the front end of the car.
  • Remove the front wheels
  • Thoroughly clean the calipers and the area around them with a good degreaser or brake cleaner.




• What Mitsubishi Parts Will I Need?

  • [optional] Front brake caliper dust boots




• What Other Parts Will I Need?

  • SCE W-I-D-E Brake Rotor Kit
  • ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid (or other DOT3+ fluid)




• Where Can I Get the Stuff To Do This?

  	Part	Company/Contact	Part Number
  	SCE W-I-D-E Brake Rotor Kit	Supercar Engineering	SCE-WIDERotors-2gTF2
  	ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid	Autotechnic	B-ATE-blue





• What Tools May/Will I Need?

  • 17mm 3/8" or 1/2" Drive 6-point Deep Socket
  • 14mm 3/8" or 1/2" Drive 6-point Deep Socket
  • 3/8" or 1/2" Drive Ratchet
  • 18" Cheater Bar [optional]
  • 10mm Wrench
  • 5mm Allen (Hex) Wrench
  • 3/8" Wrench
  • 4" or Larger C-Clamp
  • Rubber Mallet [optional]
  • Shop Towels
  • String or Bungee Cords




• Erik's Review

  • Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this brake setup! At my first track day after installing these rotors (06/15/05), I was finally able to "just use" the brakes and not be paranoid about overheating them. I was able to use the brakes fully whenever I wanted to and there was never even a hint of pad fade or fluid overheating. I routinely entered the braking zone for Turn2 at Pacific Raceways between 100mph and 120mph and decelerated to around 60mph to negotiate the turn. Then, I would slow from around 90mph to around 35mph - 40mph for Turn 3A. I'd even trail-brake into 3A, and the brakes never seemed to complain. For all of the braking zones (2, 3A, 3B, 4, 8), the brakes had consistent, predictable, and agressive bite and were a pleasure to drive. I used brand-new Porterfield R4 pads for this event (bedded, of course), and I saw no excessive wear and observed no nasty smells during operation. In fact, after the pulling into the pits after the completion of a session, my rear brakes were significantly hotter than my front brakes! My front brake rotor temperatures (after a cool-down lap) were 200F-250F cooler than my when I had the OEM rotors, so there's a pretty significant increase in cooling ability with these rotors...
  • So finally, I have a brake setup that seems to allow me to repeatedly slow the car under high-speed driving conditions:
    • Supercar Engineering W-I-D-E (35mm) Front Rotor Kit
    • Front Brake Dust Shields Removed
    • Porterfield R4 Front Brake Pads
    • Supercar Engineering Titanium Front Brake Pad Backing Plates
    • OEM Rear Rotors
    • Porterfield R4S Rear Brake Pads
    • ATE SuperBlue Brake Fluid

The Procedure

	Comparison Pictures
	The SCE rotors should be the same diameter as the OEM rotors. The OEM rotors are 30mm thick and the SCE rotors are 35mm thick. FYI, there is the same wear allowance as the OEM rotors for these rotors (1.6mm). That means that if the discs get below 33.4mm thick, they need to be replaced.
	Hardware Kit
	Shown are (clockwise, from top middle): Caliper Spacers (4), Caliper Mounting Bolts and Spacers (4ea) M6 Stainless Steel Bolts and Locking Nuts (Rear Calipers) M6 Stainless Steel Bolts and Locking Nuts (Front Calipers) The caliper spacers are to be placed between the two halves of the calipers so that the calipers can accommodate the larger rotors. The mounting bolts and spacers are needed to move the calipers inboard slightly to correctly align the caliper to the position of the rotor. The SS bolts for the front calipers are needed because the OEM pins that run through the brake pads will not be long enough with the spacers installed. The SS bolts for the rear calipers are not needed, but are included as a bonus to stiffen the rear calipers.
	Install Rotors and Check Clearances
	After removing the caliper, slide the rotor over the studs and use some lug nuts to secure the rotor to the hub. Check that there are no clearance issues with the rotor, particularly near the ball joint on the lower control arm. Also note that the rotors are directional - there is a left one and a right one. The vanes on the top of the rotor should sweep toward the rear of the car when it is installed on the correct side of the car.
	Temporarily Reattach Caliper
	To loosen the bolts that hold the two halves of the caliper together, it will probably be necessary to reattach the caliper to the steering knuckle.
	Separate Caliper Halves
	Using a 14mm socket or wrench, loosen each of the four bolts that hold the two halves of the caliper together. Be aware that as you loosen the these bolts, you will begin to lose fluid out of the caliper. Brake fluid tends to eat stuff like paint, so make sure you have some towels or something under the caliper to absorb the fluid.
	Insert Caliper Spacers Into Caliper
	Place the aluminum caliper spacers (provided in the hardware kit) between the caliper halves and reassemble the caliper. Make sure that the OEM rubber seals remain in the inboard half of the caliper and make sure the side of the spacers with the new rubber seals faces the outboard half of the caliper. The two rubber seals should not be on the same side... The torque spec for the bolts that hold the calipers together is 30 lbf-ft.
	Reinstall Rotors and Calipers
	When installing the rotors for the final time, remember to install the gold-colored spacers (washers) between the steering knuckle and the caliper. These spacers serve to move the caliper inboard slightly so that the rotor sits in the center of the caliper cavity. The bolts that secure the calipers should be tightened to 65 lbf-ft after the rotors are installed over the wheel studs. I actually ended up not using the supplied caliper mounting bolts (19mm heads) and instead reusing the the OEM bolts. On my car, the new bolts were too long and contacted the rotors when fully tightened. As best as I can tell, the total length of the new bolt is appropriate, but the head of the new bolt is thinner than that of the OEM bolt. In any case, the OEM bolts provide plenty of thread engagement to hold the caliper to the knuckle, so I don't think the new bolts are necessary.
	Install Pads, Shims, and Pad Pins
	Reinsert the pads into the calipers, and thread the provided bolts though the calipers and pads as the OEM pad pins were originally installed. You'll need a 5mm allen wrench and a 10mm socket or open-ended wrench to tighten the nylock nut on the end of the bolt.
	Bleed Brakes
	Since all the fluid was drained out of the caliper, you'll have to bleed the system to get all the air out.
	Repeat For Other Side
	Same thing for the other side of the car...
	[optional] Install Rear Caliper Stiffening Bolts
	Included with this kit are two extra pairs of the same M6 stainless steel bolts (but slightly shorter) used to secure the front pads. While they are not required for the rear calipers, they can only help with stiffening the caliper. Stick 'em on there when you next have the rear wheels off...
	Done!
	Here are the rotors shown installed under my 17" 5Zigen wheels.