'98 CSVT cheap rear brakes upgrade?

[AGrayson84]

Hello everyone. The '98 CSVT I picked up already has Focus SVT front rotors (not sure which caliper), but still has stock rear brakes. I have a rear caliper that is going to need to be replaced.

If I were to do a CSVT 278mm front rotor on the rear, and get the Nautilus Performance rear brake upgrade hardware (http://nautilusperformance.com/perf...store#!/~/product/category=3618214&id=9153785) do I still use CSVT rear calipers?

Can I get rear knuckles, rotors, and calipers off of a FSVT and go that route? Or will the FSVT calipers not work with the CSVT brake lines?

Any other inexpensive options that I'm leaving out for upgrading the rear brakes?
http://nautilusperformance.com/perf...store#!/~/product/category=3618214&id=9153785

 

[blu_fuz]

Milan makes a rear kit. I have it.

It uses the Focus SVT front rotor on the rear of your Contour. You keep the caliper and pads stock contour pieces. You need to cut some material off the caliper bracket to open it up. It relocates the caliper out further to fit the bigger Focus SVT rotor.

 

[B3NN3TT]

The Nautilus kit uses the Contour FRONT rotor on the REAR brakes, with just a relocation bracket for the stock Contour rear caliper.

It's not a direct fit:

A: The front rotors are A LOT thicker than the rears, so you cannot use fresh pads on them unless you file the pads down first and/or turn down the rotors (or both), because the caliper doesn't open far enough for the rotor to fit between the new pads without modification.

B: The caliper bracket doesn't fit around the front rotors either, and needs to be grinded out on the inside, using trial-and-error, until you can mount it without scraping. It takes forever.

Rear rotors from the SVT Focus are not vented, so they are a lot THINNER than the Contour rotors. This can cause the rear brake pads to fall out when the caliper is fully open and the pads are a little worn.

I would not use the Focus front rotors on the Contour's rear brakes unless I had some humongous Baer or Wilwood kit on the fronts with something at least 13" in diameter...

 

[AGrayson84]

Thanks for the info! Does Milan have a website? I searched Google and couldn't find anything. And silly question, but I did just find some pictures on fordcontour.org of people using the Milan kit on the rear.... but the rear rotor isn't as big as the front rotor. I thought Focus SVT front rotors were 300mm in diameter? Not sure I'd even care for the look of having 300mm rotors all the way around anyway, but I'm puzzled as to how these peoples' installed pictures have smaller rear rotors than front? I assume they were using a 300mm front rotor in their pictures...

 

[AGrayson84]

So I just noticed on fordcontour.org you were one of the threads with pictures. You're running 13" front rotors.... but the rear still don't look nearly 12" after the FSVT rotors. Is it just me?

Also, since the CSVT rear calipers/pads only bite on half of the surface area of the rotor, I suppose you might have to "turn" (cut) the rotor more often than normal so that the caliper bracket continues to clear surface area of the rotor? Or should you not need to turn them more than usual?

 

[blu_fuz]

Pics.

Here is my old 13" BAER kit on the front:

Upgraded the rear brakes to 12" Focus SVT front rotors with the Milan big brake kit relocation brackets and hardware. Hopefully will have better pics soon.:

Before and after.

Now I am running this new front 13" BAER kit and different wheels and still have the Milan rear kit:

 

[AGrayson84]

Makes a ton more sense now.... thanks blu_fuz!

And thanks for the clarification B3NN3TT... I was under the impression that the rotor thickness was the same between the CSVT front and rear. I wonder if a machine shop could take enough material off the pads to make them work, and still last at least 25k miles or so. Not sure I'd want to cut/turn the rotor down to for this, because then it would probably need to be replaced every 1-2 pad changes, once it's too thin (per spec) to cut/turn again.

 

[blu_fuz]

You can also grind open the caliper bracket, then you can use unmodified Contour pads and unmodified FSVT rotors for the rear. Then every brake change afterward would be hassle free.

 

[AGrayson84]

You can also grind open the caliper bracket, then you can use unmodified Contour pads and unmodified FSVT rotors for the rear. Then every brake change afterward would be hassle free.

That sounds more ideal, depending on how much material would need to be removed. Wouldn't want the caliper brackets to be too thin and break (not "brake", lol) on me at some point.... that'd be a mess. I would still stick with just the route CSVT front rotor instead of the FSVT front rotor (and proper adapter brackets of course).

Any idea how much thicker the CSVT front rotor is than the rear rotor????

 

[blu_fuz]

I just auto crossed with my 13" BAER front and 12" Milan rear brake kits. That is the harshest type of "real world" braking you will ever put on your street car. Opening the rear caliper bracket a little has no effect on the strength of the braking system.

 

[B3NN3TT]

You can also grind open the caliper bracket, then you can use unmodified Contour pads and unmodified FSVT rotors for the rear. Then every brake change afterward would be hassle free.

The bracket doesn't have anything to do with the clearance between the pads - that's all in the caliper. And the little CDW rear calipers do not open wide enough, with fresh pads inside, to fit a vented front rotor in there without something getting machined down, either the rotor or the pad.

When I installed my Nautilus rear brake kit, I had to grind A LOT on the inside of the bracket just to get it to mount over the rotor. Then I had to use my old rear brake pads to get the caliper itself to mount up, because it wouldn't fit with fresh pads, even though I had the new rotors turned down a little.

 

[AGrayson84]

Yeah, I started thinking about the before your last response B3NN3TT, and realized I'd have to grind away from the caliper itself, and the side opposite of the piston.

If grinding just the piston is not enough to use fresh pads, then maybe I'm getting in over my head on this and should just replace my calipers, keep the stock rotors, and just do stainless braided brake lines where I can.

 

[blu_fuz]

Yes there is enough room in the caliper body if using stock replacement brake pads combined with the focus svt front rotor on the rear of a contour. I know because I did the install.

You only need to grind material away from the rear caliper bracket because the slot where the ROTOR goes through the bracket is too small. You don't touch the caliper body at all with the Milan brake kit.


http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?76855-Milan-Rear-11.9-quot-BBK&highlight=bbk



This is the only piece of the entire rear brake setup that you need to modify, which is the caliper bracket:

My kit is being shipped tomorrow. Did you guys use new brake pads? When I put my NPG kit on the LX, I used new pads and that forced me to turn the CSVT rotors as it was impossible to get the caliper on :blackeye: I'd love not to need to turn the new FSVT rotors!

Both Joe and Milan used brand new pads and rotors. No need to machine the rotors... There is plenty of space in there for both. Just make sure you push the caliper Piston all the way back in. There is a special tool you can use, simply called the brake caliper tool. Looks like a little cube which you attach to a ratchet...

Awesome to see that you decided to buy the kit! Post up pictures one you have them on there.

I started the install today, but couldn't finish as I do have to get the rotors turned down, as they are 2mm to wide to fit the new pads. I know I could just mill the pads, but I'd rather turn the rotors and not have this problem again when I replace the pads down the road.

So far the kit is well made, and bolts right up with out issue!

Did you shave the inner sides of the caliper brackets yet? The pads fit fine, it's the caliper bracket that needs the work. Once that is done, there is about 1-2mm clearance between the rotors and the pads. Hope you have not turned the rotors yet...

If you are running non-oem pads, they may be thicker than the stock ones. Hawk pads are too thick and require rotor turning or shaving down the pads.

 

[AGrayson84]

Hmmmm.... now you have me wondering how the car will look with 300mm rotors on all 4 corners. Know of anyone with pics of that? Did you notice significant difference with the FSVT rotors on the rear?

 

[blu_fuz]

Very noticable combined with my 13" BAER front brakes. Really balances out the system.


I don't know how the SVT Focus front rotors used on all 4 corners would feel or act. Maybe go with the NPG rear brake kit that uses the stock SVT Contour front rotor on the rear and use the SVT Focus front rotor and NPG brake kit on the front.


I just installed the NPG front kit with FSVT front rotor on my brother's car:
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showt...t-and-Hawk-pads-questions.....&highlight=hawk


I did not have to grind any material from the caliper or bracket. You do have to grind some of the casting edge off of the front knuckles for one of the spacers to fit properly. Really easy kit to install.

 

[Heywood]

I made a thread on it some time ago. The front svt rotor needs to be turned down to minimum spec. You shouldn't need to worry too much about wear on the back. I have not had to change my rotors in the time I've had them on.

edit: here's the info from that old thread
To recap the work:
Machine inside of the hat to increase the diameter by 1/8"
Turn rotor faces
Mill inside face of caliper bracket flush
Mill 5/64" off the outside faces of the bracket

 

[blu_fuz]

I made a thread on it some time ago. The front svt rotor needs to be turned down to minimum spec. You shouldn't need to worry too much about wear on the back. I have not had to change my rotors in the time I've had them on.

edit: here's the info from that old thread
To recap the work:
Machine inside of the hat to increase the diameter by 1/8"
Turn rotor faces
Mill inside face of caliper bracket flush
Mill 5/64" off the outside faces of the bracket

^ what kit needs all that work to install?????

 

[Heywood]

Warmonger/nautilus