Plus sizing wheels&brake system

[W-Body Geek]

I always heard that if you plus size your wheel size,that you plus size your brake system..For example:What would happen if I bought some 20inch rims and kept the same stock brake size??

[90TGP]

Upgrading the brakes is mostly for improved performance. But you also have people with lots of money that upgrade brakes for show :shock:

[W-Body Geek]

See that's that shit,I heard that if you don't upgrade your brake system,that you'll have major problems stopping...

[93CutlassSupreme]

See that's that shit,I heard that if you don't upgrade your brake system,that you'll have major problems stopping...

 

first gen w's already have major problems stopping

[GutlessSupreme]

Ideally your first mod to ANY car would be brakes. I wouldn't want to up my wheel size without at least updating my brakes to the newer styles, and ideally I would have drilled/slotted rotors (for fronts anyway). I don't know how your '00s brakes are, but I don't see why you would be pissed that someone recommended you upgrade your brakes..

 

Besides safety, bigger brakes will look a lot better behind bigger wheels.

[DaveFromColorado]

yeah, I'm lookin' at upgrading my brakes too... not that I want much bigger rims, I just want brakes that will be much more efficent.

 

altho I gotta say I love it when you see those little ricers rollin' 'round with 20's and you can see the TINY little drums in the rear and the TINY almost Cute little rotors in the front.

 

--Dave

[Guest TurboSedan]

Ideally your first mod to ANY car would be brakes.

 

 

i couldn't agree more ecspecially in the case of 1st GEN W-bodies. get the '94+ rear upgrade done, and then concentrate on getting the late '95+ front upgrade done with slotted rotors. you'll probably have to experiment with pad type/brand. you could add ABS if you don't have it already and i think the '96+ power brake booster is bigger...which won't work with a 5-speed swap so i've heard :? good luck.

[phantomshado]

if you plus 1 or 2 your wheels, everything should be fine. However, 20's? Those much bigger, and especially if chrome, much heavier wheels will carry more inertia, putting a strain on an already suspect braking system. If you go plus 3 or any more, I strongly recommend upping the brake size as well.

[GnatGoSplat]

It depends a lot on weight, and depending on what wheels you choose, you can actually end up lighter after plus-sizing. I could be wrong, but I'm almost positive my 18" wheels weigh less than the pie-cut 16" (both with tires mounted).

 

Anyway, I upgraded to the biggest factory gen 1 brakes (off a 96 Monte Z34) and everyone still said my brakes looked puny behind my 18" wheels.

 

You can only go so far, upgrading brakes on a gen 1 W-body. My next step (should I choose to upgrade my brakes further) will have to involve extensive fabrication... no easy chore since I've never touched a welder in my life.