Hey everyone just trying to reach out and get some diy big brake kit ideas. It’s 2018 and I don’t get why our options are still big reds or switch over to 911. I’m looking to do a willwood setup on a 914-4 suspension. Has anyone done this? Trying to save some coin and time.
Thanks,
Trevor (group5 v8 914)

The 914/4 front suspension is quite limited because it came with a solid rotor and 4-lug hub. The solid rotor is a hindrance to adding big brakes and the 4-lug hub is a hindrance to putting on a myriad of larger and wider 911-type wheels.

The 911 front end is a drop-in, bolt-in replacement for the 914/4 suspension. Most later styles come with vented rotors and even later one have 3.5 inch spaced caliper hard points for larger calipers.

The rear end can be modified in many ways for vented rotors and larger calipers.

It's not necessary to change the whole front suspension.
Get struts with 3.5" caliper mounts and your brake options open up.
While your at it install Turbo tie rods.

Because the 911 parts already offer so many great options, it’s not worth developing a new product for a very limited application.

911 parts aren’t cheap but are still available at reasonable prices and are a time saver since they bolt in without any fabrication.

Stock brakes work rather well.

I looked into this, the picture shows a billet hub with Wilwood parts bolted to it. I ended up going 5 lug and doing the Boxster calipers (still fit under a 15" wheel)

In this thread someone has a set of billet hubs for sale that uses the stock 911 vented front rotor.


Unless you have access to a machine shop I don't see you saving any money on this.

There was a kit to adapt the 911 rotor (and more) with four-lug 914 wheels a while back, but I am not sure it was put into production? Also trying to remember if the Bremtek setup could be had in four or five lug?

While the stock brakes do work pretty well on a stock or mostly stock car when they're in good shape, I can see where a Wilwood kit would be appealing if for no other reasons than unsprung weight (the stock steel calipers are boat anchors), sticking with four-lug wheels, and not having to convert the rear end. Downside if you want to do an upgrade in the rear is the parking brake. It's either a second caliper or no parking brake...or complete conversion to 911 rear brakes...which gets you back to a five-lug conversion up front.

^ Nailed it.

Or a 914-6 rear caliper. Rotors could be re-drilled to 4 lug.

But still a boat anchor. Of course, then there's the trailing arm...

It surprises me that no one has done an Elephant Racing style trailing arm for the 914, one with better mounts, better adjustments, and less weight. Between that and the caliper, I wonder how much unsprung weight might be lost in the rear alone. Which raises the question of how much weight might be saved up front with the GT3-style system now available, as well. There's a lot of steel in the 914's suspension. It works, but...

There's plenty of reasonable options if you change the lug pattern to 5... If you're trying to keep it 4 lug then the options are rare at best and expensive--as it's already been said you're way better off converting over.

Unicorn parts for a 4 bolt lug pattern set up, rear disks have to be redrilled to 4 (not for sale)
Click to view attachment

If we are adding lightness into the equation, the 914 trailing arm only weighs a couple pounds. It just looks chunky. Eric Shea/PMB made an aluminum 914-6 caliper. It only got a luke warm reception (914 guys are cheap) but weighs half the steel caliper. I'm sure you could track down a pair. Go with the alloy 3' Brembo caliper on the front (3" struts are lighter than 3.5) the 911 alloy crossmember and you have a killer lightweight big brake setup that bolts on.

You could go a few steps further for the rear:

Inverted Bilstein monotube shocks (heavy parts mounted to chassis)

Replace heavy rear shock bolt with a smaller diameter bolt in double sheer instead of single sheer (would compliment inverted shock)

I've found a 2 piston aluminum caliper with parking brake capability to replace the annoying manually adjusted factory unit. It has a 3.5' lug mounting so I need to make an adapter bracket but it should work and shave off some weight.

................it would be nice to see pictures of your car(s)

I am trying to figure out how to post pictures.. if you have Instagram look me up @anigav_480

Ok sorry I should have been more descriptive of my build I have a 914 group5 wide body with a Chevy v8 and I also have a 5x114.3 bolt pattern and my wheels are BBS LMs 18x11 front 18x14 rear. As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will. If anyone has Instagram my name is @anigav_480

Thanks for all the replies

So who makes this billet hub … it could definitely be an option

I have Boxster calipers on all 4 corners.
Best brakes i ever had on the 914 and trust me, i tried a lot of different setups.
The adapters as well as the calipers are readily available.


I'm not sure how reinventing the wheel fits into "saving money and time". There are already plenty of options out there and a good portion of those are (still) affordable.


PS:

I think it is actually easier to do a brake package with those huge wheels than with small 15" and 16" like many of us.

Well I guess I’m just trying not to have to switch to a 911 strut and stick with the 914 4 struts. That’s where I’m trying to save money I already have the struts so looking for options for my 914 4 struts. Just surprised no one has made hubs for these yet.

Ideally I would like to do willwood lite 4 pot calibers with willwood top hats and a vented rotor..if I can just find a hub to work with I think everything else will fall into place.

Yeah but what strut options do I have just 914-6 and 911.?

I guess you didn't look at my post well enough

Hubs are available that go directly only the /4 strut. 4 lug and 5 lug.

The downside is that the 911 struts have larger spindles with bigger bearings something that should be important with those huge tires that are going to put additional stresses on the stock parts.

Bearing ID diameters....

914 spindles:
⌀1.147"x.580"W
⌀.6875"x.575"W


911 spindles:
⌀1.250"x.660"W
⌀.750"x.655"W

Because for the cost of a custom set of hubs, you can buy off the shelf 911 parts (struts and hubs) that will bolt on and fit a wide range of calipers and like you said, have bearings that are better suited to wider tires.

Thank you yeah I didn’t read it right haha my bad

I'm with rhodyguy on this. With rebuilt stock calipers, new 17MM master cylinder and new Porterfield pads the stock brakes are really awesome.

I don’t doubt that one bit but I have a V8 914 and 18inch wheels. I need more stopping power unfortunately.

Andy,

Do you have Boxster or Boxster "S" calipers? What size is your master?

Thanks,
Andys

I think he has boxster only and a 23mc (from what I read doing research throw his postings) could be wrong tho

I’ve only used base Boxster calipers for the big brake conversions. I use the Stompski adaptors and he told me to use base calipers and Carrera rotors. The Calipers are getting harder to find and going up in price.

Someone did in the 80s or 90s. They made a steel-tube trailing arm, with camber and toe adjustment at the hub end rather than the chassis end. They didn't sell; they were too expensive and the actual gains didn't seem to be that great.

--DD

If the six banger front spindles are larger diameter than the 4's seems to me like all that needs to be done is to machine bearing races that have the id for the 4 spindle and the od of the 6 race....unless there is also a length difference

Holy Crap Trevor, what a crazy 914! Great job Engineering that Beast!
You shouldn't have any problems figuring out bigger brakes...

My idea of the ultimate 914 brake/suspension setup.


911 GT3 front suspension with coilover shocks and Boxster Brakes



Boxster rear suspension complete with brake calipers.



Go full race bushings on the Boxster rear suspension.


Very adjustable and capable of handling a lot of HP.

Very cool idea, Clay—and GT3 Cup control arms are a direct bolt in for the rear, which offer a lot of precision with more than enough compliance to be nice on the street.

Raise the upper damper mounts for the rear with custom coil-overs and...that would be a very trick setup. And there are a fair number of dead 986s out there. For the very adventurous out there, the GT4 stuff is even nicer....and set up to work with a gearbox with a limited slip diff, axles, and gears good for 385 hp with 300+ lb-ft of torque in a 3000+lb car with sticky 295s out back. If all could be adapted, it might be the ultimate setup for a 914 with a lot of engine. Might have to "downgrade" the brakes, however, as everything is set up for 20-inch wheels. 19s fit over the standard GT4 brakes; 18s are trickier with the knuckles...making the 986 (which used 16s) or 987 era (with 17s) a better fit.

These will face plant you on the windshield. PMB...

Hopefully they cost a tad less than these

https://www.twinsparkracing.com/shop/rsr-br...3-3-wheel-hubs/

or these

https://www.zuffenhaus.us/product/2-8rsr-brake-kit/

+1

But that's too simple and easy!

Car in question:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

That car has been running stock /4 brakes for how many years? WTF?

What he said.

Genuine BBS LM wheels at those sizes, with what I am guessing is a powerful V8, but steel 914-4 calipers?

Time for an upgrade, and with that kind of power I'd be looking at some sort of 4- or even 6- piston setup up front and four pistons at the rear. With a footprint like that, it's definitely worth the best wheel bearings you can get, as well. The 993 GT2 ran wide 18s and was at the limits of its front bearings...and those were the much larger 964/993 concept. Then again, at least the 914 is a fair bit lighter, and I doubt you are running slicks at race speeds for 12 or 24 hours.

Haha thank you and yeah I won’t have a problem but I like to look at it from all different angles

I have been running this setup for over a year now and had no problems at all my setup is huge and my rear tires are 335 r888 so this is why I’m looking for a good break setup. Before this car was just for cruising and shows. Mow I’m looking to get into autox and some road racing.

Yeah did everything but breaks last because it was just a weekend warrior but now I want to race and I do plan to run a 6/4 set up mainly looking at willwoods

On 15” wheels? And what about the e brake?

Anyone have a set of the rear alloy calipers they want to sell? I have the fronts down.

When Eric came out with the alloy rears, I was finding rear Ferrari 308 calipers for $250-400 a pair and sending to Eric got the GT conversion. That supply dried up and Eric got tired of selling the alloys near cost.
Even the alloy brembo fronts have gone up a lot.

I am seriously considering this after I get the 4.0 and cayman 6 speed in my car. Then I can use stock cayman trans mounts!

Yes I do have a set of the rear alloy calipers and no I don’t want to sell them.

That bolt pattern could be a blessing or a curse being a common Ford pattern.


On the plus side tons of big brake kits for Mustangs so the aluminum hats are available however the rotor offset might be funky. You will also have to deal with the hubs being so large in diameter, I ran into this when I did a 4x100 conversion on 914 years ago.

I would research what people have done with earlier 911s and contact Wilwood or Patrick motosports.

Might have to piece something together, but see below for some ideas.
https://www.rsrproducts.com/911-brake-systems