Front and rear cross-drilled rotors, braided stainless steel brake lines, performance brake pads, hi temp brake fluid.
Installation is straightforward, but you should have a Miata shop manual or prior experience with Miata brakes, since no instructions are included. As advised by other 'netters who have reviewed braided stainless brake lines, brake pedal feel will be very firm, but the effort required to slow/stop is actually noticeably reduced. The cross-drilled rotors are also a nice, subtle appearance upgrade.
I researched this upgrade quite a bit before making the purchase. Thanks to the other reviewers who responded to my questions, and to Jim Hemphill and the other Houston Miata Club members who shared their experiences and opinions. My car's a '90, so, to me, it made sense to upgrade to the larger 94+ brakes. If you do the same....make sure to order the 94+ 1.8 kit. Now.....you're going to need a few additional parts to upgrade to the larger brakes. These include: caliper slider brackets and hardware kits, at a minimum. I'm saying this because the larger 1.8 rotors will interfere with the splash shields, but the Houston guys advised that these can be "adjusted"... I think that's French for "bent"...to gain enough clearance. Since I was replacing the rear axle bearings and front hub/bearing assemblies, I bought shiny new splash shields. All the new parts came from Roebuck Mazda. Thanks again, Marshall! I've done about 500 street miles worth of driving since the kit (!) was installed, and I'm completely satisfied with the much-improved performance of the brakes. One minor complaint...the pads (Axxis...from Australia) do seem to make a lot more dust than the OEM pads. But...there's not been any squealing, and the increase in stopping power I wanted is absolutely there. One note for those that size-up like I did. The front caliper sliders (brackets) from the 1.8 are installed on the opposite side from which they are intended. Right goes on left, etc. This does not apply to the rear slider brackets. Also...make sure that your bleeding assistant is patient. You'll be draining the hydraulics completely, so prepare them for a good bit of pedal-pumping. I bled mine...and then went back around and gave each corner an additional three squirts, just to make sure. I have my first autocross in a little over a week, and I'm looking forward to testing the limites of these new brakes.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
| Back to Product Reviews | 15 December, 2001 |