Thought I'd mention that TCE will soon be adding Solstice/Sky kits to the product line. Same basic kits (no low budget kit however) that are here for the HHR but with required changes for fit. Tell a friend.

 

linky =p

 

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...s.pl?record=31

I'm guessing they'll look identical to the HHR/Cobalt setups but with different brackets...

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o...0and%20Cobalt/

 

im half tempted to buy these for the cobalt(front set that is

 

A very good guess! Yup, there are only so many ways you can dress up the same calipers and rotors....different brackets and hoses!

What puzzles me is the lack of interest on the smaller kit. I can drop the price a bit, perhaps down $100 or so and see how it goes. If it doesn't sell at $695 I guess it's not going to at all. With a half dozen or so of the larger kits in service this one is still sitting here collecting dust. Let's put it on someones car for some feedback.

 

Im down

 

id like to...but from hearing they are touchy to always needing fixed and more a track inspired break kind of pushes me away

 

If that were really the case then after 16yrs of doing this you'd think I'd have heard of this also. Always amazed at how mis information and bs from people who don't own or never even laid hands on product can be such experts.....

Excuse me while I go inform the thousands of Vette and Mustang street (and track) owners that their purchase will only bring them problems. I'll get to my hundreds of MINI, Impala, Lightning, Charger etc customers tomorrow...

 

Whoa calm down Todd. How about correcting him instead of being a smart ass

 

Apologies Mike, I know you're only relaying hearsay. My frustration doesn't lie with you.

But rather with the often cited comments in general that are un substantiated by others who have little or no experience with the product. Many times these same folks are quick to comment on things they feel are critical or continue to pass on information they 'think' is legitimate because someone told them....

I've been a dealer for Wilwood now since 1993 with four years of hands on work with the product before that. (fit to an entire fleet of Mustangs I was in charge of) I've seen the good and the not so good. I'm quick to point out that in deed some product is better than others. And yes money comes a part of it as quality goes up with price.

Despite Wilwood's sound foot hold in the racing trenches and for about ten years in the street aftermarket there remains the same comments on every board I visit- these calipers need rebuilding often, the pad selection is not as great, they are not dust booted so not streetable, the rotors are not floating, piston size is not right, and more. While all great topics of discussion, most of these comments come from people who don't now own a Wilwood caliper or kit. Not all items are perfect, nor are they or any aftermarket part 'maintenance free' but any performance change comes with its own quirks. When properly installed and with a bit of common sense care you'll have years of trouble free operation.

 

whats up todd remember me, i would like to a get a set but short on cash

 

So this is $700 for a complete front set that works on a Cobalt?

 

Currently yes, but it is based upon the five lug design which I carried over from the HHR platform used to do the test fits on. I've been asked to look into the four lug application and I'll try to get to this sometime this week in fact.

 

well i apologize for what i said, even though i didnt mean anything by it. just out of curiosity, what kind of problems seem to run with these kits?

hey todd hit me up with a pm. im growing more and more curious on these as i go...i have a few things i want to talk to you about on them

 

I have 5 lug anyway, so it's cool. Do these have any "wheel requirements"? Such as minimum wheel size and what not? Do they fit on all factory wheels? I'd assume you still can't go under 16's, or maybe with these it's even 17 for a minimum..? If these are a 100% complete direct factory bolt-on with every piece necessary I might consider these instead of the t/c Brembo's..

 

Very nice

 

How do these compare to the t/c Brembo's?

 

No need what so ever. It was all a context thing; me replying not to your comments but to the things you've been told or perhaps lead to believe. Just poor formatting on my side.

The main issues center around; caliper compatibility to the cars requirement for proper piston sizing, the need for regular rebuilds, the lack of piston seals on most calipers, and sourcing parts or pads.

To be clear; I personally put the Forged Billet DynaLite caliper on the 'accessory' list and not on the track menu. The DL calipers are great for many vehicles include selling hundreds to SRT4, Honda, RSX and others for a great street performance application. They are however short on mass and thin on pad material for the most hard core of track day users. So what does that mean? It means that if you're looking for improvements over stock, you AutoX or just want to have some pad compound options and lighter weight parts- this type of kit is for you. On the other hand if you look for multiple 30min open track sessions every weekend you'll out grow this design in a matter of weeks. But don't forget to factor the budget into things as well....And will 8lb calipers on 15lb rotors work better for you to go to the store?? Ahh...no.

To seal or not to seal....Most all Wilwood calipers are built with stainless steel (now) forged pistons for maximum heat rejection. This is even more critical on the DL as the pads are thinner. There are a few now such as the DynaPro where they are available with fully dust booted design. And I sell a number of kits which use them. They run a lot more money and so too the radial brackets. That's why kits such as the MINI run about $300 more than those for an SRT4; it's the caliper and bracket package. Are the boots all that critical? With a bit of common sense maintenance and some care the answer is no. They don't "fall apart" when exposed to dirt, rain, snow or grime. Yes you can have issues if you force pistons back in covered with a Winters full of salt and water. Clean things a bit and you'll be fine. *Other parts of the car made from alum or stainless don't mysteriously rot away in a year or two. Roughly 90% of all kits I produce and sell today are non booted.

Rebuilds and how often? When needed is all. While it would be foolish to say that it's not on the agenda some day, if you care for them you'll have years of trouble free operations. Now, let the pads run down to zip, allow them to taper heavily and wedge pistons in the bores etc and you'll be looking for some service. And admittedly as someone pointed out; if you really feel the need in 3-5yrs to do this you can replace the entire caliper for about $130ea. Still I sell very, very few replacements.

Guys, kits such as this from me or from the Factory or from other suppliers are built to elevate a certain form of performance or offer gains to meet your needs or wants. Like ANY aftermarket part be it suspension, engines, air filters, turbos, or door hinges there comes a balance of trade offs vs gains. It's the nature of the beast. If it were all optimized at the begining you'd not be driving a Cobalt, you'd have a Vette. Can you improve upon the current platform? Sure. Is it going to completely trouble free? Hopefully. But we all know once you open the hood and begin to mess around...be prepared for some additional work from time to time.

 

i have a few questions that i want to cover before i buy anything-

-first thing, i thought i read somewhere that you loose the ability to use the parking brake with these? this true?

-what about break hoses? are the stocks usable? this kit is 100% bolt up right?

-what kind of maintenance is required to keep these going, how reliable are they, how long do they last etc.?

-do the drilled rotors crack often with these brakes?

-how much are replacement pads, and how long should they last considering i dont brake hard at all?

i think thats all i have for now

if the answers to these are good i have themoney in hand and i will be ready to buy, i just want some official, no b/s imput from someone who has experience with them.

 

The 12.2" kit will fit a 16 without issue. The body overhang is not outrageous and requires .95" of clearance. The 13" kits are more wheel friendly with the DP6 application of space is an issue.

I can't speak of comparing to the Brembo as I know little about it. If you can do that conversion for sub $800 then it's worth considering also. I'm sure you'll find two main difference right away being one pc vs two piece design rotors for much heavier parts (not of value) on the Brembo and a far more limited pad selection.

 

when you say clean them regulary, do you mean give them a good spray down, or take them off the rotors and clean them?

i dont do any autox racing or anything, i just want a little more stopping power in a more dependable form, and i want something that looks good. if anything id like to go with the wilwood/drilled rotors

 

[B]No problems.[/B

 

thanks for the reply, i didnt notice your post on the previous until just now.

 

This thing is messing w/my replies. Sorry.

I mean if you run year round be sure to put in fresh pads for the Winter time to keep the pistons in the bores fully. Check pad wear and flip them if tapering is evident on occasion. Replace pads when down to about 30% material remaining to prevent piston binding- the more the piston are out of the bore or the pad is wearing (think cheese wedge) the more prone to a problem you may encounter.

I usually urge guys to take a tooth brush to the pistons before you retract them and consider investing in some wear spacers to fit behind the pads as well. All pretty simple stuff.

*gotta cut out for a bit

 

so basically what i take from this is keep your pads in check, and periodically, perhaps every 6 months depending on the conditions, take time to make sure the calipers are clean and working well? also take that they are overall pretty decent for day to day driving as well, and in most cases are more or less intended for daily driving performance and show?

im definately interested in doing this, i was hoping to get the setup for at most 750, but im not sure what you do on pricing. also with that i wanted to get drilled rotors, but i dont want to lowball you or anything. a pm would probably be better if that suits you.