Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Big brakes and wheel bearing question

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Originally posted by chrisbob View Post
    Any garage with a press should be able to change the rotors and bearings for you. I took the steering knuckle off my 88 festiva and took them to the local garage and had the bearings and rotors changed for 20 bucks per wheel. they used a hydrolic press to separate the assembly and put it back together again.
    Unfortunately, I don't know of anyone in the area that I'd trust to be sharpe enough to dissemble and reassemble them properly. Getting work like this done around here has become a real problem. Local mechanics read the codes, replace a part then scratch their heads. Show them a carburetor and their eyes cross....:highly_amused:

    I know there is a guy on the forum doing bearings, but my car is my DD and if I encountered a bearing problem, I'd be out of transportation until I could get parts from him.

    Thanks for the suggestion,
    Jack Byrd,
    1991 Capri
    1988 Festiva LX, 240K
    1970 Chev C10
    1977 Airstream Argosy MH

    Comment


    • #17
      Originally posted by greywolf200 View Post
      Pardon my ignorance, but what is the problem with "bolt on rotors". I'n aware of them, but no experience.

      Thanks,
      Well imagine your rotors are worn out and you need new ones. With floating (modern style like the aspire and rio) rotors, this is an easy noninvasive job.
      Not so much with captive/bolt-on ones.

      It's kinda like the video below, but not exactly. Same principles involved, though. It's like with captive rotors the design guys sat down and said, "OK, now how difficult can we make this to replace?" Then later, after many beatdowns from disgruntled backyard mechanics, they said, "OK, now let's just use common sense with this one."

      Last edited by sketchman; 05-29-2013, 08:16 AM.
      Any difference that makes no difference is no difference.

      Old Blue- New Tricks
      91 Festiva FSM PDF - Dropbox

      Comment


      • #18
        I'm guessing the engineers that designed this work next door to the ones whose job is to hide the inside door handles on new cars.....:highly_amused:


        Originally posted by sketchman View Post
        Well imagine your rotors are worn out and you need new ones. With floating (modern style like the aspire and rio) rotors, this is an easy noninvasive job.
        Not so much with captive/bolt-on ones.

        It's kinda like the video below, but not exactly. Same principles involved, though. It's like with captive rotors the design guys sat down and said, "OK, now how difficult can we make this to replace?" Then later, after many beatdowns from disgruntled backyard mechanics, they said, "OK, now let's just use common sense with this one."

        Jack Byrd,
        1991 Capri
        1988 Festiva LX, 240K
        1970 Chev C10
        1977 Airstream Argosy MH

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by Rocketman View Post
          Bhazard is the only one I know of to have done the 323/Capri Big Brake upgrade & apply it to the Festiva. It solves the captured rotor problem and offers more rotor and swept area



          It's really not that involved. If you're not up to the job, I sell machined hubs or even whole bolt on Big Brake upgrades depending on your budget
          What keeps a poor little Festiva from doing endo's when you stand on those brakes?
          Jack Byrd,
          1991 Capri
          1988 Festiva LX, 240K
          1970 Chev C10
          1977 Airstream Argosy MH

          Comment


          • #20
            Traction and a rear end
            -Zack
            Blue '93 GL Auto: White 13" 5 Point Wheels, Full LED Conversion, and an 8" Sub

            Comment


            • #21
              They aren't that strong...
              91GL BP/F3A with boost
              13.79 @ 100, 2.2 60' on 8 psi and 155R12's

              Comment


              • #22
                "Floating rotor" refers to a two piece rotor, typically with an aluminum "hat" and a steel disc that is fastened loosely to the hat. The rotors on aspires as well as the majority of production street cars are not floating discs. On these cars, the calipers float. Floating rotors are used with solid mounted calipers that have opposing pistons.
                Last edited by Advancedynamix; 06-01-2013, 03:57 PM.
                Driving for me is neither a right nor a privilege. Driving is my passion, as it was for the people who invented the automobile, the people who paved the first roads and the people who continue to improve the automobile. Please respect this passion.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Huh. That's weird. The same design as a "loose fitting drop on?" rotor is called floating when it's applied to drums, so I assumed. Strange.
                  Any difference that makes no difference is no difference.

                  Old Blue- New Tricks
                  91 Festiva FSM PDF - Dropbox

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Advancedynamix View Post
                    "Floating rotor" refers to a two piece rotor, typically with an aluminum "hat" and a steel disc that is fastened loosely to the hat. The rotors on aspires as well as the majority of production street cars are not floating discs. On these cars, the calipers float. Floating rotors are used with solid mounted calipers that have opposing pistons.

                    thank you for clarifying that for me!
                    2008 Kia Rio- new beater
                    1987 F-150- revived and CLEAN!!!
                    1987 Suzuki Dual Sport- fun beater bike
                    1993 Festiva- Fiona, DD
                    1997 Aspire- Peaspire, Refurb'd, sold
                    1997 Aspire- Babyspire, DD
                    1994 Aspire - Project Kiazord
                    1994 Aspire- Crustyspire, RIP



                    "If it moves, grease it, if it don't, paint it, and if it ain't broke don't fix it!"

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      So what are they called? Porkpie rotors?
                      Any difference that makes no difference is no difference.

                      Old Blue- New Tricks
                      91 Festiva FSM PDF - Dropbox

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Can't find a definitive answer on it, but it seems they are calling the ones Charlie refers to as "floating", "full floating" and OEM common sense designed drop on(whatever), "floating".

                        Still would like to know what they say when they decide they don't need "full floaters" but they definitely don't want captive ones when they are designing a car. Plain rotors, normal rotors, I even saw "frozen rotors", though I think that was half jokingly when comparing to full floaters.
                        Any difference that makes no difference is no difference.

                        Old Blue- New Tricks
                        91 Festiva FSM PDF - Dropbox

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Advancedynamix View Post
                          "Floating rotor" refers to a two piece rotor, typically with an aluminum "hat" and a steel disc that is fastened loosely to the hat. The rotors on aspires as well as the majority of production street cars are not floating discs. On these cars, the calipers float. Floating rotors are used with solid mounted calipers that have opposing pistons.
                          I believe, at one time, you had Capri hubs and switched to Aspire. Knowing you, I'll bet that had something to do racing, how did the problems/advantages relate to a street car?

                          Thanks,
                          Jack Byrd,
                          1991 Capri
                          1988 Festiva LX, 240K
                          1970 Chev C10
                          1977 Airstream Argosy MH

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by bhazard View Post
                            They aren't that strong...
                            I suspect you might need to go to a larger master cylinder then, do you have the stock one in there? I'm eying up the EVO BMC upgrade that the one GTX guy on ClubProtege did
                            1991 Mercury Capri XR2 "GTXR2" BPT Swapped AWD Conversion

                            Rocketchips!
                            High Flow B3/B6/BP VAF Adapters for sale!
                            Bolt-on Weber Carb Adapters!

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by greywolf200 View Post
                              Okay, so Festiva brake discs are skinny little things and the bearings require a specialist to replace properly, big problem.
                              Inquiring minds want to know,
                              that's not necessarily true. i've removed mine with a pitman puller, and pressed them in with a bearing/race driver set from harbor freight tools. they lasted for about 3 years before i replaced them again. when i replaced them, i cold chiseled the bearing off the spindle, and the same for the races in the knuckle. replacing the races, i used the old race as a shock absorber, grabbed a socket that fit the edge of it, and used a big hammer to ram them in place same for the bearing back onto the spindle. it's a very simple process. sure it requires some patience, and a couple times of practice (i'd recommend with old ones) but i can do either side in about 20 minutes a piece. definitely beats taking it to a mechanic (the mistake i made, that caused the ones he put on to seize) and paying all that extra money.
                              Timkens are like $11 a piece, and last a long while, and have warranty. The only way you'd really screw them up is not packing them properly with (a decent, and i use mobil 1 synthetic-the red stuff) grease. if you do all that right, and they roar, or make any noise, there's another problem besides the bearings. same with the rear, but they are much simpler to install/remove.
                              as far as the cruddy 12"ers go, i'd definitely upgrade to something stock from another car, or aftermarket from discount tire, if you have on. i've put about 8 different sets of those 12" kuhmos on in the past year alone, and get about 5-6000 miles out of them before theres a bald patch somewhere (and before it's said that there's a suspension problem, ive replaced all the struts, strut mounts, bushings, control arms, cv axles, and tie rods). it's just that having a tire so skinny and so small, depending on how you drive, makes the tires like erasers on asphalt. i could go 50 miles on brand new kuhmos, get out, and run my hand along the tire and come back with dust reminiscent of a rubber pencil eraser.
                              I definitely say Discount Tire is the way to go. As of, hopefully later today, they'll be installing a set of 14" Konig Vipers (8 spoke), 35-38mm (not sure which) offset along with Falken Sincera SN-828's that are 175/65/r14. Hopefully that will solve the tire problems i've been having. But definitely give them a call if there's one near you, and ask about your options. they are super knowledgeable, and do rotations, balancing, and (in most cases) replace the tire if something (tread wear,blow out, nails, etc.) were to happen to it, for free. you just pay for the new certificate on the new tire, which is like 11$ with tax.
                              Est. 1989 "Bringing laughter and festiva awesomeness to the world since birth" banana time

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by greywolf200 View Post
                                I believe, at one time, you had Capri hubs and switched to Aspire. Knowing you, I'll bet that had something to do racing, how did the problems/advantages relate to a street car?

                                Thanks,
                                First, my track car is very much a street car. It serves as a daily driver, a pickup truck and my cross country R.V.. It's comfortable and reliable ( well, it was until I cracked a piston with 16psi of boost at the track). This isn't a race car, it passes emissions, and it's 100% street legal. I put an average of 25k miles of street usage on Tweak a year.

                                With that said, the aspire brakes are great on the street and on the track. I wouldn't suggest the PFC pads for typical street cars because they do not bite as well as typical organic pads until they warm up. I noticed no negative results from downsizing from the Capri xr2 brakes. I have warped my rotors once while showing up an e46 M3 on us40 east going over the smokey mts, but they straightened themselves out after a few heat cycles. That has been the only issue. I changed from Capri brakes to aspire brakes because I needed to run 13" wheels to be able to fit quality track tires under the stock fenders. I don't regret this decision one bit.
                                Driving for me is neither a right nor a privilege. Driving is my passion, as it was for the people who invented the automobile, the people who paved the first roads and the people who continue to improve the automobile. Please respect this passion.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X