Getting closer...

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

For better or for worse the first attempt with making a 7075 T651 aluminum alloy rack piston ended in near-catastrophe when the mill got hold of the bar stock and shot it across the room (clamp it down next time, stupid!) Live and learn I guess so I had to order another section of 1" bar stock...



On a more positive note I have the 1" X 8" square 7075 T651 aluminum plate traced out and ready to turn down for the first brake hat attempt. Will turn it to the nominal 7 and 15/32" total hat width first and then drill the lug and rotor mount holes next and then do the final turning. Chose 7075 aluminum since it is one of the strongest and creep-resistant alloys of Al out there - but this makes the alloy MUCH more expensive than the workhorse 6061 alloy many high-performance parts are made from. Since this part will see elevated temperatures the creep-resistance is the most deisrable property. Of course my car is the guinea pig for this - if the rotors can survive 6 months of my driving habits then everything should be kosher...




If all goes well this should be a DIRECT REPLACEMENT for V6 Camry and Lexus front rotors using stock V6 calipers - possbily I can use the 2-piston aluminum calipers if the stockers don't bite the rotor hard enough...we'll see soon enough!

[Chris Crash]

Wow. Glad you're ok. I had a mill the other day grab my hooded sweatshirts drawstring and wrap around a few times before it thankfully fell off.

Either way, looks like you've been making a whole lot of progress! Best of luck with the rotor hat.

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

[QUOTE=Chris Crash;3545727]Wow. Glad you're ok. I had a mill the other day grab my hooded sweatshirts drawstring and wrap around a few times before it thankfully fell off.[QUOTE]



WOW! Glad nothing happened to you - that would require an underwear change if it happened to me!

[RichieRichJP]

Wait, you're still working on getting a upgraded brakes??
You could have gotten a decent brake kit already with a lot less hassle.

[CBZED101]

This is way more bad ass though.

[RichieRichJP]

Nothing is better than a BBK brake kit, for the Camry. Its only $1300 or so. This custom shit probably won't outperform it and cost comparably the same.

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

Originally Posted by RichieRichJP

Nothing is better than a BBK brake kit, for the Camry. Its only $1300 or so. This custom shit probably won't outperform it and cost comparably the same.

Well, not really...

As you know I move at a snail's pace on things so time is on my side for beta-testing and such. Although the BBK is a nice option, my goal of making carbon brakes for under $1000 is still working out nicely. Granted, I did pay almost $2000 in tooling cost to make this happen, but when it's done I'll have the ability to make more. So tooling costs aside here's how it goes so far:

10 7/8" carbon rotor - $90 to $125 depending on the vendor (ships from overseas sometimes)

1" X 8" X 8" 7075 T651 aluminum plate for the hat $40

New carbon brake pads $60 to $80 depending on vendor

New SS rotor mounting bolt hardware: $15-$20

Total front BOLT-ON replacement costs: $530


May have to upgrade to DOT 4 or DOT 5 brake fluid for more extreme applications - more on that later. This usually requires new brake lines, calipers, master cylinder, and proportioning valve (I hope not though)

The rear brake rotors are actually cheaper than the front but measure 11.875" wide by .750" thick. This may prove to cost a little more to adapt but I'm confident that I can still do it for less than $1K invested

Besides, even if it did cost a little more than what I'd originally anticipated I won't need 17" or larger rims to make a BBK work. I don't know how many threads I've seen where ppl get the Supra/Audi TT setup only to find out that they need to get larger rims, not to mention expensive 17" low-profile tires to match which costs much more in the long run. Mine will work with 15" rims which is the strongest selling point IMO

As far as the performance aspect goes - I would love to pit both cars against each other sometime just to see! But it wouldn't be a fair comparison since I run a ~2700 lb 4-cylinder vs a ~3300 lb 1MZ-FE or equivalent. But I'd love to test it out provided everything works OK. Heck, we could even swap brakes and tires between cars and try it that way - just have to wait and see I guess!

[RichieRichJP]

Yeah but you're going to want a larger surface area on the rotors for braking; you get better heat dissipation. I think it'll be inefficient to run a 15" rotor with a 2-piston setup for "extreme applications."
In the grand scheme of things, a big brake upgrade on the Camry is just a waste of money, period.
I'd like to see someone get enough power on there car to make proper use of these, even the BBK.
More so, there aren't many people who run their CAMRY on a track to need a better brake setup so they can wear it like hell. Otherwise, everyone is going to dish out hundreds of dollars for nothing more than 'better braking.' Trust me, I made that mistake. I should've just stuck with the drum-to-swap. I would say 99% of the people on here DD their Camry and that 1% have taken their Camry out to a track for a only fun run.
Just my 2 cents. Just trying to save you money.

[iovaykind]

Hey N/A..
Never had to the chance to directly talk to you but just wanted to let you know I really admire the things you do with your cam.. pretty crazy how far you take the weight reduction yet still want to maintain that OEM look.

Now as for the BBK.. I'd like to see it happen, though I bet you'd never make back the money you spent on them no matter how many people buy the kit you're proposing. fact is people here aren't gonna want to dish out the money.. i think that's what richie is referring to. anyway, you go and do your thing, you've already shown you are serious about the n/a camry so don't let other people tell you you shouldn't/can't.

now if these will provide an upgrade in braking ability i'd think about it.. but i do LOVE the look of the bbk that k-sport makes. is there any way that these would end up looking as nice? I doubt it.. but i bet you half the people here want their brakes to look as good as they perform. at that point the price just skyrockets and no one will be interested anymore. but i'm looking forward to seeing where these progress that's for sure.

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

@Richierich

I know that most people on here are mostly interested in "what broke today" but I believe my purpose on this forum is to show everyone just how far one can go with mods and performance without just slapping some aftermarket stuff onto their cars and going about their business. I know it's a costly endeavour but I really don't care- I don't mod to be able to save money - it just makes me happy to re-engineer things and try new stuff with a boring old family sedan just to see how it goes. I could very well spend near $1K on the carbon brake project just to find out that the stock 4-cyl brakes are better. But that's just me - I like to experiment and take the road less travelled

@iovaykind

I was also wondering about the aesthetics of these brakes: Of course the hats will be milled aluminum but the rotors will look like graphite. I guess one could photoshop that look into his/her car but I think it will be an improvement over the rust-colored rotors that I see all the time! Especially if you have those thin rims that really show the braking system - will be interesting to see how that looks.

As far as performance goes - these F1 Benetton rotors are so close to V6 Camry stocker rotors in thickness and width that you will be able to use stock calipers with slightly modified pads. This will be the only braking system that will enhance handling and acceleration. Can't say that about a BBK though

[RichieRichJP]

If that's what makes you happy, then go right ahead
Seriously, if you have that much cash to drop, it would be nice to see the "investment" put toward something more serious and fun to have i.e. turbo setup.
It's your money!
I'd still like to see the end result anyhow.

[Gothmog3VZ]

Originally Posted by N/A Camry Sleeper

@Richierich

I know that most people on here are mostly interested in "what broke today" but I believe my purpose on this forum is to show everyone just how far one can go with mods and performance without just slapping some aftermarket stuff onto their cars and going about their business. I know it's a costly endeavour but I really don't care- I don't mod to be able to save money - it just makes me happy to re-engineer things and try new stuff with a boring old family sedan just to see how it goes. I could very well spend near $1K on the carbon brake project just to find out that the stock 4-cyl brakes are better. But that's just me - I like to experiment and take the road less travelled

@iovaykind

I was also wondering about the aesthetics of these brakes: Of course the hats will be milled aluminum but the rotors will look like graphite. I guess one could photoshop that look into his/her car but I think it will be an improvement over the rust-colored rotors that I see all the time! Especially if you have those thin rims that really show the braking system - will be interesting to see how that looks.

As far as performance goes - these F1 Benetton rotors are so close to V6 Camry stocker rotors in thickness and width that you will be able to use stock calipers with slightly modified pads. This will be the only braking system that will enhance handling and acceleration. Can't say that about a BBK though

I have a feeling you're an engineer for some reason... I really want to see how this turns out. From a technical standpoint, it's looking quite impressive!

[EEngineer]

just out of curiousity, how do you plan on making the brake disc vented? cuz I think an solid front brake disc probably will warp really really fast....

[EEngineer]

and also, a 4cyl gen3 is still over 3000lbs

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

Originally Posted by EEngineer

and also, a 4cyl gen3 is still over 3000lbs

Weight reduction for the truly OCD...

My original goal was 2500 lbs with a full tank of gas - have since revised it to 2250 lbs. Currently at 2790 lbs with a full tank (not counting my fat ass in the driver's seat )

As to venting the rotor - it is already vented. Although these rotors can withstand more heat than a steel one before warping, carbon rotors simply shatter with too much temperature. I doubt I will ever see 2200*F out of the rotors - maybe as high as 1400 or 1500*F - might have to vent the hats just to help out. But for a weekend cruiser and the occasional dragstrip application, it should work great

You Tube

You Tube

The rear rotors if I decide to use them are indeed solid. But they only see maybe 25-30% of the duty compared to the front ones. Also, they are 11.875" diameter while the front ones are 10.93" - so the larger size will increase their effectiveness hopefully