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04-08 3G Base Auto TL DIY Big Brake kit for under $800
***DISCLAIMER***
This is my whip, I chose to do this the way some may not agree with my method but hey I'm broke. Im a function guy so all you car show guys approach with caution because these rotors are beat up but they work and thats all I care for right now. All that pretty shit will come down the line. Now with that said lets ride.
This post is for 04-08 Acura TL Base A/T owners wanting to do a cheap, home made BBK kit for a less than half the cost of the nice 2 piece rotor Wilwood BBK setups etc. I chose to piece this together for the ability to have cheap and accessible parts.Things you will need:
-09-13 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Brembo front calipers
-05-06 Nissan 350z Track Edition (Brembo package) Front rotors
-Extended Studs
-EBay 5mm spacer
-Hub Centric rings (I had some custom rings made for these calipers that I plan on selling soon if there is even a demand after I post this)
Thats it! The Genesis calipers are a direct bolt on to the Base A/T knuckle...AND you can use the stock Base A/T 16 year old brake line and banjo bolt with these calipers. The extended studs are needed as the stock studs are too short once you put the spacer and rotor together. The 5mm spacer goes between the hub and the rotor to center the rotor in the caliper. The caliper will NOT bolt on to the knuckle without the spacer behind the rotor. Hub centric rings are to center the 350z rotors onto the hub. The 350z rotors have a larger hub diameter if you dont put rings on the rotor wont be center on the hub. Now for pictures. Full kit and kaboodle Centering the the rotor in the caliper No pad overhang Pad and rotor combo seems to line up damned good if you ask me Direct bolt on to Base A/T 3G knuckle. No bracket required. Also thats the stock brake line and banjo bolt for the TL being used in the Genesis caliper. The brembos fit in the 17" shitty rims I got with the car. Daily driven and dirty No show just gas and go
Now I still ended using washers (1 per mounting hole) to further center the rotor perfectly in the caliper after all is said and done. Each each washer was just under 1/8th inch thick.
The car retains stock brake master and stock brake lines. I flushed out all my old fluid with DOT 4. This isnt mandatory I just did it. Brakes feel great, good confident pedal and definately stops on a dime.
On a random side note something interesting came through my job and one of the other techs did suspension work to it. Well guess what other caliper might bolt to our 3G Base knuckles ha...
Nice find! I can't recall, aren't the M/T caliper mount locations different than the A/T?
I have a faint memory that the rear caliper mount locations on a M/T are the same as the fronts on an A/T... Can I get a measure on those A/T or Genesis mounting locations to compare? Would be great to make a 4 piston Brembo 4 wheel brake solution for this vehicle!
Nice find! I can't recall, aren't the M/T caliper mount locations different than the A/T?
I have a faint memory that the rear caliper mount locations on a M/T are the same as the fronts on an A/T... Can I get a measure on those A/T or Genesis mounting locations to compare? Would be great to make a 4 piston Brembo 4 wheel brake solution for this vehicle!
A/T mounting points are different from M/T and TLS points. Rears are the same across all trims
Nice find! I can't recall, aren't the M/T caliper mount locations different than the A/T?
I have a faint memory that the rear caliper mount locations on a M/T are the same as the fronts on an A/T... Can I get a measure on those A/T or Genesis mounting locations to compare? Would be great to make a 4 piston Brembo 4 wheel brake solution for this vehicle!
Also on the genesis the mounting points are the same front to rear so literally without the rotor on the genesis you can mount the rears up front. So for sure you will need s custom bracket if you wanted to use the genesis brembo rears on the rear of our TL's. (Im starting to look into having a bracket made. Stay tuned)
I think you did it the right way with the hub centric spacers and extended studs. Definitely keep us posted if you try any new setups.
Thanks. I wanted to make sure it was 100% bullet proof so yea the rings and studs were mandatory for me. Speaking of rings and spacers I realize I didnt put any pics so here they are for those that are interested.
Also on the genesis the mounting points are the same front to rear so literally without the rotor on the genesis you can mount the rears up front. So for sure you will need s custom bracket if you wanted to use the genesis brembo rears on the rear of our TL's. (Im starting to look into having a bracket made. Stay tuned)
Nice! Lemme know how yours goes!
I'm FINALLY getting my brackets made for the rear next weekend... was supposed to be done back in October. Would love to see your findings.
I'm almost all set up and ready to go for the rear. There's quite a bit of work needed to be done for rotor fitment if you want to retain parking brakes.
I'm FINALLY getting my brackets made for the rear next weekend... was supposed to be done back in October. Would love to see your findings.
I'm almost all set up and ready to go for the rear. There's quite a bit of work needed to be done for rotor fitment if you want to retain parking brakes.
Did you figure out the rears? I just ordered all of my parts for the front and should be able to get to and finish it by the end of January, but I'm debating whether or not I should do what you're doing in the rear or just paint my stock calipers red to match the front. Would love to see pictures of your brackets and final installation too!
Did you figure out the rears? I just ordered all of my parts for the front and should be able to get to and finish it by the end of January, but I'm debating whether or not I should do what you're doing in the rear or just paint my stock calipers red to match the front. Would love to see pictures of your brackets and final installation too!
I'm FINALLY at the end point for my calipers! (for real this time) You can check it out in my thread just a few posts down from this one.
I should be able to pick up the final version at the end of this month or sometime January as well. It's a 6 hour drive. But it won't be till probably Spring that I'll have them for sale as I want to have some product testing done. I want mine to be as legit as possible... full YouTube + written installation guides, the pros/cons in daily use and tracking (from other users), and real world testing for braking performance.
I'm FINALLY at the end point for my calipers! (for real this time) You can check it out in my thread just a few posts down from this one.
I should be able to pick up the final version at the end of this month or sometime January as well. It's a 6 hour drive. But it won't be till probably Spring that I'll have them for sale as I want to have some product testing done. I want mine to be as legit as possible... full YouTube + written installation guides, the pros/cons in daily use and tracking (from other users), and real world testing for braking performance.
This is awesome! I'll subscribe to your other thread as I'm really looking forward to this even if I don't end up doing it on my own car. I can only imagine how much of a pain it must have been to get the perfect configuration to keep the parking brake functional!
This is awesome! I'll subscribe to your other thread as I'm really looking forward to this even if I don't end up doing it on my own car. I can only imagine how much of a pain it must have been to get the perfect configuration to keep the parking brake functional!
Honestly wasn't that much of a pain at all! Just about roughly 1 month of on-and-off researching different rotors and calipers. From there it was biting the bullet and hoping for the best on fitment. The closer it is to stock the less there is for heavy modifications for it to work. The biggest issue was probably finding ways to make it install as stock as possible even with the modifications. I didn't want to use wheel/hub spacers and all that jazz. All of these things in which I covered in my thread. I know others were interested in it too so I thought I'd sell a few extra and maybe make it in batches at a time. So in that case I wanted something I know would be reliable and safe.
OPs spacer for the Genesis isn't too bad. But the Tesla 4 piston rear BBK completely eliminates the center bore of the hub and that's a no-no for me.
Honestly wasn't that much of a pain at all! Just about roughly 1 month of on-and-off researching different rotors and calipers. From there it was biting the bullet and hoping for the best on fitment. The closer it is to stock the less there is for heavy modifications for it to work. The biggest issue was probably finding ways to make it install as stock as possible even with the modifications. I didn't want to use wheel/hub spacers and all that jazz. All of these things in which I covered in my thread. I know others were interested in it too so I thought I'd sell a few extra and maybe make it in batches at a time. So in that case I wanted something I know would be reliable and safe.
OPs spacer for the Genesis isn't too bad. But the Tesla 4 piston rear BBK completely eliminates the center bore of the hub and that's a no-no for me.
I’m all for it! I just got back from a 2 week trip, so I’ll be quarantining for a while. It will give me some time to install my front brakes and decide if I want to put a BBK on the rear or just leave it stock and paint.
When testing is all done, will you be offering shipping to the US? I guess it would be better if I ask you that on your thread.
I’m all for it! I just got back from a 2 week trip, so I’ll be quarantining for a while. It will give me some time to install my front brakes and decide if I want to put a BBK on the rear or just leave it stock and paint.
When testing is all done, will you be offering shipping to the US? I guess it would be better if I ask you that on your thread.
Just got confirmation that more material came in at the machinist and my final version will be milled this weekend or the next! So pickup in 2-3 weeks.
And yes, I will most definitely be shipping it to the US My primary tester is from the US as well. And I have 1-2 others who may be helping with testing too. Saving4aTL is one of them who expressed interest in helping me test.
I will update my thread accordingly once I receive the final product. That includes a youtube video and written instruction on how to modify your existing brakes and how to install the new set-up. Then slowly I'll be adding my testing in video and written form.
OP,
Did you use the Genesis calipers mounting bolts or your stock caliper mounting bolts ? Also, could you post the link where you got the hub centric ring and the link for spacer ?
OP,
Did you use the Genesis calipers mounting bolts or your stock caliper mounting bolts ? Also, could you post the link where you got the hub centric ring and the link for spacer ?
I used the stock mounting bolts. Initially had some problems getting the rotor centered in the caliper, but using 1mm washers with the mounting bolts fixed that. You can find good quality spacers at EndlessRPM or Titan Wheel Accessories. OP shipped me custom made hub centric rings. I would pm him about it
I used the stock mounting bolts. Initially had some problems getting the rotor centered in the caliper, but using 1mm washers with the mounting bolts fixed that. You can find good quality spacers at EndlessRPM or Titan Wheel Accessories. OP shipped me custom made hub centric rings. I would pm him about it
Thank you for your response but why does it have to be custom hubcentric ring ? Can we just get them on eBay ? It’s 64.1 center bore correct ?
Just a recommendation! 64.1 is correct, so you'll have to find one that adapts to the rotor since the center bore is wider. I think it's 66.1
The 2mm hub-ring isn't needed if the rotor is lug centric (which if it's a Nissan rotor it should be). This has been confirmed by many who have done the RL + 350z rotor swap. (And even confirmed by Marcus aka Heel Toe)
BUT if you want the hub ring anyway you can buy any plastic 64.1 to xx.x hub-ring and trim the excess so it sits flush against the rotor.
The base model TL has two M12-1.25 holes that are exactly 140mm apart. This is pretty common for a lot of Hondas. The calipers or caliper brackets have these threads, and typically there's a 25mm bolt that you use to go through the ears on the knuckle and thread into the caliper/bracket.
I'm guessing that what the OP means is that he used a 1mm thick washer between the knuckle and the Hyundai calipers.
I'm not sure the distance that the caliper mounting ears are from the center of the hub, but what someone should look into is the maximum diameter rotor that can be used when those calipers are mounted onto the knuckles.
There's many other rotors that might work. You do not have to use the 350z rotors. It looks like the Hyundai uses a 30mm thick rotor. I would find the max diameter rotor that can be used, and then I would look around for rotors that will fit.
It's about $25 for 4 hubcentric rings and about $10 for a pack of high quality sandpaper. I would suggest using metal hubcentric adapter rings instead of plastic because of higher boiling point. Order a pack for wheels and sand them down if you need to.
if you find something that doesn't have the correct lug pattern,
I'm willing to bet that a wheel lug adapter could be modified so that you could use it as a drill jig with a 1/2" drill bit to redrill the rotors to 5x114.3
It costs $20 for a hand drill at Walmart. About $10 for a 1/2" drill bit. Don't let $30 in tools and a drill jig that would only weigh a few ounces, that would fit in your glove box constrain you from only selecting 5x114.3 rotors.
The 2mm hub-ring isn't needed if the rotor is lug centric (which if it's a Nissan rotor it should be). This has been confirmed by many who have done the RL + 350z rotor swap. (And even confirmed by Marcus aka Heel Toe)
BUT if you want the hub ring anyway you can buy any plastic 64.1 to xx.x hub-ring and trim the excess so it sits flush against the rotor.
Wish I knew this before I paid for two sets of rings haha. Good to know I won't have to replace them if they ever get damaged. Thanks for the info!
Given that you had to run spacers behind the rotors to make the calipers bolt on, did that mess with your wheel fitment at all or was it relatively the same?
Given that you had to run spacers behind the rotors to make the calipers bolt on, did that mess with your wheel fitment at all or was it relatively the same?
Its the same as running a spacer in front of the rotor. No big change for me as im still stock height and its only a 5mm spacer.
Well id say im definitely beyond testing phase now since its been a year since ive installed them and they are fantastic. I drive hard on a regular basis and this car sees highway/ triple digit speeds very often and they verdict is these calipers work great. Fun fact turns out that the TSX guys have been doing the genesis caliper upgrade as a norm before I even figured this out even lol. I happened to join a TSX group on facebook and there are a number of folks that have done it to my surprise. The next big thing for me was trying to improve pedal feel and shortening stopping distance even more and decided to mess with pad configurations and im on 2 sets of pads. Akebono track pads for the genesis calipers and Dynamic Friction track pads out back in the stock rear calipers. So far im absolutely LOVING both pedal feel and stopping capability. I can manipulate the brakes so well. Put it this way; i brake late....very late to most folks and now with this combo with my same driving style the car slows to a stop way before i need it to with noticably less pedal input even on shit tires and OEM brake lines. It's great. I do have SS brake lines on the way so theres that.
P.S. If anyone is interested in rear 4 pot big brake caliper brackets let me know i have a set for sale. Never used or mounted.
I'm wondering why can't you use the genesis brake rotors (which are 340mm diameter)? Would the rotors hit the caliper because the caliper is mounted closer to the center of the wheel on the TL?
Just looking to see what's the largest rotor diameter that can possibly fit
I'm wondering why can't you use the genesis brake rotors (which are 340mm diameter)? Would the rotors hit the caliper because the caliper is mounted closer to the center of the wheel on the TL?
Just looking to see what's the largest rotor diameter that can possibly fit
The calipers would have to have very long 'ears' or mounting tabs in order for them to fit in the location that the stock TL calipers mount.
These Hyundai calipers are not radially mounted like the 2005-2012 Acura RL calipers, so this limits your options. Also, the guy in here has posted pictures already of how his 350z track edition rotors fit. Those rotors are 324x30mm. It would be nice if he could measure the distance between the OD of his rotor and the brake pad retaining pins. I would be interested in seeing if another 330mm diameter rotor would fit. Maybe something like a 330x28mm.
Thanks for sharing, yeah I'm just trying to learn as much as I can before I try it. Yeah the 324mm rotor is still an okay upgrade over the base TL 300mm, but like you mention it would be cool to get as much diameter as possible.
Here's a guy that did the brembo swap on his TSX, he didn't need to use extended studs so wondering if I can get away with stock studs, I assumed the TSX has the same layout as a base TL.
02-16-2020, 09:32 PM
My primary tester is from the US as well. And I have 1-2 others who may be helping with testing too. Saving4aTL is one of them who expressed interest in helping me test.
