# Big Brakes for 200SX?



## Creason (Jan 23, 2005)

Ok, my first tech question here. I just bought a '97 200SX SE-R. One of the first things I plan to do is upgrade the suspension, wheels/tires and brakes. The suspension parts are easy enough to find after doing a little shopping around. What I'm looking for is a bigger front brake setup. I noticed Stainless Steel Brakes makes a 12" kit listed for the Sentra, but doesn't mention the 200SX. Does anyone know if this kit works on my car? Does anyone know of any other kits out there? (Yes I know upgrading the brakes requires upgrading to appropriate size wheels/tires). 
Based on my own experience working in a Nissan dealer I know a lot of the parts on this car are different than on a regular Sentra. 
Any reccomendations or comments are appreciated.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

to be honest with you....you REALLY don't need a big brake kit. it would be a waste of money.

Upgrade the rotors and pads, get some stainless braided lines, and you'll be good to go.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

what are you going to do with 12" brakes to begin with? You have to ask that question first. There are 2 people who would need brakes that big, Hardcore show cars (1CLNB14), and hardcore track racers. Other than that, you won't need anything bigger than NX front brakes and SE-R rear discs. I don't even know hardcore racers that go above 11.75".

Here's the biggest brake upgrade I've ever seen for the B14:
http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=79998


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## ick19 (Jan 10, 2005)

Creason said:


> Ok, my first tech question here. I just bought a '97 200SX SE-R. One of the first things I plan to do is upgrade the suspension, wheels/tires and brakes. The suspension parts are easy enough to find after doing a little shopping around. What I'm looking for is a bigger front brake setup. I noticed Stainless Steel Brakes makes a 12" kit listed for the Sentra, but doesn't mention the 200SX. Does anyone know if this kit works on my car? Does anyone know of any other kits out there? (Yes I know upgrading the brakes requires upgrading to appropriate size wheels/tires).
> Based on my own experience working in a Nissan dealer I know a lot of the parts on this car are different than on a regular Sentra.
> Any reccomendations or comments are appreciated.



if you really want to fastbrakes mekes a 12 inch kit go to there web site and check it out


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## jmann98 (Aug 20, 2004)

the budget brake hop up for your car is the front calipers/rotors/pads that would normally be found on a 91-93 Nissan NX2000 with abs, commonly referred to as the ad22vf brake upgrade, named after the caliper. Search on ad22vf. The next step from there is way more expensive, and is only really necessary with turbos and such, unless you want big rotors for appearance sake. My ad22vf set up goes on next week.


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> what are you going to do with 12" brakes to begin with? You have to ask that question first. There are 2 people who would need brakes that big, Hardcore show cars (1CLNB14), and hardcore track racers. Other than that, you won't need anything bigger than NX front brakes and SE-R rear discs. I don't even know hardcore racers that go above 11.75".
> 
> Here's the biggest brake upgrade I've ever seen for the B14:
> http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=79998


Yea, this guy just needs the BABK.
If he really must have an aftermarket set-up the SSBC or Fastbrakes set-up are both available.

However, my A168 SSBC kit is not the biggest for the B14, but SSBC does make it...









The calipers on this A168-2 kit has 4, 43mm pistons and the rotors are 13 inchs.
You also have to have 18's to run em'.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

four 43mm pistons?!?! yeesh.. talk about FUBARing your brake bias!

Noooo! Stay Away!!


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

Matt93SE said:


> four 43mm pistons?!?! yeesh.. talk about FUBARing your brake bias!
> 
> Noooo! Stay Away!!


No shit. You would have to have a bigger MC and the Maxima rear brakes to even make it feel halfway right.

It's also $1500.00......


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I believe the Fastbrakes setup only goes up to 11.75. Here's the breakdown:

SE-R front brakes are the largest you're going to want to run with rear drums, they're slightly larger than the 1.6 front rakes except on the 98-99 models (which they all came with SE-R front brakes). Any bigger than that and it'll be like you have no rear brakes at all.

AD22VF (10.1" discs?) is the next step up. The AD22VF front w/ SE-R rear is very popular and very functional on and off the track. This and anything beyond this usually requires an upgraded MC and SS brakelines.

Fastbrakes 11" upgrade is popular for track cars and people with money. SE-R rears are starting to look scrawny at this point and you should consider maxima rears.

Fastbrakes 11.75" upgrade is the biggest "Functional" brakes I've seen. My Buddy Russel has them on his sentra which has gobbs of cash put into it and it sees the track on a regular Basis. He has maxima rears, and I don't recommend anything less than maxima rears.

SSBC 12" or bigger brakes are just plain crazy, they are beyond functionality, they'll do more harm than good and are almost unstreetable. I can only see Sean doing this setup b/c he's got a shw car and big wheels+big brakes = lots of judges points.


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## Creason (Jan 23, 2005)

ok, some good resposnes, some I'm a little confused about. 
First it is an SE-R, this it already has the SE-R rear discs, second, at least for me these brakes even with good pads and good rotors (I work in a Nissan Dealer Service dept) are anemic feeling at best. Maybe that's because the car is light and I'm not used to it yet, but I just don't like the feel of the brakes. 

Next:
I didn't really ask should I go to a bigger brake, I was looking for whether or not there were any other kits or any info. The SSB sight lists only that their front kit is for a sentra, nothing about the 200SX, from experience with the SE-R's that come into the shop getting the right OE parts is hard enough because the car is a little less common and has several things that are unique to it (ie the rear brakes). I was more concerned in my question about fitment. I don't want the brakes for show, I want them to stop the freakin' car. I come from a background (Mustangs and Fords) where 13" and even 14" brakes are not uncommon, not for show, but for stopping even in a street car. Granted that those cars weigh more, the point is I'm going by what's familiar to me, and the first thing I've done to a lot of my cars has been upgrade the brakes. I plan to go to the track with this thing down the road, and I also live in an area where deer (the dumbest animals on earth) are always playing russian roulette with car's at night, (stand in the middle of the road or just stroll on out as you come by) so it'd be nice to be able to stop in some way shape or form.
Thanks to all who made suggestions with info on who makes what for this car.
Creason


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## McCoy (Sep 16, 2003)

Creason,

If you are planning on ever doing a lapping event/HPDE then I would suggest the NX (AD22VF) brake upgrade. A good writeup is done on Naji's Website, you can find a link here. 

I have been using this setup on the track with a turbo powered car and have had no issues with fading or major brake failures. The course that I am normally on is 2.8 miles with a 1.2 mile straight... at turn one, you are braking from 135 to 60, this is repeated again 2 turns later, but from a little slower speed. What am I saying here... the course I normally drive on is hard on brakes, and so far mine have done an awesome job. 

Pad recommendation: I suggest for a street pad the Axxis Ultimates and for a track pad the Carbotech Panther+. 

Just so you know the sentra brake setup can stop just as easily as most any large brake setup... the key is the brake pads used.


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## MagicPie (Jun 23, 2004)

I have the fastbrakes front and ser disc in back with a upgraded MC the bias is not bad actually but they do feel wierd in daily driving and have to be really hot before they feel like that of a normal car. I driven a friends sentra with the NX upgrade it all you really need


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

If you work for a nissan dealer, than yu could easily order the parts you need. Get some AD22VF (NX2000 w/ ABS) calipers and rotors and you're set.

You want to make the petal feel less spongy? Stainless steel brake lines and dot 4 or 5 brake fluid. You want a stiffer petal? 97Altima SE (w/o ABS) Master cylinder.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

If you plan to do track events, keep in mind upgrading the brakes will most likely put you in a higher class, at least in terms of autoxing. If you get a huge brake, you will throw your bias into the river unless you work on the rear brakes as well. Also, if you get a large kit, to fully utilize it you will prettymuch need R compound tyres. If you have ABS, I highly doubt it would be powerful enough to work a larger caliper, not to mention ABS is IMO a sin. I would highly advise looking into how a brake upgrade would affect the class you race in before going for a kit. Obviously, stainless steel brake lines are the beginning and must be done for a better pedal feel whether you upgrade your brake caliper or not. That and a dot 4 brake fluid such as Motul will make a HUGE difference in the feel of your brakes. If you dont have ABS, stainless steel lines will let you take threshold braking to the max. Good 2 piece rotors, high performance pads, stainless steel lines and a good fluid will be about as affective as upgrading the caliper and a lot less cost wise. It is worth considering this before dropping 2+ grand into just your front brakes. Since the kits available have been established, I would take a look at the other products avaible before dropping cash on a full out front system. I like StopTech a lot personally, and their 2 piece rotors have been proven to be an excellent product. For pads, I like Carbotech, and they will make pads and rotors to fit any vehicle in existance. Everyone has their preferences, and obviously more than one good product exists. At the same time, many not so good products exist also. Hope this helps.



I'de run through this
http://www.stoptech.com/catalog/catalog_overview090104.pdf

And this is simply some of the best info and a must read before upgrading the brake system. It should be the law for everyone in the world to read this.
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm


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## morepower2 (Apr 19, 2002)

Matt93SE said:


> four 43mm pistons?!?! yeesh.. talk about FUBARing your brake bias!
> 
> Noooo! Stay Away!!


I think its a two piston floating caliper , but I could be wrong. 4X43MM would really dork things up.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

1CLN is doing it for the judges points, I'm sure there's no way he plans for any practical use other than to get his car from his garage to the show.

Something I kind of passed over. 13-14" rotors on a Mustang. First off, My nickname for the mustang is the 4 wheel pig...sorry, I had to. Anyway, it's a car with an eating disorder, you need some big cajones to stop that train. 2nd, you usually see them on the Cobra or such models that are prolly putting down 300+hp. 3rd, back to bias, look at the rear rotors, they are pretty damn powerful as well.

If you're just trying to lower your braking distance on the street (aka. avoid a deer), the best brake upgrade is your tires. You could have 6-piston, 15" beasts of front brakes with high friction pads and if anything, you'll actually RAISE your stopping distance thanks to the added mass. Tires are what stop you. If you have stock SE-R rims, get some better/wider tires. You can fit 205/50-15s on there.

Petal feel, we already said earlier, SS brake lines, DOT 4 or 5 brake fluid and a good bleed and it'll feel much different.


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

Great info guys.

If StopTech made a BBK for the B14, I would of went that route.

I've been running the AD22VF with rear drums for a couple years, and the bias was fine. With these new SSBC's I know it's going to be off, even with the Altima MC (thanks Ninety-Nine SE-L, it's scheduled to be delivered today). I do plan on running the Maxima rears in the future.

The car sees little street time. I don't think I'll have many problems. 
Dara Soldano(sp?) ran the AEM BBK up front with rear drums on her show winning Civic for years.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

morepower2 said:


> I think its a two piston floating caliper , but I could be wrong. 4X43MM would really dork things up.


The kit he's showing uses 4x43mm with 13" x 1.25" rotor. That's what I've got on my 3300lb Maxima and it's overkill. (wilwood dynalite w/ 1.75" pistons, Coleman 13" rotors)
I upgraded my rears to Z31 rotors and factory calipers (1.5" larger than stock rears), and I STILL have too much front brake. I'm going to be switching to some wilwood Superlite calipers next time and will be dropping the size of the pistons to 1.38" or so to get back the proper brake bias.


back to the point.................

SSBC has several kits, the first two use 2x38mm pistons with 12 and 13" rotor, and the last uses 3x43mm pistons with 13" rotor.

The 2x38mm with 12" rotor should be much better on brake bias, but will still likely throw things way to the front.


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## Creason (Jan 23, 2005)

Thank you all, for the good suggestions, the NX2000 sounds like the best route to go after reading up a little on that and reading all the + posts on that route. I'll check to see how much my cost is on that. It also looks like the best for a budget minded setup. (not trying to be cheap just don't want to throw money away when I can acheive what I want for less).

Any particular brand of SS brake line that is better than/preffered over another? 

I'll check into just upgrading to a better rotor and pad for the rears and get the NX2000 stuff for the front in a few weeks. 

I will be going to a bigger wheel/tire combo I wanted to wait until I had the brakes figured out and do that probably with some suspension work all at once. I will have a question regarding what the lug pattern is I think it's 4x100mm but I wasn't sure, also don't know what the backspace is on these wheels. 

Thanks again and any other suggestions I'm open.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

The DOT approved lines are Goodrich. I have them and they are well made. IIRC the only reason most SS lines dont pass DOT approval is because they are swung around and eventually tear. This does not affect normal driving and the Goodrich lines are DOT approved because of a small piece of plastic to shield them. StopTech makes lines too. I can vouch for them...I am sure that other good names exist.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

1CLNB14 said:


> Dara Soldano(sp?) ran the AEM BBK up front with rear drums on her show winning Civic for years.


hahaha, that always makes me laugh. Rear drums w/ upgraded fronts


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> hahaha, that always makes me laugh. Rear drums w/ upgraded fronts



I'll be sporting the rear drums for a while.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Matt93SE said:


> The kit he's showing uses 4x43mm with 13" x 1.25" rotor. That's what I've got on my 3300lb Maxima and it's overkill. (wilwood dynalite w/ 1.75" pistons, Coleman 13" rotors)
> I upgraded my rears to Z31 rotors and factory calipers (1.5" larger than stock rears), and I STILL have too much front brake. I'm going to be switching to some wilwood Superlite calipers next time and will be dropping the size of the pistons to 1.38" or so to get back the proper brake bias.


Jeez. With the kind of trouble you're going through, you may as well just install a 2nd MC and a brake bias bar.  

_j/k_


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

Yeah, that was a thought, but if I just size these calipers properly next time, it won't be an issue. When I was doing all the rest of it, I hadn't done any actual bias calculations and was just bolting bigger stuff on. I'm a little smarter now.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

1CLNB14 said:


> I'll be sporting the rear drums for a while.


you should upgrade the maxima rears at the same time, it'll save you from having to bleed the system twice. It'll look so much better and it's the easiest brake upgrade ever. I found it to be even easier than the front AD22s since prying off the dust shields is a PITA.


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> you should upgrade the maxima rears at the same time, it'll save you from having to bleed the system twice. It'll look so much better and it's the easiest brake upgrade ever. I found it to be even easier than the front AD22s since prying off the dust shields is a PITA.


I don't know if I'll have the cash to cover it at this time.
I don't mind bleeding the system again.
We plan on cutting the dust/heat shields off when we put on the SSBC's.


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