How to Put Big Wilwood Brakes on an MR2 Turbo

Want to stop more efficiently? Install bigger brakes. Wilhelm Raceworks offers a big-brake kit for our 1991 Toyota MR2 that uses the company’s adaptors along with Wilwood calipers and rotors. Here’s how to install the kit plus a look at the gains found on track.
Willwood:
www.wilwood.com/
Wilhelm Raceworks:
wilhelmracewor...
Thanks:
CRC Industries:
www.crcindustr...
Tire Rack:
www.tirerack.c...
Simpson Racing Products:
www.simpsonrac...
AEM Performance Electronics:
bit.ly/grmcm-tv
Koni:
www.koni.com/en...
FCP Euro:
www.fcpeuro.com/

[@alexwilhelm8286]

Nice video! If you want ARP studs with the speed nose, ARP #1007717 also fits. I think they are spec'd for the EVO. They are a little longer than the Lexus studs.

[@j.g.pasterjak1782]

Yeah I saw those in the catalog and they're like .007" more knurl diameter. But I guess enough impact gun should pull them through just fine. Glad to know they work. I may switch to those on the front if I ever have to run more spacer.

[@alexwilhelm8286]

@@j.g.pasterjak1782 to be fair, I've never tried installing them with the nut / wrench method, I've always done it with a press with the hub / knuckle off of the car. They might be a little harder to pull on with a nut.

[@j.g.pasterjak1782]

@@alexwilhelm8286 Yeah it's hard to argue with 15 tons of hydraulic force

[@mlytle1975]

Was the same brake pad compound used with both old and new brake systems? If not, not a really valid test of the two systems, it was a test of the pads.

[@jakehumphrey8172]

At 12:45 you can see the allen head bolt sliding in and out that has the spacer for the pads.....

[@TankRust]

Great video of a really nice upgrade. It looks like there is more time on the table on corner entry once you get used to the better braking performance. It seems like you were overslowing a bit compared to the old setup. How does the bias feel and are you doing any kind of a proportioning valve to sort that out?

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

So, the real behind the scenes story here is the day we went to test the "after" setup, we had intermittent showers at the track. We still managed to run a tenth faster than our previous time with the old brakes, but we felt there was enough difference in the conditions that overall lap times weren't an accurate comparison. So we highlighted the performance with the data by picking a couple specific corners where the increased initial bite and better feedback were also highly visible on the data. And, yes, we switched to a manual bias adjuster which we'l be highlighting in separate content, since it's a lot to cover in an already 17-minute video.

[@TankRust]

@@Grassrootsmotorsports Thanks for the added info! Gotta love the Florida weather. Looking forward to more of these videos from my home track!

[@j.g.pasterjak1782]

@@TankRust Thanks! I'm still trying to hit your TT5 times with this TT4 MR2 :)

[@bertoloya9807]

Would you mind sharing the wheel/tire specs? Im trying to get ideas of what size to get for my mr2 but having a hard time with the offset.

[@mushlove6933]

Anything 25-40 offset usually works good.

[@chadtague6429]

I didn’t see the parking brake on there

[@turdferguson1021]

Need this kit for my ZZW30. Where can I find a kit?

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

This is where we got the kit for our MR2: wilhelmraceworks.com/

[@tnasituning8173]

Why isn't the rotors carbon alloy instead of iron?

[@mushlove6933]

Anything carbon is much more expensive, but also other reasons I don't know. Lol

[@devjk1]

Do you know if my 16" rpf1's will fit over this set? Might have to sell and get 17" but I'd rather not if I don't have to

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

The issue with 16" wheels is usually the parking brake caliper. It fits inside a lot of 16s but I can't speak specifically to RPF1s. If you go to Wilhelm's site, he's got links to the Wilwood templates, though. wilhelmraceworks.com/big-brakes

[@devjk1]

@@Grassrootsmotorsports thanks for the reply, I have rear 17's so that would be alright. I'll check out the link to make sure though.

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

@@devjk1 My car is on the lift right now, too, so if you want some specific measurements just let me know. jg[at]grassrootsmotorsports[dot]com

[@mrluvus07]

no way, a big man fit inside a tiny mr2, say aren't so..

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

Cars were roomy in the '90s before side airbags and huge impact beams.