Guys just a little info i picked up yesterday. I was speaking to a rep from PBR about brake upgrades and i was asking him about the issues with the VT brake upgrade with flex in the caliper. And the low pedal when using a stock vl 1 inch master. He told me that a few accident investigators had been asking brake experts to check out cars with "modified brakes" so that they could void insurance policies if the brakes where deemed dangerous or modified. So just a warning about whats going, and how insurance is trying to be a scum fcuk like always.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lubche ... VT brake upgrade with flex in the caliper... flex in the caliper...can I ask what you mean by this? thanks

Any brake upgrade should be checked by a professional and given the ok. This is otherwise known as "engineering", and a certificate or plate must be issued by a licenced provider to prove the upgrade is of sound engineering. In QLD you will need a Blue "Modification Plate" issued and fixed to the vehicle by a registered Dept of Transport Vehicle Engineer. If you have this - the brake upgrade is LEGAL in all aspects and insurance cannot deny a claim against this unless you a) have not disclosed the fact of the modification to your insurance company, or b) have changed the brakes from the certified arrangement in which they were complied under. Since you have to have this engineering done anyway to be legal - it stands to reason that any un-complied brakes will be frowned upon by insurance companies.

caliper flex comes from the bracket its mounted to. The bracket flexes inturn the caliper is not parrallel to the disc. And ofcourse as always a company is trying to capitalise. PBR is pushing for there Sv5000 style caliper/disc upgrade kit to be the only legal bolt on option. InsaneVL, i see what you mean about engineering. But most people just bolt things on and dont bother with engineers certs. And then whinge when the EPA, DECC, or insurance companies bone them. Im not arguing wether or not the brake upgrade is good or not, im sharing information so you can cover your a55 when sh1t hits the fan.

oh is that only when you use the 300mm+ discs, ie when you need that 'extension plate' bolted between the original caliper mounts and the caliper? coz i've got a VT brake conversion with 296mm discs, and the calipers bolt straight to the original mounting points. so i'd be surprised if that flexes. (unless its something to do with the bigger twin pots having a bigger force/pressure?)

No, madrx3boy. Standard VT calipers (as fitted to stocker VT Commodores) are pretty shit quality (flexing). The VT HSV calipers, AFAIK, rectified this problem. Either that, or they went to the C4 Corvette caliper. Thanks for the heads up Lubche, hopefully people take notice of this, and we don't have to suffer to wave of "defected brakes helppppp" threads. I'm using R33 GTS-t brakes, all engineered.

Unfortunately we do not have a mod plate system here in Victoria. It sounds like a good idea, however the poolice will still request an engineers certificate because they know SFA about what they are on about. It is cheaper for the insurance company to deny a claim then to honor one. We will see insurance copmanies weasle their way out of claims due to the economy and fires. The insurance makes most of their money on the share market by trading their insurance float.

Quote: Originally Posted by darkstar Unfortunately we do not have a mod plate system here in Victoria. It sounds like a good idea, however the poolice will still request an engineers certificate because they know SFA about what they are on about. It is cheaper for the insurance company to deny a claim then to honor one. We will see insurance copmanies weasle their way out of claims due to the economy and fires. The insurance makes most of their money on the share market by trading their insurance float. Which is a shame. My friend had an R31 with a RB20DET, accompanied by a nice little mod plate. That was TAS, though. Best Victorians can do is get a certificate and keep it in the car.

I just rang repco my nearest PBR distributor, the cost of there SV5000 style kit, part no PK10 if anyone is interested. Is $3100 retail, $2400 trade. Seems like daylight robbery to me.

And what does that include? Calipers, hoses, discs, and budget pads? You could get Skyline brakes for that price.

calipers, discs, hoses, fluid, PBR top end street pads, i dunno if its for the rear too. TBH im not that keen on finding out.

*sigh* What can you do? Not crash, I guess.

http://www.pbrperformance.com.au/doc...PCommodore.pdf (http://www.pbrperformance.com.au/documents/ReferenceSpecVB-VPCommodore.pdf) found it. this is what $2500-$3000 gets you..

What a rip. What about VN Grp A brakes?

Oooh, I'm glad the "Improved caliper finish" enhances braking by providing a "More aggressive appearance". Quote: Originally Posted by ijd What a rip. What about VN Grp A brakes? They are VN Group A brakes, front and rear. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

So the ebay upgrade kits are sh!t? Was looking at one for my calais, guess I'll find out about the engineering side of it in NSW too.

They're not shit, they've got everything to fit the calipers. It's just that they're known to flex a bit under load. That's why HSV didn't use them.

Can only be better than the single piston things fitted from factory.