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VANCO Big Brakes and U Turn steering

TRCM said:
Look promising except for the spindle swap.....
Click to expand...

i was originally in the same boat but a fabricator buddy of mine had desined a set up that only requires you to modify your existing knuckle and uses the 3 bolts that hold the unit bearing on. I just got the brackets the other day and just got back into town so i will be messing with them tormorrow. With the setup he had designed i was told it would actually fit 15 inch rims but will verify as soon as i can. with everything i think im about the same price as the kit wilwood offers and that is with knuckles that i scored for 60 for the pair. I was asked if there was a market for the kit but i onle really see people asking about wj swaps and thats it
 
camojeep88 said:
i was originally in the same boat but a fabricator buddy of mine had desined a set up that only requires you to modify your existing knuckle and uses the 3 bolts that hold the unit bearing on. I just got the brackets the other day and just got back into town so i will be messing with them tormorrow. With the setup he had designed i was told it would actually fit 15 inch rims but will verify as soon as i can. with everything i think im about the same price as the kit wilwood offers and that is with knuckles that i scored for 60 for the pair. I was asked if there was a market for the kit but i onle really see people asking about wj swaps and thats it
Click to expand...

What calipers and rotors will you be using with those brackets?
 
Here are some photos to give you an idea of what exactly is going on
46bbac8f8e2a419730b789b15a845e4f.jpg
336cad388127fcb3755689e96fd063d8.jpg
3c78982f6604355e04007a752f70904c.jpg


Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
Looks good.



How big is the pad? And how do you change them. There are no visible retention pins in your photos so do you have to separate both halves of the caliper to change the pads?
 
I will add that I looked into using some Wilwood 4 piston calipers on my WJ set-up(easy fit-up). The real issue is that they don't have any pads for my type of use, I currently have a great selection available from EBC!
 
RCP Phx said:
I will add that I looked into using some Wilwood 4 piston calipers on my WJ set-up(easy fit-up). The real issue is that they don't have any pads for my type of use, I currently have a great selection available from EBC!
Click to expand...
I have found they have a good selection of pads just a matter of figuring out which ones work best for the application...haven't called willwood and asked yet but I think I might

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
The quoted Willwood pad area has got me wondering. I just did a quick a estimate of the pad area for the VANCO kit and the stock pads. These are estimates from tracing a pad onto paper and doing an area grid overlay. Not very accurate for determining the area and I have no data on caliper clamping forces.



Vanco dual piston caliper pad area 9.67 inch2
Jeep stock single piston caliper pad area 8.25 inch2
Willwood four piston caliper pad area 6.36 inch2


Would be interesting to do a side by side braking test, a sort of reverse drag race. MJR and I did this between his WJ braked Wagoneer and My XJ with VANCO brakes. We both pulled up in the same distance although I reckon my Jeep was heavier with winch, bumpers and tire carrier.
 
im not saying the wilwoods are superior in any way. I figured since i had a friend that desined the bracket i would give it a whirl. The only way to see is like Vince said and put them side by side. Just putting my .02 cents in about what im trying. i could have just wasted my money and would goin with the WJ knuckles probably would have been the easier route. But is it really a jeep if i still have stuff in my pockets? hopefully next week we will see how they work. Maybe the only advantage to it is how easy it is to change brake pads :dunno::dunno:
 
It would be nice to know the Vanco piston area? The WJ is 3.78" and the Wilwood is 4.8".
 
I calculate that dual 48mm pistons = 5.6"
That's amazing that the WJ is only 3.78"
At 4.8" the Willwood is certainly going to perform well. I don't think it will be a waste of money. My only concern would be the longevity of the pads because of the relatively small friction area. Pad life varies so much anyway with different driving style, environmental conditions, vehicle weight, pad compound...

Once you get them installed and try them I'm sure you will be pleased with the result.
 
Vince said:
I calculate that dual 48mm pistons = 5.6"
That's amazing that the WJ is only 3.78"
At 4.8" the Willwood is certainly going to perform well. I don't think it will be a waste of money. My only concern would be the longevity of the pads because of the relatively small friction area. Pad life varies so much anyway with different driving style, environmental conditions, vehicle weight, pad compound...

Once you get them installed and try them I'm sure you will be pleased with the result.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected as the WJ brakes are 5.6" also, and since they have the same size piston as the Vanco's that places the Wilwood on the short side as larger piston have more clamping force. With the smaller pad and smaller piston's I don't see them working as well as WJ/Vanco brakes.
 
Camo, I keep forgetting to ask what you used for a top hat?
 
RCP Phx said:
With the smaller pad and smaller piston's I don't see them working as well as WJ/Vanco brakes.
Click to expand...
I am not so certain. I'm keeping an open mind on this. The Willwoods do have a smaller pad but their ratio of piston area to pad area is smaller than the VANCO or WJ. I think they may have higher clamping force, I just don't know if the pad area provides sufficiently higher friction.

Also, a sliding caliper with pistons on one side will probably need double the piston area of an opposing piston design. It could be that the Willwood's pads run a lot hotter and there is less safety margin in the maximum weight and speed of the vehicle.
In college this would have been the type of question I would have actually enjoyed answering in an applied-mathematics exam. I might have a go later but I will have to do it in SI units (Newtons) and convert the answer.
 
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