Fiat Coupe Club UK

Brembo on a 16 VT

Posted By: JRibeiro

Brembo on a 16 VT - 09/01/2019 16:22

Hi,
I am trying to upgrade the front brakes of my Fiat 16 VT by the Brembos of the 20VT. For this I am profitting of the great source of information that is our Forum. The guide that I am using is the one below.
My doubt is that after googling searching for all the needed pieces, I found as an alternative to the hub carriers / uprights replacement, the use of an adapter bracket for the Brembos.
So, can someone tell me if this is a good (and safe!) option?
Where can I find these adapters?
I thank you very much for the support.
best regards
Joaquim

https://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbt...rue#Post1572913
Posted By: Scuderia

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 11/01/2019 13:25

It is an acceptable method, common on aftermarket brake kits or for say classic cars where no plug and play options exists.

I don't believe brackets are available off the shelf so you'll need to engineer the brackets yourself.

I have seen bracket patterns around but for Alfa 166 calipers which are slightly different.
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 11/01/2019 13:51

When you say acceptable method, I believe that means the first option (hubs) is better...
So, as my 16vt is still a "baby" and my engineer skills are not that good, I will look for the hubs which, by the way, has not been easy to find.
Thanks
Joaquim
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 12/01/2019 19:23

Can someone tell me what are the OEM part numbers of the hub carriers of the 20VT?
Thanks
Posted By: Begbie

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 14/01/2019 08:38

I think your best bet would be to speak with Countrycrusing / Joe on here. He should have spares for all of this, but the cost to Portugal could be expensive
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 14/01/2019 10:34

ok.
Thanks
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 10/02/2019 06:01

Just mounted the Brembos with the hubs and steering rods of the 20VT.
One thing that I had to do and did not see commented in the forum was to put a spacer for the the wheels to fit.
I am still using the original wheels (16) of the 16vt Plus.
Is this ok or something is missing or not right?
Posted By: Scuderia

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 10/02/2019 10:08

Quote:


What you need,

-20VT or other suitable wheels




It's the same question for fitting 16V turbo wheels to a 20V turbo and I've never seen or heard of this being done. I never considered this option as I had 20VT wheels beforehand. I'm not sure how far 16V turbo wheels will need to be spaced out, whether that changes anything. If the wheel spacers are engineered well I don't see a problem.
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 10/02/2019 11:29

I thought that '-20VT or other suitable wheels' would mean that they should just be 16". I know now they different...
I will try the spacers and let you know,
Posted By: decoy133

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 15/02/2019 19:13

Hello,
As a owner of both 16vt and 20vt I would question why you are fitting brembos from a 20vt. The Brembo does not stop the car as effectively as the original 16vt brakes.

When I had my first 16vt I was going to change to Brembo and realised that they are not as efficient as the original brakes, so I sold the brembos 16vt has a quicker steering rack, different coil springs, which make a difference to the handling and sharper brakes than the 20vt. Although the Brembo caliper does look prettier it is true to say. So it depends on the reason you wish to change the calipers, but if it is as an upgrade to stop quicker, the cost is not worth while. Better off buying a bigger brake kit.

16vt wheels will not fit over the Brembo caliper btw.
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 16/02/2019 01:03

I found the brembos and the disks by chance almost for free and I thought that they could be an improvement for the original brakes since the car has now now about 220 hp.
I never saw so negative info about this upgrade in the forum. Nevertheless I thank you for sharing your experience and opinion.
So, as I am in time to reverse it, I would like to have more opinions about it.
Anyone?
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 16/02/2019 01:26

I just saw your thread "When to fit 20vt brembos to a 16vt?" And it looks like I took a bad option.
The question is, since I am almost done, should I reverse or finish it?
Posted By: decoy133

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 17/02/2019 13:56

Hi,
If you are almost done, it seems sensible to complete the job.

The main thing is choosing a good brake pad for the application that you are using the car. On the 20vt I have Feredo DS2500, and have used Pagids which worked well for me. I hope it all goes well for you and that you are happy with the end result.

Let us know what you think when it is complete and you are back on the road.
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 17/02/2019 20:46

I already bought the DS2500. I decided to use the LE wheels, not the spacers.
I expect to have everything ready by the second week of March. I will post the results and also the total costs.
Thanks
Posted By: JRibeiro

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 04/03/2019 22:08

And here they are, the upgrade results.

Everything was done according to the above mentioned guide.

Items bought:
- Brembos with disks from the 20VT (€ 50 and a couple of beers, from a friend of a friend)
- Rebuild kit (£ 71,54 from https://caprisport.co.uk/p/fiat-tur...ld-kit-complete-with-seal-kit-2-calipers)
- Steering rods, inner and outer ends ( £ 99,60 from https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152129223801 and https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182170977166)
- Hub carriers (€ 60 and a couple of beers, from a friend of a friend)
- Stainless steel braided hose, both front and rear (€ 96,50 from https://pt.helperformance.com/?___store=auto_pt_en)
- 20VT LE wheels (£ 245,00 from ebay)
- Ferodo DS2500, both front and rear (€ 264,00 from https://www.oemperformance.com/home/)

All the costs in pounds include the delivery costs to Portugal, which are a little bit high.

Now, what matters:
I first drove the car just after the wheel alignment. In my way home, with no time and space for the pad bedding, the only thoughts were to the money I spent...
The only positive point was the steering which I felt more precise.
Next day, first int the morning, skipping breakfast, I went for the pad bedding task. After some smoke, I got some good indicators, so it was time for breakfast.
Back to business, pads and disks look good, so it was time to validate the money spent. I used a road that I know well, with few traffic and less then few police...
First rounds, not pushing very hard. Very steady behaviour, the steering confirms the first impression and the breaking just ok. Time to lunch.
No luck for the second round. It starts raining (yes, sometimes it happens in Portugal). As my tyres are not at their best shape, I decide to stay home.
Day two, after lunch with dry road. Driving to the "test road" I found the DS2500 are better in cold than I expected (or the Brembos are making the difference?). Driving at my best in an opened road, I really noted the difference for the "old" breaks. Steady behaviour, the feeling that I can break a few meters later and the steering more precise. Ah, yes, the more I break the better it breaks...
So, the first thougth/conclusion is that the car is indeed better than before but to be true:
- I am not sure of the importance of the DS2500
- I am not sure of the state of the old breaking system and also the state of steering.

I have to say that to be sure of the validity of the upgrade, I should have first checked the old systems and try the DS2500.

So, the only thing that I am sure is that the car is even more beautiful than before. The improvement of the breaking power is a fact but not sure of what is the grade of the Brembo effect on it.

I'll post more news as I feel more comfortable with the car. I will also try to compare brakes with my son's Type R.

In the meantime, I would like to thank all the people in the Forum who. that directly or not, helped me on this task.

Cheers
Posted By: 386ka

Re: Brembo on a 16 VT - 15/07/2021 11:21

Does anyone know what size of spacers I would need to fit 20VT brembos on stock 16VT wheels? And will the wheels rub on the chassis?

A picture would help as well!

I'm actually looking to fit Alfa Romeo Mito brembos, however I think they're pretty much the same size as the 20VT ones.

Thanks!
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