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Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? #2805163
08/04/20 07:34 PM
08/04/20 07:34 PM
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North Carolina
cjskotni Offline OP
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I was doing some research and see the caliper brackets for the 11.7" Cordoba rotors are reproduced now. Currently I have the OEM front brake setup on my '73 Charger with the SSBC rear disc brakes. I have Wheel Vintiques Magnum 500 rims (15").

For anybody who has upgraded the 73-up front brakes to the 78 Cordoba setup, do you feel it was worth it? Seems to be only a couple hundred in parts since all I need are the rotor/hubs and the caliper brackets to do the conversion. Of course, I might replace some of the misc. stuff while I'm there but all that is cheap...

Was there a big difference between the stock setup? Worth the cost?

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: cjskotni] #2805195
08/04/20 09:03 PM
08/04/20 09:03 PM
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Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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A '73 Charger is a heavy car, it is actually too heavy for even the 11.75 brakes. No engineer in their right mind would put brakes that small on a car that heavy these days. So yes, upgrading to the 11.75 brakes is the minimum that you should do. Swing by a dealership and take a look at the brakes on a 2020 Charger just for comparison.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: AndyF] #2805240
08/04/20 10:28 PM
08/04/20 10:28 PM
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Sniper Offline
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Well, I converted my 87 Diplomat from the 10.87 discs, like your stockers, to the 11.75" discs. I also converted to the 11" cop drum setup in the back at the same time. Did it stop better? Yes. But it isn't exactly an apples oranges comparison and I got all my parts out of the boneyard so the costs were minimal for the improvement. But I liked it so much I put the same setup on my Cuda, again boneyard donors so cost was minimal.

If I had to buy new, including adapters, I'd still do it.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: Sniper] #2805785
08/06/20 02:54 PM
08/06/20 02:54 PM
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Pasadena, Texas
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fal3 Offline
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I swapped to the 11.75 rotors on my '67 GTX. Big difference in city traffic. Purchased what I needed from Dr Dif. Whole job took about 1-1 1/2 hrs.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: fal3] #2805804
08/06/20 03:23 PM
08/06/20 03:23 PM
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Iowa
burdar Offline
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I tried installing a set of 14" Road Wheels(Magnum 500s) on a 76 Charger. The rotor hub was larger and the wheels wouldn't fit. Make sure your wheels will fit over the larger hub.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: burdar] #2805812
08/06/20 03:36 PM
08/06/20 03:36 PM
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14" rims will not fit the 11.75" rotors and if it's a factory rim it's not a hub issue. The caliper will crash into the hoop of the rim. Hub sizes are the same.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: Sniper] #2805830
08/06/20 04:17 PM
08/06/20 04:17 PM
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Iowa
burdar Offline
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On the 76 Charger it was the center of the rim that hit the hub. It wouldn't go on far enough to come into contact with the caliper. The Road Wheels were the original ones on my 73 Challenger. There were scrape marks on the inside of the wheel where the hub was rubbing. I remember because I put the rears on first. Then I got to the fronts and they wouldn't go on. Wish I'd have tried the fronts first. The Road Wheels are very narrow in the center on the back.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: burdar] #2805858
08/06/20 04:57 PM
08/06/20 04:57 PM
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Mequon, WI
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The larger diameter rotor will help with repeated stops because it has more mass to absorb and dissipate the heat and prevent fade. But, the standard rotor is probably large enough to create enough torque to slow the car quickly or lock up the tires. At least a couple times before fade sets in. I think unless you are doing auto-X or a lot of rapid deceleration, brake fade probably isn't an issue. A good set of performance tires will make a world of difference in stopping distance and contribute to better handling. Other suspension components will affect it, it has to work together as a system. For the few hundred bucks to upgrade to the larger rotors, I think it is worth it but probably isn't going to change your life.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: gzig5] #2805885
08/06/20 06:39 PM
08/06/20 06:39 PM
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jcc Offline
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Originally Posted by gzig5
The larger diameter rotor will help with repeated stops because it has more mass to absorb and dissipate the heat and prevent fade. But, the standard rotor is probably large enough to create enough torque to slow the car quickly or lock up the tires. At least a couple times before fade sets in. I think unless you are doing auto-X or a lot of rapid deceleration, brake fade probably isn't an issue. A good set of performance tires will make a world of difference in stopping distance and contribute to better handling. Other suspension components will affect it, it has to work together as a system. For the few hundred bucks to upgrade to the larger rotors, I think it is worth it but probably isn't going to change your life.
iagree

Brakes stop the wheels, tires stop the car.


Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: jcc] #2805906
08/06/20 07:59 PM
08/06/20 07:59 PM
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Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
cjskotni Offline OP
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cjskotni  Offline OP
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Originally Posted by jcc
Originally Posted by gzig5
The larger diameter rotor will help with repeated stops because it has more mass to absorb and dissipate the heat and prevent fade. But, the standard rotor is probably large enough to create enough torque to slow the car quickly or lock up the tires. At least a couple times before fade sets in. I think unless you are doing auto-X or a lot of rapid deceleration, brake fade probably isn't an issue. A good set of performance tires will make a world of difference in stopping distance and contribute to better handling. Other suspension components will affect it, it has to work together as a system. For the few hundred bucks to upgrade to the larger rotors, I think it is worth it but probably isn't going to change your life.
iagree

Brakes stop the wheels, tires stop the car.


I didnt mention that I have done upgrades to the suspension and steering. FF stage 3 steering box, poly bushings, 1.06" FF torsion bars, and Bilstien shocks all around. Tires are Cooper Cobras.

I just want to know if this would clear 15" magnum 500's and if there is any appreciable difference in the stopping distance under standard driving conditions...not auto track.

My front end is also a little lighter than stock with the aluminum goodies (master cylinder, heads, radiator) and Sanden compressor under the hood.

Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: cjskotni] #2805923
08/06/20 09:07 PM
08/06/20 09:07 PM
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jcc Offline
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You have a very nice balanced upgrade package up IMO at this point , and to answer your question, I think a good pad/fluid might be the only upgrade to be considered, again at this point. based on bang for buck.

Last edited by jcc; 08/07/20 01:03 PM.

Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: jcc] #2806120
08/07/20 12:03 PM
08/07/20 12:03 PM
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West Coast, USA
jbc426 Offline
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I run the 11 3/4' Police/Taxi rotors on both my A & E Body cars along with the Dr Diff Econo rear brake kits. One is power assist the other is manual. Together they make for a nicely proportioned braking package with no need for an adjustable proportioning valve.

One of the best front brake pads I have found are available from Firmfeel. They work very well cold and hot, are not too hard on the rotors and are priced reasonably.. I also use a 475 degree rated DOT 4 brake fluid in both cars.

Last edited by jbc426; 08/08/20 01:35 PM.

1970 Plymouth 'Cuda #'s 440-6(block in storage)currently 493" 6 pack, Shaker, 5 speed Passon, 4.10's
1968 Plymouth Barracuda Convertible 408 Magnum EFI with 4 speed automatic overdrive, 3800 stall lock-up converter and 4.30's (closest thing to an automatic 5 speed going)
Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: jbc426] #2806166
08/07/20 02:12 PM
08/07/20 02:12 PM
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Michigan
MarkZ Offline
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Made the swap two years ago. The difference using the same factory style calipers was pretty substantial. Car has 255 tires on the front.


1987 Fifth Avenue - 512/518/D60
Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: MarkZ] #2806178
08/07/20 02:42 PM
08/07/20 02:42 PM
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NW Chicago suburban area
Mopar Mitch Offline
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Although I haven't driven or raced the car yet, I've made the swap to the 11.75 rotors... basically because of the larger mass to dissipate heat on road coarse events (HPDE, HSAX)... hoping this will be noticeable and worth the changeover, as well. Otherwise, for many past years (since I've owned the car from 1975)... I used the stock diameter 10.75" front rotors and they weren't bad on HPDE/HSAX events.. choice of good pads makes a difference. For normal street/highway and pylon AX events, the 10.75 rotors worked just fine... again choice of good pads makes a difference... I've typically used Wagner (which is what Dr Diff also supplies within their packaging, but I'm not certain of that).... better choice is anything Police/HD for spirited driving, regardless of brand.


Mopar Mitch "Road racers and autocrossers go in deeper and come out harder!"... and rain never stops us from having fun with our cars... in fact, it makes us better drivers! Check out MOPAR ACTION MAGAZINE, August 2006 issue for feature article and specs on my autocross T/A!
Re: Cordoba 11.7" Brake Upgrade Worth It? [Re: Mopar Mitch] #2806617
08/08/20 04:25 PM
08/08/20 04:25 PM
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The Netherlands
BigBlockMopar Offline
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I've upgraded my '73 Dart's stock discs 10.5"(?) to '73 C-body 11.75" and 1.25" thick rotors and C-body calipers.
Been screwing around a year with the wrong MC (1") where braking wasn't 'that' impressive', until I installed a 15/16" MC after which things got a lot better.
But I was still driving around with old brake pads. After I installed a set of Hawk HPS brake pads, the braking improved enough to my liking.

EDIT:
I have no back-to-back comparison between the old stock rotors and the larger/thicker C-body rotors.
The old brake system needed just about everything replaced and I rather install parts I already had on the shelf, and was an upgrade at the same time.

Last edited by BigBlockMopar; 08/08/20 04:28 PM.






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