TCE Brake Kit - Anyone running it?
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Huntington Beach, CA
TCE Brake Kit - Anyone running it?
Guy's, I am thinking of upgrading my front brakes. I managed to turn my last set of rotors blue and had numerous cracks in them as well. I put new stock rotors and pads in and they are good for about 3/4 of one hard stop. These brakes are about the worst ever and start to fade as soon as I put the key in the ignition.
I did the search thing and from what I can tell the TCE kit is the best bang for the buck & offers lots of options. I just wanted to hear from those of you with some real world experience with the TCE kit. I do not plan on any road racing but do find myself stopping this 5,000 pound truck fairly quickly, hence the blue, cracked rotors.
I did the search thing and from what I can tell the TCE kit is the best bang for the buck & offers lots of options. I just wanted to hear from those of you with some real world experience with the TCE kit. I do not plan on any road racing but do find myself stopping this 5,000 pound truck fairly quickly, hence the blue, cracked rotors.
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Joined: Sep 1999
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From: San Antonio, Texas
The TCE kit is a good implementation of standard Wilwood hardware. Because of this, pads and rotors are cheap (for a BBK). Performance with the optional thermolock pistons was outstanding. Overall, it was the best money I spent on the truck. There's a review I wrote HERE.
I had an early version of the kit and the fitment issues I ran into have been resolved. I think Todd's on a newer version of the caliper as well.
Things to watch out for are correct bedding if you use ceramic pads and harsh rotor wear with some of the more aggressive pads. I think the rotors may be a little soft; cryo treatment should help somewhat. You might touch base with Jerry Jordan to see if that issue's been corrected.
I had an early version of the kit and the fitment issues I ran into have been resolved. I think Todd's on a newer version of the caliper as well.
Things to watch out for are correct bedding if you use ceramic pads and harsh rotor wear with some of the more aggressive pads. I think the rotors may be a little soft; cryo treatment should help somewhat. You might touch base with Jerry Jordan to see if that issue's been corrected.
Last edited by Nathan; Jan 3, 2005 at 12:40 AM.
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Huntington Beach, CA
Nathan, thanks for the info. That was quite a write up. Has anyone else had some street driving experience with this kit? I am wondering about pad and rotor life. I drive about 18,000 miles a year on my L. I have about 71,000 miles on it now. Also Nathan how are the brakes on cold stopping, not an issue on the track but can be on the street?
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Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,462
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From: San Antonio, Texas
The short answer is: it depends on your pad choice.
If you go with the 'Q' pads, you'll see similar wear rates, noise, and cold braking ability as with the factory setup. If you go with a more aggressive pad, you increase wear and noise while reducing cold braking ability (in general).
The wilwoods hold more pad and have a greater surface area than the stock pads so I actually saw a reduction in the change interval for pads.
If you go with the 'Q' pads, you'll see similar wear rates, noise, and cold braking ability as with the factory setup. If you go with a more aggressive pad, you increase wear and noise while reducing cold braking ability (in general).
The wilwoods hold more pad and have a greater surface area than the stock pads so I actually saw a reduction in the change interval for pads.