Fastbrakes?

[Ben Fenner]

> I run 15x7 Panasport Lites. The AD22VF brakes *barely* clear the inside of
the
> Panasport spokes - in fact, the inside of the Panasport hubs will rub a
bit
> against the torque members of the NX2k brakes when the brakes warm up.
Using a
> spacer of even 1mm will solve that issue, but over time I've just worn a
nice
> groove so I don't need to worry about it. The outside of the caliper does
clear
> the inside diameter of the wheel, but again, not by a whole lot - it's a
pretty
> tight fit.

That's good to hear that the wheels I have on order (15" x 7" Ultra Light
Panasports) will at least clear the AD22VF brakes. I have another quetion
for you Carson, what mold did your wheels come out of? I've been researching
this for a couple months now and found out that Panasport has at least two
molds for their 15" wheels. The rare #4 mold literaly moves the spokes to
the outer part of the wheel giving more brake clearance. I have ordered
these, but they still will not clear the fastbrakes kit. (But they shouldn't
have the problems you described clearing the AD22VF brakes if yours were
from the #3 mold.)
Also, another situtation: I've read that the NX2000 calipers need to be
grinded (ground?) down to fit inside the stock SE-R wheels. If that practice
can be carried over to the fastbrakes kit, I may be able to clear the
fastbrakes kit with a little grinding, and maybe a 5mm spacer.
I'm going to wait for the wheels to arrive, cut some cardboard to match the
inside clearance, and make a template of the fastbrakes kit. I have all the
demensions and will soon know how many mm I'm short.

For those of us loyal to panasport, this may be the answer to their
relatively small brake clearance. We'll see!

> However, as Daniel Lee is quick to point out, don't underestimate the
AD22VF
> calipers. I run a similar setup to Daniel (including Victoracers) but with
> Carbotech's Hawk Blue pads. The car consistently stops where I need it to
and I
> haven't had any fade issues.

Well at least my back-up plan isn't a total washout. I'm just not keen on
running brake pads that are meant for a relatively high temperature. I'm
partial to the low temp. pads becauce of the lower stress levels on the
components, and the absence of scary cold stops.

-Ben