We've had four-piston kits available for the front of the Miata since 1995. But we've never had a lightweight rear setup that incorporates a four-piston caliper that retained the parking brake. Until now.
The star of the show is a special Wilwood Powerlite caliper. The Powerlite is a light, stiff four-piston aluminum caliper that we also use in the front of our Little Big Brake Kit. The caliper is mounted to a custom aluminum bracket that positions it over a stock rotor, shaving a considerable amount of unsprung weight off the rear of the car. The brackets are designed to fit either a factory 1994-02 9.9" rotor or a factory 2001-05 Sport 10.9" rotor. The latter is used in almost every big brake setup on the market.
This setup saves 3 lbs of unsprung weight per side when compared to a stock 1994-02 brake. On a car with a rear big brake setup or the stock Sport brakes, it would be even greater.
Weight note: The drop in weight quoted here assumes that you're sticking with the same diameter rotors that you currently have. If you go up to a larger rotor size, the weight savings won't be as significant due to the increased rotor mass.
What really makes the caliper special are the optional custom alterations that allow it to work with a handbrake. This makes it eligible for many race classes that require a functional parking brake. That's right. Now, it's not a strong parking brake, nowhere near as strong as stock. It is not strong enough for drifting. But it will hold the car on a moderate grade when properly adjusted. We do recommend leaving the car in gear as well if you're going to be parking on a steep slope. That's pretty much anywhere in San Francisco. We also recommend releasing the parking brake if the car will be parked for an extended period of time.
We've tested this setup on a V8-powered track Miata at Laguna Seca, so it can handle the rigors of hard use. A wide variety of pads are available for this caliper from almost every pad manufacturer. Fitment is almost exactly the same as our Little Big Brake kit, which means they will fit most 15" wheels, many 14" and even 13" wheels. You can check with our templates:
10"
11"
Color note: Wilwood has transitioned from Type II to Type III anodizing. The new process is harder and more dense than Type II. The old anodizing could also change color under very hot temperatures, which is not a problem with the new process as no dyes are involved. Unfortunately, the lack of dye means it's a different color - please see pictures for details. If you're matching these rear brakes to a kit that has black front brakes, please be aware that they won't match.
This particular kit is intended as an upgrade for a car that already has a two- or four-wheel big brake kit. It will fit any NA or NB Miata if you pair it with the appropriate rotors. If you have an FM four wheel big brake kit or one from another manufacturer, select the version for 11" rotors. Call us if you need clarification. Included in the kit:
- custom Wilwood Powerlite calipers
- Wilwood BP-10 compound pads
- FM-designed billet aluminum brackets
- custom parking brake cables (if selected)
- stainless steel rear brake lines
Please note that the kit does not include any parts for the front brakes or any rotors. The rear lines are unique to this application, so if you already have braided lines for the rear they will have to be replaced.
Red calipers are only available for the parking brake version.
