This month on the Dark Horse, we are going to be upgrading the stock braking system, thanks to Wilwood's new TC 6 Big Brake kit. Designed to work with the factory master cylinder and ABS system, this kit requires no cutting or welding for a true bolt-on installation. The Forged TC six-piston calipers, Wilwood brake pads, machined aluminum hats, and 16-inch GT directional vane rotors represent today's styling and provide the ultimate in stopping power.
Born from Wilwood's 25-year tradition of building brake systems, TC Big Brake kits are the perfect complement to wheel, tire, and suspension equipment upgrades. The forged billet TC six-piston calipers are available in black or red and feature six stainless steel pistons to generate high-clamping force and balanced pad loading, while resisting corrosion and reducing heat transfer to the fluid. Talk about big-this kit comes with 16-inch staggered vane directional rotors, which offer great cooling efficiency by maximizing the surface area and air circulation between the rotor faces. The rotors are drilled and slotted, then finished in a silver zinc wash to enhance pad performance and give that high-tech, corrosion-resistant look behind the wheels.
After all of this stuff was installed on the truck, we took Dark Horse out and did some hardcore stops. Not only did we shave about 6 feet off of our stopping distance, there was no noticeable brake fade, which could mean the difference between a close call and a call to the insurance company.
Here is what we will be installing...
Here is what we will be installing on the Dark Horse: Wilwood's six-piston calipers and 16-inch vented rotors. Yes, you read that right: 16-inch rotors. This kit will provide plenty of stopping power and will fill up the void behind our Tezzen ARC 23x10-inch wheels. This kit does require you to run a minimum of a 20-inch wheel, so don't think you can fit these behind the stock wheels.
While the technician was getting...
While the technician was getting the truck up on the lift, we wandered around Wilwood's facility snapping photos. Wilwood manufactures all its parts in-house. Here is the very beginning of a set of calipers. The company has this shape extruded to cut down on machining time and waste.
Here is a different set after...
Here is a different set after a trip through the CNC machine.
The rotor hats are also done...
The rotor hats are also done in-house; here they are in a few different stages of machining.
Wilwood also offers many options...
Wilwood also offers many options when it comes to rotor design. Here, you can see the waved rotors that are made to reduce weight. Next to those, you can see a standard setup that has the rotor and hat in one unit, which is mainly used for the rear discs. The last rotors are a straight-veined style, which are mainly used for dirt tracks because the straight vein style will sling out any mud that might get stuck in it.
After the truck was secured...
After the truck was secured on the lift, the wheels were removed to begin the installation.
The stock Ford rotors on this...
The stock Ford rotors on this truck are a one-piece design (the rotor, hat, and hub are all one piece), and the Wilwood kit converts it to a three-piece setup, so the kit necessitates stripping the front all the way down to a bare spindle. Here, the two caliper bolts are removed with a breaker bar-yes, they are pretty tight.
An impact was brought out...
An impact was brought out to make quick work of the rotor nut. Don't worry about the wheel bearings, because Wilwood's kit is so complete that you even get a new set of those.
Now that the rotor is off,...
Now that the rotor is off, we can start the install of the new parts. The stock caliper is still connected to the brake line, because we didn't want it to leak out and drain the master cylinder dry.