So the brake rotors arrived from
Brakeplanet.com and they are amazing! It took over a month for them to custom machine and finish them, but as you can see by the finished product, they look amazing, and in time, will function much better than factory replacement.
The brakes are cross-drilled and slotted, with a high-shine protective finish to prevent rust while they sit around. The front are thick: which equals braking power, with ribbed ventilation.
When installing the rear, don't sweat. All you have to do is this:
1. Re-tap the two, co-linear holes in between the stud-bolt locations. The tap is for an M8x1.25
2. Clean off the surface of the axle with a medium grit sand paper.
3. Spray the surface the down with a silicon lubricant, or if all else fails,
WD40.
4. Install the rotors, and attach to the axle with Grade 8.8 M8x1.25x12 mm bolts. Used Blue 242 lock-
tite when you are finished with your brake job (calipers included)
If you are looking for a good place to get your calipers redone, check out: http://www.goldlinebrakes.com/
They will rebuild your Mazda Rx-7 calipers while making them look like Michelangelo's artwork for the price you would pay for basic re-man calipers.
Here I borrowed the rims from an 08 Civic Si which are 17" with low profile tires. In comparison to the standard 14" rims with high-profile tires that came stock, they look better and will provide better performance: there will be no need to worry about high-profile tire roll through turns. The only downside, as you will see with the next photo, is the addition of width to your wheel base.
You may be saying, "Whoa! more width means more surface area which means more traction! SWEET!" Yes, these will provide a lot better traction and handling, and you can actually buy high performance tires for these rims unlike the stock 14's, but they also add 5 1/2" to your wheel-base (including 2-2" spacers and extra width of the rim)... which doesn't quite fit within the wheel wells. You have two alternatives: cut up your rear quarter panels and make bigger wheel wells, something resembling those of a wide-body 911, or keep your crappy 14" stock rims because no one makes nice rims with that bolt pattern.
