302mm Brake Upgrade DIY, Photos & Notes

302mm Brake Upgrade Success

Is the 302mm upgrade worth it? It only cost me $78 extra as I needed to do the rest of that stuff anyway. There’s an improvement in the way the car stops and I think it’s worth it – especially when I factor in the savings I “earned” by doing it myself!

MVS Volvo Forums Contributor ojdorson breaks down the parts and process in upgrading to 302mm “big brakes” on his Volvo:

I just finished doing all the front brakes from the flex lines out.

302mm Brake Upgrade Parts

• Centric 302mm rotor (for 2000 V70) – $46.25/ea – $92.50
• Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic Brake Pads w/Shims – $35.70
• Centric Caliper (Left) – $30.62
• Centric Caliper (Right) – $30.62
• Stainless Brake Lines – $44 from FCP for fronts only
• Caliper Brackets (8251319) – $23.50+$10 core from Tasca

Thoughts on the Brake Upgrade

• The rotors look fantastic. They’re really clean and the black e-coating is smooth and seems durable. They ship in shrink wrap inside a box. In my first shipment, I got one that was NOT e-coated and looked to have been “handled.” Amazon’s service is tops and they rushed me out a new one and gave me a return label for the bad one.
• The pads are nice with teflon backing and good tight springs on the inside pad.
• The calipers were so cheap that I felt it made sense to replace them. The new calipers are beautiful and clean and well put together with new hardware (the wonky spring).
• The stainless brake lines are fine – they do not have any rubber doughnut bumpers or anything so I ended up covering them with a piece of silicone hose I had leftover from my Stylin’ Motors kit.
• The caliper brackets were perfect and are clear-coated.

New 12 inch 302mm brakes on a ’96 850 R

Last Updated on December 1, 2025