P1 320mm front brake rotor and caliper questions??

[scot850]

My young friend and I working out some challenges on his new to him V50 T5 manual AWD. One of the obvious things is the wear pattern on the front rotors.

I have confirmed with the dealer that the car came with the larger 320mm rotors and calipers from new.

What we noticed is that the outer 10-12mm of the rotor is not being used, effectively reducing the caliper to a 300mm option rotor (there are 3 options, 280, 300 and 320mm rotors).

It is made more challenging in that the front rotors are FoMoCo branded with no Volvo part number to cross reference. What we are trying to figure out is the wrong calipers and pads are fitted.

What complicates the issue is clearly the rotors are 320mm diameter (we checked) but the caliper bracket and the caliper physically fit but end up not giving the wear pattern I would expect.

Does anyone have this 320mm brake set up on their P1 that has and info they can possibly share? Even a picture of the wear pattern on your car front rotors in terms of the pad contact area would be a great help to make sure we are not chasing ghosts!

Thanks.

Neil.

[MoVolvos]

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Goggle P1 320mm rotors and you’ll most likely find others who have done this setup. A possibility is the caliper bracket is not matching the larger rotors but not stock.

With a FrankenBrake setup you usually need to go with a Mazda or Focus bracket. Keep in mind the P1 calipers and pads for these setup remain OE so the wear could still be normal. I remember most brake setup of old always left an upper lip.
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[scot850]

We are thinking that it is possible to fit the wrong pads from the 300mm rotor to the 320mm caliper and bracket. The owner had one of the calipers of recently and said the pads look smaller than images of the 320mm ones. If we get lucky, hopefully a set of correct pads will work and a light sanding on the outsides of the rotors will correct the issue.

I will update when we figure this out. Appreciate the help as always!

Neil.

[MoVolvos]

We are thinking that it is possible to fit the wrong pads from the 300mm rotor to the 320mm caliper and bracket. The owner had one of the calipers of recently and said the pads look smaller than images of the 320mm ones. If we get lucky, hopefully a set of correct pads will work and a light sanding on the outsides of the rotors will correct the issue.

I will update when we figure this out. Appreciate the help as always!

Neil.

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I'm not so sure you can put a 300mm pad into a 320mm caliper? Take the part numbers for the bracket, caliper, pads and verify through a couple part houses to check the specs for comparability.
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[scot850]

I didn't think so either, but a Youtube video I watched for replacing the front pads and rotors on a 320mm front brake set up have a clear picture of the same caliper we currently have on the car.

I know the 280 and 300mm rotors use the same pads and calipers just like the P80's do, they just use different mounting brackets and in the P80 case a longer flexi-hose. I have seen no mention on the them being interchangeable to the larger calipers, but then equally there is nothing saying they aren't.

There is a 08 C30 T5 at the junkyard. Maybe that would be worth a visit to see if it has 320mm rotors to see the pads on it. There are also a few S40's as well. Methinks there is a junkyard trip on the horizon!

Neil.

[scot850]

Well done some more googling. The smaller front caliper for 280 and 300mm brake rotors is completely different in shape to the 320mm version which are fitted for sure to this car. The caliper has FoMoCo stamped on the RH one we were looking at and a number 976. Looking at lots of pictures and websites ties into the 320mm option. The brackets are also different. Still though does not confirm you can fit the pads for the smaller caliper to the larger ones, or even just the wrong pads with a smaller rub width.

I think unless there are a set fitted to a P1 in the junkyard I can dissect, there is only one other way to tackle this and that is to buy a set of what should be the correct pads and see if they fit. The calipers are also fitted to the Focus ST225 and are now NLA from Ford. Interestingly, the Volvo ones show as available, but the pictures show Volvo part number and name on the rear not FoMoCo.

Neil.

[MoVolvos]

Well done some more googling. The smaller front caliper for 280 and 300mm brake rotors is completely different in shape to the 320mm version which are fitted for sure to this car. The caliper has FoMoCo stamped on the RH one we were looking at and a number 976. Looking at lots of pictures and websites ties into the 320mm option. The brackets are also different. Still though does not confirm you can fit the pads for the smaller caliper to the larger ones, or even just the wrong pads with a smaller rub width.

I think unless there are a set fitted to a P1 in the junkyard I can dissect, there is only one other way to tackle this and that is to buy a set of what should be the correct pads and see if they fit. The calipers are also fitted to the Focus ST225 and are now NLA from Ford. Interestingly, the Volvo ones show as available, but the pictures show Volvo part number and name on the rear not FoMoCo.

Neil.

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Definitely Frankenbrakes not that FoMoVol didn't create a few problems. Perhaps pictures of the various size pads can determine which you have. Also, you have to match pads to Calipers regardless of the rotor and bracket sizing. Unless, they all happen to fit together but with the correct pads in the caliper it's not the correct fit for the rotors. Might just freakishly happen, it's a MazFoMoVol after all. No wonder people like Frankenstein.
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