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2007 Dodge Caliber SE 2.0
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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hello yall! Im looking to do a performance/autocross build on my cali, but before all else I want to figure out how I can upgrade the brakes. I hate drum brakes with a passion, ive had them fail on me before and I really would like to convert them to disk brakes if possible.

Anyone have any advice? I would like to upgrade to performance oriented brakes as well, however that isnt a necessity right now.

Thank you!
 

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2007 Dodge Caliber R/T AWD
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Regards to the conversion, it has been discussed on this forum a number of times dating back as far as when calibers were still in production so you can search and find some ideas.

Most of the answers it came out of was the cost and effort of the conversion was not worth the improvement you may be looking for. Also the rear brakes only handle about 30% of the total stopping power and much of the braking distance can be noticeably reduced by upgrading front with a better brakes and grippy tires than upgrading rear drum brakes.
 

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There are plenty of Calibers in the junkyards to pull rear disc assemblies, it should not cost much.

That said, if your Caliber has the CVT, I think that even occasional autocross duty will greatly accelerate the inevitable demise of your transmission.

There is a reason that so many of these cars are already in the junkyard.
 

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I would like to know what path you take. I was also look what would be the best upgrade. I would like to do it once and be done. I see a lot at the junkyard but i want to know if we could pull something better or bigger from the junkyard if possible. I am pretty far from doing the conversion myself tho..
 

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2007 Dodge Caliber SE 2.0
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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
Thank you all for the advice. I should mention, I am looking to swap the CVT with a manual before i begin autocross adventures lol. The transmission is already giving me issues.

As for the imminent issue of brakes, the reason I am looking at doing it is because I already need to redo the rear drums anyways, and id much rather put in the extra work to swap to an easier-to-maintain brake setup lol. I will be going to the scrapyard soon to grab some dome lights anyways, so I will take a look when I'm there. Now, idk for sure (and if an SRT owner could verify this id greatly appreciate it), but I am pretty sure the SRTs use the Police Package braking, at least for the front. I'm going to look into doing that for my own car, as the last thing I need is some sort of braking issue. I will keep yall updated, thank you again for all your responses!
 

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I have a Caliber R/T manual transmission that I campaign in the 24 Hours of Lemons endurance road race: Dodge Caliber Race Car - 24 Hours of Lemons Road Race Recap!

When we were first setting up the car for racing, we looked at going with the SRT brakes, but we had other things to focus on, so we kept the stock brakes. We put on plain (not slotted or drilled) EBC rotors and we had custom brake pads made by Porterfield: ST-43 pads in front and R4 in back. We used Motul RBF600 brake fluid and we used a code scanner to help flush out the ABS pump. Porterfield also custom made braided stainless steel brake lines for the car.

The ST-43 pads are a bit noisy, okay for a dedicated track car, but if you will also use your car on the street then I would use Porterfield R4S, or maybe R4 if you are really pushing it, pads all around. Also, while they have to custom make the ST-43 pads for the Caliber, I think they stock R4 and R4S pads for our cars.

We've run over 2,000 laps flat out with that braking setup (we've changed pads twice, but are still on the original rotors). We push the brakes very hard every lap, braking from 100+ mph down to about 40 for the hairpins at the end of the long straights, and we run full 8 hours sessions at this tempo. My team is in full agreement that we have plenty of braking power and that there is no need to upgrade our brakes further.

Given that you will not push your car nearly as hard as that in autocross, I'm confident you do not need to upgrade to SRT brakes. I think it would actually be a detriment because they will be heavier but are not needed.

Instead of converting your rear brakes, I would call Porterfield and ask them if they will put the R4S pad material on drum shoes to fit your Caliber. I am guessing they will do it and that will give you more than enough braking power.

Porterfield: 2007/DODGE/CALIBER R/T - 2.4L/Porterfield Brakes - Porterfield Brakes

If you are set on converting your rear brakes to discs you should go to a parts web site like dodgeparts.com and study the brake and rear suspension assembly differences for Calibers with rear discs and rear drums. Note all the parts that are different and then go get them at a junkyard. You should probably replace the rear wheel bearings while you are in there.

More important than converting to rear disc brakes, if you are going to autocross, take a look at these suspension updates: Do the subframes have bushings where they interface with...
 
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