Willwood Dynapro vs. Dynalite
 

Afternoon People!

I've googled this to death and am struggling to find a proper answer.

Has anyone got any pros & cons between the two. I understand the pad fitment is different and isn't a problem as you can fit Dynalite pads in Dynapro with a slight mod.

What I'm after is which is going to be the better option for hard track use. As I'm going to be upgrading to 11.75" from 11" and have a choose between the 2.

Thanks :)

No interest in the superlites for heavy track use?

I did look at them. But price is a factor here. If need be I will have to make the jump. As it is quite a jump price wise.

I seem to be more toward the Dynapro as a few places says they are the stronger and stiffer unit.

This thread is relevant to my interests. It's only gotten more complicated now that the ST42 calipers have joined the fray.

In for replies. Been thinking about this decision as well.

Dynalite 4 lug mount: cheapest, 3.4 lbs, single cotter pin to retain pads (needs to be replaced with each pad swap), super cheap 7112 pad shape (12mm thick).

Dynapro 4 lug mount: stiffer (better pedal feel, less pad taper), 3.8 lbs, ~$10 more/caliper over DL, "W Clip" retains pads (reusable), can use modified 7112 pads or specific 7812 pads (12mm thick).

Dynapro 4 radial mount: same rigidity as lug mount version but radial bracket design marginally stronger, 4.1 lbs, ~$110 more/caliper than lug mount, 7816 pad shape (16mm thick) = slightly more pad weight and longer pad lifespan.

Note the lug mount DL4 and DP4 (as well as DP6) share the same mount dimensions so a kit that uses any of those can swap to the others. The radial version requires an entirely different bracket, so different kit and not interchangeable with lug mounts.

IMO not everyone needs the radial DP4 but there's no point to use the Dynalite these days, the DP4 lug mount is interchangeable and better in key ways and very close in price. For our customers who want the DP4 on a standard Wilwood 11" kit we make that happen for a $20 upcharge.

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AIUI, you really only get the benefits of a radial mount caliper if you have a radial mount upright to bolt them to. Putting in an adapter bracket to convert to lug mount loses most of the stiffness/strength gains.

The replace-every-pad-change cotter pin on the Dynalite can be swapped out for a reusable clip. It looks like an oversize paperclip: (these are the FM powerlite rear calipers, but it's the same clip).

http://www.codrus.com/abs/rear05.mid.jpg

So it comes down to Dynalites being cheap but not as stiff as Dynapros, the right one depends on how price sensitive you are. Dynalites work fine, but if pushed hard you'll probably get better pad life (due to more consistent wear) with Dynapros.

--Ian

Dynapro Radial has about 50% more thickness and thus about 50% more pad life out of the same cost of pad compared to Dynalite or lug mount Dynapro. The non radial lug mount Dynapro I believe is pretty much the same as a Dynalite in every aspect accept the shape of the pad backing plate its not anything like the Radial Dynapro.

The Radial mount Dynapro is probably the most optimized caliper for big rotor in small wheel compatibility because of the amount of radial space it needs beyond the rotor diameter is less than any caliper I have seen that could commonly would be used on a Miata. The thicker pads do eat up some spoke clearance however.

Some good info here!

im going with superlites myself but arent the radial mount calipers able to take different size rotors as well?

D

Spacers in a radial bracket can adjust to different rotor diameters, and spacers in a lug mount bracket can adjust for hat offset, but both can only be done one-way without machining the bracket. Same concept as using spacers on a wheel to adjust offset.

I don't yet have any on-track experience with aftermarket brakes, but I looked at all of the popular calipers at PRI a few months ago and have since been playing with a bunch of brake stuff in CAD. I'm only switching to aftermarket calipers for better pad life in endurance racing, so I haven't looked at any of the wilwoods with 12mm pads. My CAD is based on 3D CAD given to me by Stoptech, 2D drawings and templates from Wilwood, and a 2D brake clearance template of a 15x9 6UL that I revolved into a 3D model. (No, I won't share any of it.) This stuff won't be surprising to a lot of people here, but here's what I learned:

-Wilwood Dynapro 4 Radial: Best overall combination of pad volume vs. wheel clearance. Less stiff because of no bridge bolt, but the lack of bridge bolt is the biggest reason why it has such good wheel clearance, and Bundy and V8R don't seem to have any complaints. More expensive up front than the cheaper lug mount calipers, but in my eyes probably the best bang for the buck caliper for a track miata because of the 16mm thick pad.

-Wilwood Superlite: Massive pad volume, but very limited wheel options. IMO, not worth the hassle unless you're making BIG power and/or running 24hr races.

-Stoptech ST42 and STR42: Uses the same exact pad as the Dynapro 4R, but is overall a much nicer caliper with a bridge bolt. Really good wheel clearance with an 11" rotor. The additional height from the bridge bolt means that on an 11.75 rotor, wheel clearance is barely any better than the Superlite. I really like the Stoptechs, but honestly I don't see much reason to pair them with an 11.75 rotor. If you need the extra capacity of the bigger rotor and you're willing to deal with the wheel clearance issues of the Stoptech/11.75 combo, you can just as easily run the Superlite which has 60% more pad volume (3 cu. in. vs. 4.9 cu. in.) and is almost half the price ($165 vs. $300-400).

For whatever it's worth, I settled on a Stoptech STR-42 11" setup.

The reason to pair em with 11.75 vs 11 is...
*Replacement rotors cost the same or less.
*More wheel torque per PSI of pressure.
*Less PSI (7%) needed per required wheel torque = less caliper flex
*Cooler running rotors means pads will last longer
*Cooler running rotors will last longer

Unless they don't fit your wheels I see can't imagine any reason not to go 11.75's, they have so much clearance on 10's (with 5mm spacer) that I am going to try 12.19" rotors.

I get the benefit of the larger rotor. No argument there. The section you quoted was specifically about 11.75 Stoptech vs 11.75 Superlite. My point was that, for a car like yours that will probably never run smaller than a 10 and has tons of brake clearance to work with, I don't see why you would choose the V8R Stoptech setup over the TSE Superlite kit. Other than bling factor. :party:

Caliper quality and piston volume. Certainly not bling factor.

There are always trade-offs. The Superlight caliper is... well, not. 5.2 lbs not counting pads so there is a cost for the extra pad size. The STR42 tips my scale at 3.55 lbs and has piston area that is a closer match to factory size as well. DP4 Radial is 3.8 lbs. There is no one right answer for everyone, different car setups and different types of racing have different priorities.

Wow.. Thanks for all the reply. It's finally good to have some good info.

Does anyone have personal experience with DP4 vs DP6 since these have the same lug mount layout? Any pedal feel difference? Pad wear? Etc.

They're interchangeable on the same bracket, we use both of those calipers on our ND front kits. Pedal feel is the same or at least similar enough I wouldn't be able to guess which caliper was on the car from the driver's seat. Pad wear is better with the larger DP6 pad, DP4 is lighter. I always recommend to go with the DP4 unless you need the pad life of the DP6. i.e. endurance racing.

I saw a minimal pad wear improvement between the DL4 and DP6 in testing years ago. Certainly not remotely enough to warrant the cost of that caliper. The 6-pot is for aesthetics.