HOW TO: Protege Rear Caliper Conversion (No more frozen calipers!)

[I4MX6]

Here's the news I think a lot of people have been waiting to hear! As I'm sure most of you know, the MX6/Probe have terrible calipers and they constantly seaze. Now here's the solution to that...Protege5/Protege Caliper's fit!

I just spent the evening doing the conversion and I must say it was incredibly easy and I found a few benefits to doing it. Here are some pics:

Here's the factory MX6 caliper, uncleaned:


Here's the new, freshly painted, Protege5 calipers:


Now, the main difference between the 2 that actually makes this conversion an Upgrade...

The top pad is the MX6 pad, the one below is the Protege5 pad. When comparing them, I found that the Protege5 pad is actually 1/4" taller than the MX6 pad, but is the same width and length. This means that there is more pad touching the pad which results in slightly better braking power! Not bad.

Here are a few pics to show it mounted:



It actually looks larger than the original ones that were on the car because of the design of the caliper. So not only is it a physical upgrade, its also a visual one too!

All in all, everything bolts right up! Like I've said, the only thing you need is the Protege5 pads, which are not really that expensive. What makes this a great conversion is the fact that the calipers come off a newer car, so if you find one in the wrecking yard, its very likely that they are still in good shape. Not to mention there is a greater chance of finding one in a wrecking yard since there was/is a greater number of them on the road then MX6's/Probe's.

Anyways, I hope this helps some people out that have been looking into changing out their rear seazed calipers.

Ok, here are those long awaited pics of them with the wheel back on:



Here is a comparison of the pad size difference. I have painted rotors and the new MP5 pads are chewing quite a bit further in than the MX6 pads were:


-Matt

PS. Moderators: Feel free to move this to the Projects section if you'd like.

[snailman153624]

Awesome! Any word if your brakes actually work? What about the e-Brake? Same rotors?

Is the braking force still evenly distributed? You may need to adjust your proportioning valve!

[Glynis27]

Are the fronts swappable also? What about a Big Brake kits made for a Protege?

-Ryan-

[I4MX6]

Don't worry! Its all adjusted! I found that the braking power is actually more even then before. The car doesn't nose dive as bad when I hammer the brakes.

And yes, they do work, very well I might add. I have been driving around all night with them and have had zero problems with them.

Here's what you need for the conversion:

- Protege/Protege5 rear calipers (complete)
- 2002+ Protege5 brake pads

Thats it! The conversion uses the original factory rotors and ebrake cables. Everything installs exactly the same as the MX6 calipers. To adjust for the ebrake, use the adjustment screw located behind the caliper (use your haines manual to find it).

[I4MX6]

Originally Posted by Glynis27

Are the fronts swappable also?

-Ryan-

I would assume so. I heard that the fronts of the Protege5/Protege actually use the same pads as the MX6, so I can't see why they wouldn't work.

[snailman153624]

Also, what year protege/5 did you get these from, and what years are compatible?

[I4MX6]

All year Protege5's work. But in simple terms...2002+ Protege/Protege5 calipers and pads are the ones to use.

[Nike3D]

Karma to u brother, it was just what i was looking for

[Cromax]

Ooh and the hand brake will work too

Wicked! Karma to you for the find!

[anandsihra]

Will they bolt into the MX6 brake caliper frame?