Wilwood Brake Master Cylinder

Wilwood Brake Master Cylinders: Precision Fluid Control for Every Build

When it comes to brake system actuation, the master cylinder is the critical link between pedal input and stopping force. Wilwood has spent decades refining this component into some of the most capable and versatile units available for performance street cars, hot rods, race cars, and custom builds. Their brake master cylinder lineup is a direct reflection of that engineering focus — lightweight, purpose-built, and available in a configuration for virtually every application.

A Lineup Built Around Versatility

Wilwood makes a wide assortment of small, lightweight master cylinders suitable for high-performance street and racing applications, available in a variety of bore sizes. The range spans several distinct product families:

• Tandem Aluminum Master Cylinders — Available in three finishes and four bore sizes — 7/8" and 15/16" for manual brakes, 1" and 1-1/8" for power brakes — all with a 1.10" stroke. Machined from high-pressure die-cast aluminum and finished in black E-coat, ball burnished, or raw aluminum, these units weigh only 3 lbs — a 75% weight savings over most OE cast iron master cylinders.
• Compact Master Cylinders — Designed for limited-space applications requiring the output capacity of a full-size master cylinder, the ultra-short 3.37" compact body provides 2.16" of additional clearance between the mounting flange and the fluid outlet. The 1/8" NPT fluid outlet port is located at the top radius of the cylinder bore, reducing the chances for trapped air.
• Remote Tandem Master Cylinders — Wilwood's Remote Tandem master cylinders provide one of the safest ways to actuate four-wheel or dual-caliper axle brake systems, featuring 50/50 output from a 1.00" bore with 1.10" stroke. Reservoirs can be direct mounted or remote mounted using included bracket assemblies, with two additional 3/8" x 30" fluid-resistant hoses included for remote mounting.
• Stock Mount Tandem Master Cylinders — This lightweight, reliable master cylinder is used for Late Model Stock Cars, drag racing, street rod, and off-road applications, with factory mounting bolt holes that can be adapted to racing pedal assemblies.

Engineering Details That Matter

The mounting flange features elongated holes, 3.22" to 3.40" on center, to work with many domestic cars and trucks from the 1960s to the present. Outlet ports on both sides of the bore make plumbing easy, and the 8-ounce front reservoir is nearly twice the capacity of the rear, with a black E-coat billet aluminum cap held on with four stainless steel allen screws.

The inherent safety feature of tandem master cylinders is the ability to still build pressure in one circuit if the other fails — in the event of a circuit failure, the push rod and pedal may travel 50%–80% of the total stroke before starting to build pressure in the other circuit, allowing emergency braking to stop the vehicle.

For builders pairing a master cylinder with a full system, Wilwood also offers combination kits. The combination proportioning valve substantially simplifies wiring and brake proportioning adjustments on vehicles with custom brake systems, while the combination block maintains full isolation between front and rear fluid circuits. Stainless steel fluid tubes are precision bent with pre-installed plated steel tube nuts for a simple bolt-on installation between the combination proportioning valve and the tandem master cylinder.

Who Are These Master Cylinders For?

Whether you're building a classic muscle car restomod, a dedicated drag car, a circle track machine, or a high-performance street cruiser, Wilwood's master cylinder lineup offers the right bore size, mounting configuration, and finish to match your system. The wide selection ensures proper pedal feel, fluid volume, and brake bias — the fundamentals of a well-engineered brake system — are dialed in from the very first component in the hydraulic chain.