Help Gmookher decide AP racing Vs Stoptech BBK vs Essex SPRINT KIT

[gmookher]

Vortech will be returning to me a car faster than what I drove there. The braking capacity feels max'd out for me even with Ferrodo pads. I want a bit more confidence when standing on the pedal. While fade isnt a problem, the initial bite could be more, by justa little.
Factory bias is nice front to rear so I am REALLY worried about that perfection getting wrecked.

My instinct is to go conservative, the small stoptechs is where I am leaning...

but..........

Should I get a the bigger kit and get front AND rear setups? cost aside, would that perform best?

I dont think you can have TOO much brake really if youre tracking, and bias can be adjusted if you want to monkey with adding stuff to the factory setup which I rather not, so selecting the right kit, front only or front and rear is what i need to do. Slapping a huge front brake and keeping a puny rear wont do. if a matched set front and rear is the way to go, if it ends up costing $5000 and its the right way to do it, then i will wait and save and sell my body on the street corner till I can afford a proper solution, it need not be the best, but needs to be designed, right. I'm not a professional driver, but I do like a properly built and balanced car. I am looking at between 50 and 60 RWHP being added, in reality, I am not looking fo full duty cycles with anything more, but I drive at the limit- atleast my own. My corner entry's will be hotter by that much more gained in the straights.

I will be needing BBK, whether I like it or not.

so..


narrow it down to slotted offerings only,
price is open, within reason, I'm not known to buy the cheaper of three brands, as a general rule, but in this case not sure spending more gets me more, or does it?

edumacate me

AP Racing 4-Piston Front Slotted Big Brake Kit

VS.

Stoptech 4 Piston Front Slotted Big Brake Kit

I think I have it narrowed down to these two.
Independent of pricing, which one and why, give me facts ,science, and logic, not cause you ran it and like it. guys who run ap love it. Guys who run stoptech love it.

VS.

Essex AP Racing kit

Who else?

Well, I took out baer, tho they come in price wise as a winner, they seem to only offer a drilled rotor, just like brembo. I dont have info on wilwood, but I have a feeling they would suit my needs just fine.
I dont do buddy club or such brands, most of you who know me know that, so recommendations of 1st tier products welcome
What can anyone tell me about construction, seal design, dust boots(ap has none, how about stoptech?)

rotor costs for each?
pad availabilty?
then lets factor in cost
the AP costs more what does that cost really buy me?
any trade off with stoptech?

you guys know who you are, I wanna pick your brains

Thanks in advance (That means ABQ, DaveRor,Essex, and a few others active on the AP thread)

[SubieNate]

It's my personal opinion that Jeff Ritter at Essex really knows what he's doing so if I were gong AP I would definitely go that way as opposed to the Stillen kit. I've driven @CSG David's car with the Essex Sprint kit and it was rock solid.

The Stoptechs would be my second choice as I don't think the Brembo kit really improves on it in this application. I think at 2700 lb 6 pistons is most likely way overkill anyway.

Nathan

[gmookher]

and so there I am, 1 for AP and 1 for Stoptech

I thought you had a choice of pads with the AP too?

loatta good that does, keep it coming!

[ModBargains.com]

Originally Posted by gmookher

and so there I am, 1 for AP and 1 for Stoptech


loatta good that does, keep it coming!

Haha, I don't doubt you'll have other guys going back and forth on it too, everyone will have their own opinion on what they feel is good... I'm just saying from my experience racing cars, StopTech is what I'd choose...

And no, I'm not being biased, we sell both kits, StopTech and AP, that's just my opinion on it. When it comes down to quality, you can't go wrong for either one.

[CSG Mike]

AP is my choice, and the dollars we've spent on our car reflect that.

Pad choice is not a concern with the AP; it's a common pad size.

The Stillen kit may NOT be the same as the Essex kit; Stillen has put together their own AP kits in the past. I highly recommend purchasing directly from Essex.

I will DESTROY brake setups that are not up to the task. The AP certainly has been everything we've been looking for and more.

[bpracer]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

AP is my choice, and the dollars we've spent on our car reflect that.

Pad choice is not a concern with the AP; it's a common pad size.

Porterfield can make a pad with any pad material they carry in any thickness you would like.

[CSG Mike]

T add to bpracer's post, so can Carbotech and Project Mu. In fact, we stock pads for the CP8350 calipers used in Essex's AP kit. Please don't hesitate to PM us for more info on pads and compounds.

[SubieNate]

Correct me if I'm wrong @CSG Mike, but it's my understanding that the Essex AP calipers use a very common pad size for big monoblock brakes and that almost every manufacturer supports it already.

Does anyone know if the Stillen kit uses the same caliper with a different rotor or is it a completely different caliper as well?

What material is the piston in the Stoptech kit made from? I like the SS used in the Essex AP calipers as it's a more effective heat blocker than Aluminum from what I've read. Keeps the heat out of the fluid better.

Nathan

[JoeBoxer]

Here are the caliper sizes and stuff so you can compare the AP/Stillen to the Stoptech
http://www.importtuner.com/reviews/p..._s_subaru_brz/

The Stillen kit doesn't have the j-hook rotors either and is 330x28. I think the Stoptech was 328x28 if i remember correctly so not much difference there.

I think we can get the 355mm Stoptech kit for the same price as the 4 piston Stillen kit.

Also any savings from the Stoptech kit will only go towards track worthy pads i don't think you would want to use those that come with them for long.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

Correct me if I'm wrong @CSG Mike, but it's my understanding that the Essex AP calipers use a very common pad size for big monoblock brakes and that almost every manufacturer supports it already.

Does anyone know if the Stillen kit uses the same caliper with a different rotor or is it a completely different caliper as well?

What material is the piston in the Stoptech kit made from? I like the SS used in the Essex AP calipers as it's a more effective heat blocker than Aluminum from what I've read. Keeps the heat out of the fluid better.

Nathan

The Stillen kit uses CP5200 with 330x28mm rotors. The Essex kit uses CP8350 with 299x32mm or 325x32mm rotors.

The CP8350 pads are 3.4mm thicker (more pad life!)

[Touge Factory]

for the AP Racing CP8350 Caliper, you have a wide selection of pads to choose from... I would say eqaully as much as the Stoptech, so nothing to worry about there.
Hawk, Ferodo, Carbotech, CL Brakes, Performance Friction all offer pads for the AP Racing caliper.

Pricing on the Stoptechs are slightly cheaper, and offers the calipers in a pretty color. Not too sure about what type of weight savings you will gain from the Stoptechs.

[JoeBoxer]

If it was my money it would be the Stillen/AP kit but i'm still waiting on PMu although it will probably be $$$ even though i'm just going to do the pad/rotor upgrade.

[SubieNate]

Essex "Sprint" kit with the ligher rotors.

http://www.essexparts.com/shop/compe...-frs-gt86.html

Nathan

[JoeBoxer]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

Essex "Sprint" kit with the ligher rotors.

http://www.essexparts.com/shop/compe...-frs-gt86.html

Nathan

Probably better than the other 2 options and priced similarly, why isn't this one an option?