Upgrading from Essex Sprint to..?
 

I've been running my 86 with sprint brakes for 4 or 5 track days, slowly prepping for upcoming 1 hr endurance series.
Car is v8 300whp 250 wide full slicks.
I bought the sprint kit as I run a 17 up front and the endurance kit didn't fit. I run a 17 up front for more steering angle (also use the car for drifting.
I've found the brakes are at their limit after about 10 laps. And at that point I have to adjust my driving, which is reflected in my lap times.
I'm also about to install a new v8; this one will have another 100-120whp.

Weighing up options and after opinions on brake upgrades. I've accepted I'm going to need to run an 18 on the front.

Opt A
Upgrade current sprint kit to endurance. I believe this will be the cheapest option as it seems to me I can reuse my current calliper.
My one concern with this, is I feel I'm going to need to also upgrade the rear brakes when the new motor is in; as they are getting quite hot now.

Opt B
Sell off current setup, and buy a full car set; TRD or Alcon for example. I've seen both used on similar performance cars in NZ and they have the capacity I need.
Obvious negative is the price tag.

I'm already leaning towards Opt B. But just wanting to see if there's a solution for less $$. (I haven't really kept up to date with what kits and solutions are out there)

What pads are you using?

That could be like complaining about traction and asking about spending thousands on a coilover package when you're running 10 year old 600TW all-season tires.

I've asked before about upgrading pieces of the Sprint kit to make the Endurance kit, but was told that it would end up being about the same price as just buying the Endurance kit as a whole. And if you purchase the entire kit, you can sell off the Sprint kit to help defray costs.

What about brake cooling? Velox has an excellent brake duct kit that others have used on track with great success.

Essex is coming out with a new AP Racing Radi-Cal kit as well.

I only run endless pads.
N05S in the front, me22 (in oem caliper) in the rear.
These compounds are well suited I think. I may need to go to a MA45B if the current fronts don't last the full hour, but I hope to avoid as I've gotten used to this pads characteristics.

You need far more brake than what you have now.

Are you open to changing wheels? 17" wheels can clear up to a 355mm rotor, if you're using the right parts with the right choices.

I'm happy to just go up to an 18. I already have enough 18s

Mike, do you know if I can simply purchase the endurance caliper mount and use the larger floating disc? I see the calipers appear the same between sprint and endurance; but they may be internally different. If the calipers are the same, and it's a case of not being able to buy the bracket separately; I can get that made up locally easily enough.

They do not sell just the bracket, unfortunately.

As there is chance for Essex to release Radi-cal caliper equipped BBK, i'd think of also that as an option.
+Would try to add some brake airducting solution (IIRC another difference between sprint and endurance kits).

Our front Endurance setup is extremely stout for a 325mm disc. Our 325mm disc has far more heat capacity than our Sprint Kit's 299mm discs. It has very thick walls, and has held up tremendously on a wide range of very heavy, powerful cars (Corvette, M3, STI, Evo). In many cases, our 325x32mm disc has proven more durable than our competitors' 355mm discs. Keep in mind that a lot of our professional experience comes from cramming brake systems into 15" wheels on cars that are 3400lbs. and 900HP (NASCAR Cup). It's what we do! In the links below, you can see feedback on our CP8350/325mm kits on some very powerful/fast cars. They are all 3,000 lbs. with 400-600HP...wins, records, etc.:

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...tion-brake-kit

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...t-buttonwillow

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...n-brake-system

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...regional-champ

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...ake-kit-review

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...ast-evo-faster

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...-racing-brakes

https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog...-brake-systems

Bigger isn't necessarily better. With our 325mm Endurance System, you can run a wide variety 17" wheels, even though your current ones don't fit. If you go to a 355mm disc, you're almost definitely looking at 18" wheels.

Thanks for the info.

Am I able to purchase the endurance kit's caliper bracket, hat, and some discs, and use the sprint caliper I already have?

Isn't caliper placed in endurance kit further from center, thus if same caliper, it will brake more, shifting brake bias? (i don't know all the differences between those kits, just wild guess that calipers may look similar, but have actually different piston/pad sizes)

Everything is different in the Endurance Kit...brackets, hats, and calipers. The calipers use different bosses, so they won't carry over from the Sprint Kit. The only thing the same is the brake lines. The Endurance Kit will even take a larger radial depth pad (50mm vs. 43mm).
Your best bet is to just sell the Sprint Kit you have now as a complete kit. You'll get a nice chunk for it on the used market, particularly since you have so little use on it.
Then just buy the complete Endurance Kit. Our recommendation would be the Ferodo DS1.11 for your usage plans. It's a great endurance compound, and it comes in the tall 50mm radial depth. It will give you maximum pad volume on our Endurance Kit. That would be a great setup for you, and will take whatever you throw at it.