We did, because we are building our silver FRS for the 2013 One Lap of America (more on that another time) and needed to evaluate both options.
What we have here is the
Wilwood 6 Piston Big Brake kit for the Scion FRS and Subaru BRZ vs. the
AP Racing Sprint Big Brake kit for the Scion FRS and Subaru BRZ.
If you have done your research you know the weight of both kits so we will skip that. What hasn't been shown before was them side by side and some of the differences. You clearly have a price difference. The Wilwoods are $1600 or so and the AP Racing Sprint kit is $2100ish. So, lets keep that in mind as we talk about the two.
The first thing I noticed was the size of the calipers. The AP and Wilwood are almost identical in length. It's the width that sets them apart.
The AP ends up over a 1/2 thicker.
That's good news for the track guys!
The other thing is obviously the finish of the caliper. Wilwood uses a nice glossy red or black coating. AP's are anodized and raw. Now the coughricercough in me loves the red of the Wilwood. The track guy in me loves the rawness of the AP even more. I also love how subtle it will be when installed. It's hard to explain that feeling but I am sure those that understand follow me there.
Next up is the rotors. AP's rotors are massive in width vs the Wilwood. Again another solid point for cooling on the AP side of things.
Check out the photos below. We put the AP vs. Wilwood vs. Stock vs. DBA T2 for width. You can see which ones make use of the center vanes. Also note how Wilwood has taken the time to "knife edge" their vanes vs. the other brands. I thought that was neat to see as well.
AP vs. Wilwood
AP vs. Wilwood vs. Stock vs. DBA T2
The next thing I noted was the diameter. Overall not as important but the Wilwood has the advantage in that department.
Next up we have the brake pads. The Wilwood kit comes with a street/track pad. The AP kit is all business with a track pad. We have the same amount of area being covered by the pad on both sides, but overall thickness is increased again on the AP side of things.
Wilwood on left, AP on right.
Last we have the brackets that make this all possible. The AP is hands down better. It's smaller and lighter by far.
AP on the left, Wilwood on the right.
Want to see any other comparison between the two, post up.
We got updates in store but those to come later.