Brakes for looks mostly

[ofuts]

Hi

There are several reasons (in order of importance for me) why i want to upgrade my brakes:

1- LOOKS: Honestly, most decisive factor is the badass looks for me . I want some eyecatching red calipers between those 5 spokes, and OEM brakes looks small in18" wheels imo.

2- REPAIR: There is a loud "grrkh" noise at every one turn of the wheel (front left), which olso couses squeling i guess. Toyota service canceled the squeling but then it started again, they couldnt solve (actually they refused to hear) the "grrkh". Then squelling came again and i went to my tuner shop to solve, he olso solved the squeling but said "grrkh" is becouse of damaged rotor probably. So i need to change my rotors, but Toyota service refuses to change them in warranty, so i need to buy one. So i thoughed i can pay a little more and upgrade them.

3- PERFORMANCE: I will have turbo in few months (after Toyota changes my problem gearbox, hopefully), even though i will start with around 0,5 bar, i'm sure i will go higher soon after . I will start to track my car occasionally, maybe every 2 or 3 weeks, in spring, but i'm not a hardcore track guy, yet.

Notes:
I have Enkei Kojin 18*9,5 +45s all around, HKS hipermax 4 GT, Perrin 3" resonated catback, will get Greddy turbo kit and some more exhaust upgrades. I am not an experienced track guy, been to track 2 times all my life, never been to an auto-x. I am an experienced driver though, and i drive quite hard on daily driving, actually i need good stopping power considering idiot bikers who dont care about red lights here (a small town in China, a lot of natural selection going on!), so can put this in number 3 too. I dont need high performance (yet again) but i need comfort, no squeling for sure. BTW, my car came with 16" OEM wheels (JDM?), i hear that they have smaller brakes than others.

I can not spend too much becouse turbo will hurt my pocket, so as cheap as possible. I was thinking about only changing the rotors first but then i found myself checking kits , Wilwood 4R slotted steals my heart around 1000$ and with good weight savings, front only, but worried if only fronts will mess the balance, and rears for looks olso would be fine. I can say my budget is max 2000$ total.

I would appriciate any suggestions for my situation.

Thanks in advance

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by ofuts

There are several reasons (in order of importance for me) why i want to upgrade my brakes:

1- LOOKS: Honestly, most decisive factor is the badass looks for me . I want some eyecatching red calipers between those 5 spokes...

You'll receive many opinions here, so I'll just offer one, and it comes from the manufacturer of my BBK as found on this page: http://www.essexparts.com/essex-comp...86-bundle.html.

"Most aftermarket calipers come in a painted finish, whether they are red, black, or gold. The painted finish is for corrosion resistance and appearance.

Unfortunately, for all of the compliments pretty gold calipers generate, there is an associated price if you drive the car in a track environment. That price is the chipping, flaking, fading, color shift, and general decimation of the finish in a fairly short period of time. We’ve seen painted OEM and aftermarket calipers go from the as-delivered color to a nasty shade of brown in as little as one weekend. While this is typically worn as a badge of honor among our more hardcore customers, let’s face it…they still look terrible. More importantly though, all of those bits of paint end up in places they’re not supposed to, which I’ll get to in a minute."

On that page, Essex Parts does an excellent job explaining what is important when choosing a brake kit.

[BRZPDX]

I agree with the OP, I can't justify putting a 5k brake kit just yet. If it is a slight upgrade from OEM, and aesthetically looks 100x better with a BBK, I'd be willing to purchase something more in the $1k range.

[Figo]

How about STi Brembo?

Less than 3000 if you build them by yourselves.

.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by ofuts

Hi
and i drive quite hard on daily driving [1], actually i need good stopping power [2]

Notes:I have Enkei Kojin 18*9,5 +45s all around, HKS hipermax 4 GT, Perrin 3" resonated catback[3]

1 If you drive hard on public roads you are asking for trouble especially when you mention the other drivers who drive poorly.
2 Tyres are the limiting factor. Big brakes kits are there to cope with extended periods of heating, not stopping distance from cold. Tyres, pads, brake fluid, bbk in that order.
3 I find it interesting that you mention these mods yet you don't mention what tyres you are using.

[finch1750]

Also, if you are truly going to track that often a good BBK will help keep consumable costs down long term. Otherwise get Nissan Z32 calipers with LGT rotors with good pads and call it a day

[juliog]

1- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2- Worst case: OEM-like replacement new front rotors and pads are ~$120 bucks
3- BBK won't stop the car any faster

[ofuts]

Originally Posted by Figo

How about STi Brembo?

Less than 3000 if you build them by yourselves.

Yes, my tuner offered them to me for 3250$ including installation for front and rear, they are black and have STI badges, 6F/4R. He said rotors are DBA, looks like T2s, and pads are Hawk HPs. It seems unnecessary but price is not bad, so im thinking about it.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by ofuts

Yes, my tuner offered them to me for 3250$ including installation for front and rear, they are black and have STI badges, 6F/4R. He said rotors are DBA, looks like T2s, and pads are Hawk HPs. It seems unnecessary but price is not bad, so im thinking about it.

Uhhh, what sti calipers are 6F/4R?

[ofuts]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

1 If you drive hard on public roads you are asking for trouble especially when you mention the other drivers who drive poorly.
2 Tyres are the limiting factor. Big brakes kits are there to cope with extended periods of heating, not stopping distance from cold. Tyres, pads, brake fluid, bbk in that order.
3 I find it interesting that you mention these mods yet you don't mention what tyres you are using.

1- You are right, but i just cant help it, they drive so slow and annoying, so when i am out of traffic i need to hit the gas and enjoy driving to neturalize my temper. I'm carefull and i know the traffic but sometimes unexpected things happen, need to drive very slow for no risk, which i cant do all the time unfortunately.
2- Hmm, i thoughed they decrease stopping distance too, thank you for information.
3- Yes, sorry i forgot it, i have 255/35/18 Neovas.

[ofuts]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Uhhh, what sti calipers are 6F/4R?

Not sure, here is the photo he sent, cant see clearly, but there are small differences with the original Brembo. Now i see that rotors look like T3 BTW.

Edit: He corrected, 4F/2R.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Hasn't it been outlined somewhere here that STi Brembos mess with the brake bias, or am I thinking of something else?

[ofuts]

Originally Posted by BRZZZZZZZZZZ

Hasn't it been outlined somewhere here that STi Brembos mess with the brake bias, or am I thinking of something else?

Yes, i olso read that they move bias to front.

[toast]

Wilwood BBK for the WRX comes in at $1k for the fronts. That is the way I'm going, car will never be on a track. The review on this forum was a definite thumbs up, they look great and they are 16 lbs per corner lighter than OEM.

Review:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32594