# RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit



## AbqVR6 (Dec 29, 2001)

I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my MRK IV VR6, but i just cant decide betweeen the 13' x-drilled and slotted willwood kit offered by RPI, or the 12.6' slotted boxster kit offered by ECS tuning. Please help!! There is only about a hundred dollar difference between the two. any advice and/or experience with either of theses kits (especially the boxster kit since no one seems to have them) will be *greatly appretiated* . 
Thanks..


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## doN_R6 (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

well i have the 12.3 wilwood kit w/ATE crossed drilled rotors. all i have to say is you'll stop in a dime on the highway. you won't feel much of a difference if driving under 40-45. Once over 40-45, you'll feel the difference. Believe me!
Below are some the cons I have with my brake system:
1) the ATE crossed drilled rotors are not CAD plated, therefore it rusts like there's no tomorrow
2) the wilwood calipers don't utilize the full rotor surface. I have about .6 - .7 inches of excessive rotor not touched by the caliper. I had to spray some silver brake cover to stop the rust buildup on the area where the caliper doesn't touch.
I'm not sure about the porsche brakes, but they do look nice and I'm sure the performance is just as good.
I'm still trying to figure out what I have to do to solve the untouch rotor surface problem.


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## Praetorian1 (Dec 11, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif to Wilwood weight savings.


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## Terbonium (Jun 29, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Praetorian1)*

Something to keep in mind with Willwood Calipers is that they do not have dust seals on the pistons. So, depending on your driving environment and how hard you work the brakes you may need to rebuild the caliper each year. The Porsche/Brembo however does have dust seals on all 4 pistons. The Brembo caliper was built for a daily driver and designed to last. Wilwoods are an all out race caliper. They are extremley light when compared to the Brembo/Porsche. 
I belive ECS includes some very nice antisquel clips for the Porsche/Brembo caliper. Nothing like pulling up to a light and having your $2000 brake system sound like a 39.95 Midas brake special








You might also consider the ECS Stage 3 brake kit. Its not all that more expensive and you get a much nicer looking system. and because the Stage 3 setup uses a 2 piece rotor with custom hat, they are able to move to rotor inboard compared to the Stage 2 kit, increasing the clearence for wheels.



















[Modified by Terbonium, 3:45 AM 9-19-2002]


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## DanVR666 (Feb 26, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

If i were going for extreme braking, that would have to be 
a 13" drilled/and/or/slotted rotor, and big @$$ 6-8 piston calipers (since you are going all out) but for the sake of your wallet
get a lightweight wilwood set, its cheaper and does the braking (pretty damn good might i add)
its up to you, if you wanna spend stupid amount of money on brakes then go to the max. But if you want a good bang for the buck i would highly recommend wilwood even if i like the porsche ones better.


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## chlubb (Oct 4, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

I prefer Porsche!


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## chlubb (Oct 4, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

I prefer Porsche!


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## AbqVR6 (Dec 29, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Terbonium)*

how much lighter is the twin turbo(stage III) kit?? weight is important, especially unsprung weight.
Thanks...


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## Praetorian1 (Dec 11, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

Porsche discs are lighter than stock but the calipers are heavier. (It might be the other way around but I'm not sure.) As for servicing the Wilwoods, there's someone on the Vortex who has been using them for 2 years without servicing them with had no problems. RPI also say's it's not a problem to go 2 years between rebuilds. I love porsche (Hell I used to own one). But I don't want to pay 1800 for a name and a front kit only. For around 2 g's you can get the Wilwoods and larger TT rears to "make it look right" if you want.


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## chlubb (Oct 4, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Praetorian1)*

actually, the Porsche calipers are lighter thans tock since they are aluminum and the stock are cast iron. The rotors vary in weight based on if they are true 2 piece Porsche, 1 piece Porsche or Audi TT/A8 usage. The Audi TT rotor that I am using on mine above is obviously heavier since its made of the same material as stock, but 1.3" larger in diameter.
I put together my original kit for my A4 myself using the BIRA adaptor and now am using another adaptor and pieced each part myself. I can tell you that my total cost for the VW kit was $850 including calipers, hi-perf pads(big price difference depending on what you use), lines, brackets and rotors.
There are many places selling them for $1k more than this or 2k more, the only difference being the use of a true 2 piece rotor. I dont think that is worth a $1k difference since I can replace these rotors at any parts store/dealer from an Audi TT.
One hell of a bargain and if it was $1k more I would not have bought it.
Thats my take on it and why I use this setup.


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## drli (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (chlubb)*

chlubb? How can you have coilovers and still have that much wheel well gap??


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## chlubb (Oct 4, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (drli)*

Because they are set on full high so that I could access the area easily and didnt have to hassle with getting the jack under there everyday as I was doing a lot of work on the car and had it on stands everyday. Its coming down soon


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## marker (Nov 27, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (chlubb)*

As an aside, the Brembo calipers are a lot more streetable, since they are designed as street calipers and have dust seals to protecth the pistons/bores from corrosion. If you are using these on the street, use the Brembos, or AP's street series.
http://www.apracing.com
Go through the menu, then see what they have. We can get some seriously nice kits, for not a lot of $.
BTW, why the big brakes? Just curious. Track use? Serious power, need better braking? Looks?


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## AbqVR6 (Dec 29, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (marker)*

I'm going to be autocrossing about once a month, but the real reason is that i'm just building up everything now (brakes, drivetrain.....) for more power in the future (ie. turbo or other)








I'm really leaning towards the brembo kit, mostly beacuse they are designed for street use, but can also hold their weight on the track, and i really don't feel like having to rebuild my brakes that often (i know two years isn't that often, but more than the brembos i suppose).


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## drli (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

I seen the 1552 design now has a really nice AP racing kit for our cars...


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## jhillyer (Feb 17, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (chlubb)*

...and ditch "I'm a universal fit" wheel set or cover the stud holes for a cleaner look.


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## PhOO (May 23, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (jhillyer)*

















I have the RPI/Willwood kit and i love it.. car stops on a dime.


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## AbqVR6 (Dec 29, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (PhOO)*

hey PhOO,
nice pics. i really like the rolling one, brakes look pretty bling bling (especially under the gunmetal). 
i guess ECS droped their prices alittle bit; 1220 for the boxster kit. 
so right now it is only a matter of time (and some more money







) before i get the brakes. 
i have alot things brewing in my mind right now. i just ordered a diesel geek race ss, and i am doing a lot of turbo kit and lsd reasearch.
thanks for everone's input, if anybody else has anything else to say, go right a head, i haven't made my mind up completely







.
thanks, 
eh.bee.que.vee.are. *6*


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

I went with the Wilwoods because of the weight savings and RPI gave me a good price on them. I'm sure the Porsche brakes are great as well, but I can deal with the lack of seals on the Wilwoods because I think the advantages of these brakes out-weigh the disadvantages. The only complaint I have about them is that the pads they came with are super-dusty, but they work!








It's my opinion that both the RPI and Porsche brakes are overkill on our VW's, so I figured that if I'm going to go big, I might as well save some weight too


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## AbqVR6 (Dec 29, 2001)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Blitzkrieg)*

with both those ssr's and thosew brakes, you have next to nothing in terms of unspung wieght!! 
with my heavy 18's (and hopefully some porsche brakes soon) i will be lucky to run in the 17's


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (AbqVR6)*

quote:[HR][/HR]with both those ssr's and thosew brakes, you have next to nothing in terms of unspung wieght!![HR][/HR]​Exactly... and believe me, it's noticable! Anyone know where I can get some light-weight valve caps? lol!


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## GTI1-G60 (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Blitzkrieg)*

Light-weight.....
That why I use a Oz Supperleggera wheel! With plastic cap ;-)

http://members1.chello.nl/~a.bruinenberg/pic/brembokl.jpg


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## GTI1-G60 (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Blitzkrieg)*

Light-weight.....
That why I use a Oz Supperleggera wheel! With plastic cap ;-)


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## l5gcw0b (Mar 3, 2000)

*Re: RPI/Wilwood 13' kit vs. Boxster/brembo 12.6' kit (Blitzkrieg)*

quote:[HR][/HR]







[HR][/HR]​very nice http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I think I will go with willwoods and 17" SSR's on my Passat too. 
Is their a matching rear disc available?


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