# OZ Alleggerita HLT + Stoptech. A winning combo!



## eweu (Jul 22, 2001)

I posted this up on QuattroWorld but I thought I'd share with the folks over here as well.

My enemy is both time and weight. I have grown increasing frustrated with how heavy the stock wheels and tires are so I finally decided to do something about it. Additionally, I wanted to improve brake performance at the track, and that includes reducing pad swap time, weight, and temperature. I think I have achieved my goal. :thumbup:

Before...









Find the trouble spots. Every time I swap my brake pads for the track setup, I constantly complain about how heavy the wheels and tires are. Let's see what we are dealing with here. Needless to say, 58 pounds is outrageous. Ouch.









I'm pretty sure we can do better. OZ Racing to the rescue. These Alleggerita HLT wheels ought to do the trick, coming in under 18 pounds in 18x8. On top of that, we've gone from heavy Bridgestone RE050A runflats to Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The Bridgestone tires had a good deal of grip, but they were at the end of their life and I just have to try the new PSS.









While we have those front wheels off, let's see what else lurks below. How about those heavy brakes? Again, my track excursions are the main motivation here. The stock brakes are very good, but pad changes are slow and cumbersome. Addtionally, they don't offer a great deal of cooling. Time to fix that.









Enter Stoptech. This is from their 355 mm kit. Saving over four pounds in the rotor alone is a happy thing.









The stock caliper. This is the same setup on the TTS as well.









The Stoptech caliper comes in with a _whopping 6 pounds_ weight savings not to mention no moving parts other than the four pistons. Mo betta.









Here is the final product.









A quick run up the mountains offers the initial reaction: Whoa. It is truly amazing what a difference these things make to the overall handling of the car. The most dramatic change is the steering response. The lightened rotational mass has made a dramatic improvement in turn-in. The car just seems much more willing to do what I want it to. Overall the whole car just has an eagerness that simply wasn't there before.

Final tally:



Each corner lost 15.7 pounds of rotating mass. That's 62.8 pounds overall.
Each front corner lost 10.3 pounds in weight with the brakes. That's 20.6 pounds.


So in total, *I lost over 83 pounds with these mods.* Can't say so much for the driver, but the car is doing great! 

Next track event is AudiFest at Infineon Raceway in October with the Audi Club. Can't wait to give these things a real workout!


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## rowdyzombie (Jan 18, 2001)

*Nice*

Hi, nice choice of wheels, I think it looks good on the car. Racing wheels are not always the best upon first sight, but I'd say the OZ's hit the spot. 

I lost around 15 lbs per wheel on my car by buying wheel/tire combo and I like how they ride better. For my car, 10 VW GTI it means quicker accelaration until traction light kicks on...need AWD...


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## eweu (Jul 22, 2001)

Thanks for the comments. To be honest, I'm not terribly concerned about looks here, but I agree the OZs strike a nice balance. There are some better looking wheels out there, but in the end I went with the lowest weight I could find at a reasonable price. 19" wheels would look even better, but as I said, weight is the enemy. I always liked (and still like) the look of the stock 10 spoke bi-color wheels, but the weight was really too much to deal with.

The brakes... oh my word the brakes. Un. Frikkin. Believable.


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## kendoist4162 (Mar 15, 2010)

Aha! So that's what those were for!! :laugh: Looking good!!:thumbup:


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## DrDomm (Feb 16, 2003)

Yeah, the rims are pretty popular for tracking. I want a set.

I had the StopTech kit on my TTS. At the track, in the dry, they were amazing! I used Performance Friction 01 compound pads. Just awesome! 

I hope the kit will just bolt onto the RS for next year.


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## eweu (Jul 22, 2001)

DrDomm, I happen to know for sure that the Stoptech kit will work on the TTRS. I know this because I have a full TTRS brake setup as well. I opted for the Stoptech over the TTRS kit because the TTRS kit is bigger (required larger wheels), and weighs a bit more.

The TTRS kit will be for sale soon. Never used. I know someone wants it... :wave:


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## Stevelev (Mar 4, 2004)

That's a ton of weight loss - good job ! I too went a similar route ... Swapped out the heavy ass 19's for a set of 18x8.5" Neuspeed wheels and saved 12 lbs per corner. Presto ... Better acceleration, handling and ride !


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## DrDomm (Feb 16, 2003)

eweu said:


> DrDomm, I happen to know for sure that the Stoptech kit will work on the TTRS. I know this because I have a full TTRS brake setup as well. I opted for the Stoptech over the TTRS kit because the TTRS kit is bigger (required larger wheels), and weighs a bit more.
> 
> The TTRS kit will be for sale soon. Never used. I know someone wants it... :wave:


I figure as much, but you never know. The StopTech kit has floating rotors, also. That is another benefit over the stock RS rotors, and why I bought that kit instead.


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## lcrcr (Jun 10, 2005)

How do you change pads with the StopTech calipers? Do they slide out the top without unbolting the caliper? I got spoiled by my RS4 where you tap out two pins and pull out the pads. (Unlike the TTS where you unbolt the caliper, slide it off, fiddle fiddle fiddle, and end up with a nice coating of brake dust up to your elbows.


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## eweu (Jul 22, 2001)

lcrcr said:


> How do you change pads with the StopTech calipers? Do they slide out the top without unbolting the caliper? I got spoiled by my RS4 where you tap out two pins and pull out the pads. (Unlike the TTS where you unbolt the caliper, slide it off, fiddle fiddle fiddle, and end up with a nice coating of brake dust up to your elbows.


Pad changes on the StopTechs are very similar to the Brembos on the RS4. Instead of pins, the StopTech calipers have two small hex socket bolts that are removed from the top of the caliper. These bolts hold in a bridge that pops right out, and the pads slide out once that bridge is removed. Slide the new pads in, replace the bridge and tighten the bolts. Done.


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## lcrcr (Jun 10, 2005)

Be sure to tell us how those brakes do on the track. And whether the nice glossy red paint holds up with the heat. On my stock TTS brakes (with Hawk HP Plus pads) the red insignia block on the front brake clips faded from red to pale yellow after a track day last week.


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## DrDomm (Feb 16, 2003)

lcrcr said:


> Be sure to tell us how those brakes do on the track. And whether the nice glossy red paint holds up with the heat. On my stock TTS brakes (with Hawk HP Plus pads) the red insignia block on the front brake clips faded from red to pale yellow after a track day last week.


Trust me, the StopTech kit is great on the track. Mine are black, not red.


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## eweu (Jul 22, 2001)

I'll definitely post after my next track day. Since my goal for these brakes is to control heat, I'll report my temps as best I can. Hopefully the paint holds up as well.

In my experience most of the silver Alcon kits develop a bronze tinge after heavy track use, but the reds I've seen seem to stay in good shape. (Of course black, DrDomm, always looks good. )


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## DrDomm (Feb 16, 2003)

eweu said:


> I'll definitely post after my next track day. Since my goal for these brakes is to control heat, I'll report my temps as best I can. Hopefully the paint holds up as well.
> 
> In my experience most of the silver Alcon kits develop a bronze tinge after heavy track use, but the reds I've seen seem to stay in good shape. (Of course black, DrDomm, always looks good. )


 Thanks. When I spoke with the brake distibutor I bought the StopTechs from, he told me the same thing about silver calipers turning gold.


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