# big brake kits



## wanarado (Feb 27, 2002)

i am looking for a good big brake kit. i looked and found the wilwood 13in. and 11in. i also found the stop tech kit. what others are there and what is the best. i am going to be running 17in. wheels so i think i can run the 13in. kits. oh ya its for a corrado.
Thanks


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## M this 1! (May 17, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

i love my Wilwoods, but if you can spring for the Stoptechs i'd do that in a heartbeat. won't save any weight but damn the power


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## Rocket SLC (Aug 4, 1999)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

I have the stoptech kit sitting in my house. Im waiting for another set of 17s to try with them. The calipers are HUGE! What wheels do you have?


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## wanarado (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: big brake kits (Rocket SLC)*

i dont have the car or wheels yet but when i get the car i will most likely have maney left over and was thinking of a big brake kit.i was thinking of running eaither the SSR competitions, Borbet type S, BBS RXII, Hosei K1 racing. all 17x7.5 or 17x7.
Thanks for the help


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## wanarado (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

so if i really wanted to spend the green and the time i could put 13's on the back too? that would be funny
Thanks for the help


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## wanarado (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

what are the big differences between the wilwood and the stop tech kits?
Thanks


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## wanarado (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

big bumpety bump bump


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## KJ-VR6 (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*























More pics ---HERE--- 










[Modified by KJ-VR6, 11:18 PM 4-7-2002]


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## bc5star (May 16, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (wanarado)*

quote:[HR][/HR]what are the big differences between the wilwood and the stop tech kits?
Thanks[HR][/HR]​I think STOPTECH has a little more engineering behind their kits. Plus they have data showing how well their kits cool compared to stock. I was looking into a big brake before the girlfriend decided she wanted to look at houses. Anyway, I read their entire technical section on their web site and I have NO doubt that they know what they're talking about. I also looked at reviews in Euro-car magazine and so on. I must confess, I was completely sold on them and if I had the $$$$ I would pick them up in a heartbeat. A couple good laps on a road course and you will quickly see the limitations of stock brakes. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Wilwoods are fine but I think they are not quite as performance based as STOPTECH. If you are just going for looks, I would go with Wilwoods and save the coin. Using the STOPTECH template I found that I would need about 5mm spacers on the 17" Monte Carlos to clear the calipers. There was enough room radially however. Good luck with whatever you decide! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif










[Modified by bc5star, 8:12 PM 4-8-2002]


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (bc5star)*

I was all gung-ho on buying the TT Big-Brake kit for the longest time, then I threw sanity out the window and ordered the Wilwood 13" kit from RPI... Warren at RPI gave me a "deal I couldn't refuse."
I guess the biggest reason why I decided 13" brakes are more important than having money to eat 'n stuff is that I didn't want to increase the unsprung weight of my suspension any more than I already have. I bought 17" SSR Competition wheels last year to hopefully save some weight over my old 17's, and I wasn't about to go and put some heavy brakes on my car and gain all that weight back (The SSR's with 215/40/17 Kumho Ecstas weigh the same as the stock GTI VR6 wheels with the Eagle GA's... I weighed 'em







) My main use for my car is autocrossing, but I occasionally like to go on a "spirited" drive and heavy suspension has a tendency to skip over bumps... at least that has been my experience.
I personally don't have any experience with Stoptech's or the Wilwoods as of yet, but I must say this Wilwood kit does look nice sitting on my bedroom floor
























(Excuse the bad pictures... I have very poor lighting in my room.)
I wish there were more hours in the day... I don't know when I'll have time to put this kit on my car. I'm hoping to have it done within the next 2 weeks and once I've got 'em warn-in a bit, I'll give a full report








BTW, I was reading an article on the European Car website and they claim that Wilwood provides brakes for many NASCAR applications. I don't particularily care for NASCAR, but if Wilwood can stop those cars, I'm pretty sure it can stop mine! The article also stated that racing brakes are typically noisier than stock brakes... I don't like hearing that... can anyone confirm this? What's noisier? Do the pads clank around or something????


[Modified by Blitzkrieg, 10:46 PM 4-8-2002]


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## M this 1! (May 17, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (Blitzkrieg)*

the pads can clank sometimes, mine haven't my buddies did. the pads are usually much more aggressive and make more noise. the calipers have made little odd noises here and there that i never noticed before. mine have been incredible for a year now though. take my advise, spray down the rotor before installing it to rid it of any oil. be incredibly mellow for about 300 miles of intown driving, never let them get hot. most people i've talked to glazed their first set of pads with these wilwood kits. i did too and had to buy new ones and then they blew my mind


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (M this 1!)*

Thanks for the advice, *M this 1!*...
I was reading some info on the Wilwood site and they said that if your pads 'clank' you can "slop on some gooey stuff commonly available at most automotive shops on the back of the pads." I have no idea what this "gooey stuff" might be, but might be worth a try as opposed to listening to the pads chatter







I know my stock pads made a lot of noise when I had the chatter clips removed.


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## oneflygti (Jul 3, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (Blitzkrieg)*

so, does anyone here have any technical observations over the 13" wilwood vs. the 13" Stoptech?
who is better than who and why?


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## KJ-VR6 (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (oneflygti)*

quote:[HR][/HR]so, does anyone here have any technical observations over the 13" wilwood vs. the 13" Stoptech?
who is better than who and why?







[HR][/HR]​
I was hoping someone would ask this! It took me about a 2.5 weeks to decide on going with the Stoptech. After all the phone calls, reading, emailing, questions, and searching around I came up with this...
I know there are going to be different thoughts on my reasons but these are what made *me* pick Stoptech! My points may not be 100% the same as others but hey
- the extra .5 inch on the Wilwood rotors mean less clearance and can limit you to wheels
- the Wilwood is a drilled and slotted rotor. more aggressive on pad wear/bite, = shorter life of pads)
- the Stoptech is a full floating drive pin system! majorly cuts down if not virtually eliminate warping. The Wilwood is fixed, bolted directly on!
- Stoptech does have dust boots/seals, will keep grit and dirt from entering the piston bores
- Stoptech uses precision ground stainless studs to hold the calipers. Pretty sure the Wilwood is an axial mount
- Stoptech builds the caliper and rotor in spec of the car as a full kit. Wilwood has a few "standard" calipers and rotors that are used in a number of their different kits. More or less the kit is built around and specifically for the car! Not just taking a few "standard" parts and making them fit to X amount a different cars with misc. brackets and adapters by mix and matching
- Do not have to "rebuild or recondition" the calipers every year.
- But the main thing I really liked about the Stoptech kit (besides being specifically built for each car) are the hats! The vane is directional and built directly into the hat! More airflow over the rotors surface = cool pads = longer life. That combined with the floating set-up is really good for the life of the kit!!
Those are the main ones for me off the top of my head. Im sure others will have some to add each way for and on each kit



[Modified by KJ-VR6, 12:46 PM 4-10-2002]


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (KJ-VR6)*

Even though I have the Wilwoods, I'd have to agree with *KJ-VR6's* summary as to why he chose the StopTech's over the Willwoods. Some don't seem to have to rebuild their Wilwoods often (or ever), while others have claimed that they have to do it... I guess it probably depends on if you race your car or not.
However, on the StopTech's website, they list the brake kit for my car as being $1895... that's $795 more than I paid for my Wilwoods







It's my opinion that both setups are probably going to give you adequate braking power, it's a matter of how much money is burning a hole in your pocket!
Of the big brake kits I've seen, these 2 seem to be the better kits for the money. I've seen quite a few Porsche big-brake kits for our cars that are all over $1,000 and use a fairly heavy rotor. They probably stop well, but if I'm going to spend a lot of money on brakes, I want them to be light and work good!


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## KJ-VR6 (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (Blitzkrieg)*

quote:[HR][/HR]
Of the big brake kits I've seen, these 2 seem to be the better kits for the money. I've seen quite a few Porsche big-brake kits for our cars that are all over $1,000 and use a fairly heavy rotor. They probably stop well, but if I'm going to spend a lot of money on brakes, I want them to be light and work good![HR][/HR]​ http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Of all the ones out there it came down to the Stoptech and Wilwoods! But I do have to omit, I left out one last reason......I love the HUGE RED cali's!







And if I didn't get the deal I did, I would most likely be posting pics of a Wilwood kit. $1895 is pretty steep for as set-up, but after doing the homework they are more than able to justify it!
Personally I would never buy one of the "Porsche" kits. Shops are jumping on those b/c they know they will sell simply b/c of the "Porsche" name being on the caliper! They are heavier than most rotors out there, more maintenance, a lot less design work and no specific features. Comes down to selling the name, and that's exactly how they are marketed and pushed! They know if they put together a somewhat decent/ok kit, price it below the others, they will be a big hit with the crowd that wants to be able to say......_I just put a "PORSCHE" brake kit on my car!_


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## ByronN (Dec 22, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (KJ-VR6)*

So your saying that the caliper that Brembo sells Porshe for there production cars are of less quality that the same caliper without the Porshe logo on it? Bottom line is this the oem Porshe stuff works great and is designed to be used daily in all sorts of different weather conditions rain, mud, snow, salt, hot summer days you name it. It doesn't matter who you buy from Stoptech, Apr, ect. ect. all the calipers start out as a Brembo plain and simple. Just because someone puts a larger bridge bolt or a different name on it doesn't really change things. As for the rotors you don't have to use Brembos there are many different manufactures of rotors for custom 2 piece applications. One last thing, if high maintenance was an issue I highly doubt that Porshe would still be using Brembos after all these years.


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (ByronN)*

For me, it's not the Porsche caliper that is in question... we all know Porsche's have some of the best brakes in the world. I question the rotors that some companies are fitting these kits with to make the kits more affordable. Sure, the brake kits probably stop well, but they cost a whole lot for a heavy setup.
For example, this ECS Stage II Kit costs more than my 13" Wilwood kit and look at the rotor you get. Probably not bad, but not worth $1,295 dollars in my opinion. The Stage III kit looks sexy, but then you're up there in price with the StopTech kit.
BTW, these are all just my opinions


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (ByronN)*

Porsche calipers are the only calipers that are dot approved for use on the road. There are absolutely no maintinance issues with porsche calipers, which cannot be said for wilwoods. Wilwood calipers are designed for racing use, where wear and tear is not an issue. Wilwoods were never intended to be put on the street, as is evidenced by the large "for racing use only" printing on the boxes. I believe wilwood recommends rebuilding these calipers everytime you change the pads. 
The reason we, and others, use porsche calipers is because they are superior in almost every way, the exception being weight. they are alot stiffer than anything wilwood produces, and that has a tremendous effect on braking efficiency and pedal feel. The penalty of unsprung weight is important, but you need to find the balance of performance, weight and livablility. Stoptech products are of very high quality, especially their rotors. Their calipers are quite stiff, thanks in part to the special bridge plate that they use. Their calipers we would consider to be a close second to the porsche pieces. If you can live with having to be concerned with caliper rebuilds, then the wilwood based kits are something you could consider. 
We build racing caliper based kits for the A1 and A2 chassis cars, because they are typically less powerful than the MK IV cars, and the unsprung weight issue is more of a concern. We don't build, and have no intention of building, racing caliper based systems for the MK IV's as the penalty of more unsprung weight is worth it for the superior performance of porsche product. 
The one piece rotors used in most entry level porsche based kits is the real contributor to the extra weight. Problem is that the porsche calipers typically cost about 4-5 times what the wilwoods do, so the one piece rotors are used to keep the kits affordable.
Just thought you guys might like some input from me, as we have experience with most of the popular calipers out there.


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## wasbondy (Oct 31, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (KJ-VR6)*



> - the Wilwood is a drilled and slotted rotor. more aggressive on pad wear/bite, = shorter life of pads)
> 
> 
> > If the holes are not chamfered yes, if they are,it has yet to be proven that crossdrilled rotors wear out pads more than slotted rotors like your Stoptech kit
> ...


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## Blitzkrieg (Mar 19, 2000)

*Re: big brake kits (wasbondy)*

... Uhm, what he said and Wilwood engraves their logo into the caliper which lowers the unsprung weight where as StopTech puts on a *big*, *heavy* sticker for their logo, thus increasing unsprung weight







hehehehe....


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## '89gli (Sep 2, 1999)

*Re: big brake kits (Blitzkrieg)*

How much are the replacement rotors for the 13in kits? Quite expensive I'd imagine. Adds to the price of the kit when you wear a set out. 
ECS tuning stage II gets my vote for the best brake kit available. Less weight from the monobloc calipers, factory parts used(mass produced thus cheaper), can fit 16 inch wheels over the calipers.
To me the 13in brake kits are overkill, especially for street cars. Nobody needs that much brake. If you track your car the 12.3s will be more than enough with the right pads(Hawk blues, Pagid Orange, ect.) and fluid.
Everyone is so worried about the unsprung weight of brake kits but you should be more worried about rotating mass. Using the smallest and lightest wheel & tire combination will make more difference than a few pounds of unsprung weight.


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## Elberoth (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: big brake kits ('89gli)*

Porshe calipers are made by MOVIT not Brembo. http://www.movit.de


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2001)

*Re: big brake kits (Elberoth)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Porshe calipers are made by MOVIT not Brembo. http://www.movit.de [HR][/HR]​Mov'it doesn't make porsche calipers, they use porsche calipers. Until the last few years they have been marketing their kits as using porsche calipers, but now they don't. The calipers are made by brembo.


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