I have done some aggressive street driving and the stock brakes are not getting the job done. They are ok for quick stops, but start to fade pretty quick during continuous hard stops. I need a set-up thats good for a track day or two every year, and lots of aggressive driving on twisty backroads.

I am considering 2 set-ups, both of which will run around $2k.

1. Brembos with DOT 4 fluid/appropriate pads and use stock 17" wheels.
2. Stoptech Stage 2 stock upgrade (4 rotors/pads/SS lines/fluid) and 17" x 9" +27 MB Motorsports Competition wheels with 275/40/17 tires.

Advantages of option 1: Brembos look much nicer, larger rotors to help dissipate heat.
Advantages of option 2: Wheels are lighter, wider, more aggressive offset, and IMO look better than stock.

Any thoughts on this and which would you choose if you were in my position? I had Brembos on my G35 and was very happy with how they performed. I would really like to hear from the Stoptech stage 2 owners how this package holds up on the track.

 

My .02...

If you are only going to be doing 1 or 2 track days a year then all I would suggest is swapping the fluid and pads for your OEM brakes.

If you insist on doing a full swap, I think you should save for the StopTech BBK. I have the OEM Brembo's and I would much rather have the StopTech kit.

Another thing, if you swap your rotors either go with slotted or blank. Do not go with cross drilled because there is a good chance that they will crack under extreme heat.

 

I completely agree. My stock caliper and rotors made it through around 10 track days with no major problems. The pads and the fluid should be enough for light track usage (1-2 times a year). As you get better at it though, you will probably need something better. I have since installed the complete 13" stoptech kit.

 

it depends on your track experience. if you're even a level 2 person (1=novice, 2=intermediate, 3=advanced, 4=instructor), pads and fluid will likely not be enough. if you're not pushing real hard, you might make it by, but my opinion is that you'll always be fighting fade. i tried hawk blues (a no joke serious track-only pad) up front with rbf600, and still got fluid fade (soft pedal). the pads held up, but demolished the oem rotors. and yes, i'm intimitely familiar with these pads, they were plenty hot enough to work.

i'm not really sure which is better re: stoptech front only kit, new for ~$2k, or someone's brembo pull-off's for ~$2K. i ended up with the stoptech kit up front because i needed something quickly, and no one had the brembos for sale at the time. given good pads and fluid, the oem brembo's are good enough for r-compounds. if you're seriously hard core, some ducting ought to supplement them enough to work well. my stoptech's have been great, don't get me wrong, but i'm dreading rotor replacement costs (not that the brembo's are cheap). plus, i'm still searching for a reasonable pad for the micro-sized oem rears.

the bigger wheels are sexy, and i'd love to have those as well, but with 4x 17" oem rears (17x8) you can run at least 255's all around no problem. some people run 275's (more common for autox setups). and, bigger wheels/tires == more grip == more braking load possible. its only going to exacerbate the ineffectiveness of the oem brakes.

ahm

 

The way the track is set up has a lot to do with it too. I experience way higher brake temps at Spring Mountian Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV than I do at Buttonwillow.