anyone using 370Z akebono 14'' brake kit?
 

Hi Guys,
The 370Z akebono 14'' brake kit for 350z looks like a very cost effective BBK. Does anyone here have this kit, and track his 350z? I already read the article on modified mag. and would like to have more feedback from real users.

The concern I have is the custom caliper brackets in the kit, would it become the weakest link in the kit? Any preference between z1motorsports and conceptzperformance kits?

I am also considering Stoptech ST-40 355mm front with ST-22 328mm rear, but the cost is about double...

Thanks
Francis

I have them on my Z I have yet to track them yet but I do have plans to do so. Although after watching the marketplace for a while I regret the purchase and should have just waiting till a good used set came up for sale in the market place. I have read forum discussions on the Akebono's failing after extensive track use.

Although I have to say. So far that have been great.

"Fail" in what way?

The caliper seals blown out from heat. Back on 09 one of the mags (car n driver/motortrend) forget which, crashed a brand new 370 because the brakes gave out. Im not sure if theres a fix now.

Why not ST BBK just up front with OEM rear?

the reason the nismo 370 crashed was not because of the bracket though...it was something to do with the stock pads...ill pull it up....http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...l-raceway.html

Agreed, I do not believe C&D had caliper failure...likely pads or ICE condition (or both)

mine are great... I've heard if you track hard they will fail.. doubt most on here could track it well enough to cause failure.. some have built cooling ducts for them and have had success.. I don't or never will put my Z through the professional tracking session so these are a perfect fit for me

Brakes rarely fail. 99.99% of the time the drivers fail by over driving the braking capacity of the car. If you can't tell when you're getting brake fade and keep driving like an assclown, you're going to wreck and then blame the brakes.

I've had no problems with my brakes on the 370. I also didn't bother trying to track with the stock pads and brake fluid. People complain quite a bit on the 370z forums about "abs ice mode" but I've yet to experience that either.

speaking w Coz about the AKBNO BBK i purchased, he stated there is a VAST difference between the street pads and the racing pads offered.. he said " dude.. dont track the car w these.. youl die.lol.. seriously tho... You want to brake well cold, lets use these street pads, if you need them to break well when hot vs cold, then you use the race pads".

Also, i would recommend anyone who wants to get this kit spend the extra and get the 2 piece front rotors.
The OEM /slotted etc style are extremely heavy. These save a ton of weight.

They will certainly be upgraded next time i need rotors.

I have the 370z/g37 bbk and they worked great at tail of the dragon last year. Ran it with some turbo 300zx and never had any fade

so for someone who tracks small road coruses or auto cross it should b good but for someone who goes to huge tracks like more than a mile then it wouldn't work is basically what Im understanding...then they are still a go for me lol

Small road courses tend to be harder on brakes then larger road courses. Less time on the straights to get air to the rotors and cool them. Autox is fairly easy on brakes because the car sits in grid between runs.

Guys, thanks for all the replies.

I have the Akebono calipers on my '03 using the Z1 motorsports brackets and Cobalt XR2/XR4 pads. I've put ~6 autocrosses and 2 track days on them without issue. Much more stopping power than the '07 dual piston calipers I had before, though I attribute a fair amount of it to the pads. The akebono's seem to absorb the heat better without any ducting, (a larger rotor in every way will do that for you) though there will be ducting in my future. Ultimately I went with the Akebono setup because it was cheaper than used Brembo's and they will have better pad support than my previous sliding caliper setups.

One important thing to note, and I believe they've updated their site since, but the calipers would NOT fit under my v1 track package wheels with the Z1 motorsports brackets. I had a pretty negative experience with Z1 regarding this and the customer service that followed and ended up shaving the tops of the calipers a bit to keep them from hitting the inner barrel of the wheel. Also, if you decide to use the Z1 brackets, do yourself a favor and ditch the allen head bolts they give you in the kit for a more standard grade 8 hex head bolt.

I ended up piecing the kit together myself using used calipers, new stainless lines, new cobalt pads, and new OEM rotors for a few hundred less than the kits on the market.

I had them on my G35 with 2pc rotors up front.. Did 15+ autocrosses and 5 or so track days on them without an issue. Only thing I noticed was that the top of the front pads would sit a just slightly over the edge of the rotors.. when the pads were wearing down it caused quite a bit of noise. I can't remember who made the brackets, but it wasn't Z1 or CZP.

Would it make sense to change from my stock Brembos on my 03' track to a set of Akebonos? I have seen them come up in the marketplace for pretty cheap. or are the Brembos better?

IMHO, your Brembo's are as good if not the better setup, stick with what you have. I think the Akebono kit fills the void for budget minded individuals who either a. have the lesser calipers and need more pad options or b. Have bigger wheels and are simply looking for something more glamorous to put behind it.

All things being equal, I would have gone with Brembo's, but in reality the cost would have been a few hundred more than what I have invested in my setup. Your Brembo's are also lighter than the Akebono setup and offer more clearance when used with an 18" wheel.

Thanks for the info on Ake's vs HR BC that's what I have.... I'm getting my car ready for the dragon this year and am about dead set on the Ake's I have 500hp so I deff need that extra braking so I'm excited to get these with some Carbotech XP8 or 10s can't make up my mind which tho....? I plan to track.... money isn't an issue on my choice of pads I just don't want to over do it and end up screwing myself.....