dansouliere

I am currently in the process of choosing a front BBK and would like to know what would be the best choice. The Stage 2 AP racing BBK is a 6piston caliper with 14.25" rotors and the Brembo Gran Turismo is a 14" rotor and I am not sure how many pistons in the caliper.

The Stage 2 AP Racing kit is $2699.00


The Brembo Gran Turismo is $3150.00


Are there any advantages to a rear BBK? Would I be correct in assuming that it would improve the styling of the car but not help much in braking?

Any help is greatly apreciated!

kzshin

if money is not an issue, I will simply get the best. Brembo.

dansouliere

Well the most expensive is not always the best. I am not going to buy the brembo just because of the name brand.

I am concerned about the cross drilled holes on the Brembo kit. The holes are too close together and may be more prone to hair line cracks over time. If you look at the holes on the AP Racing kit they are futher appart.

I am need feedback about a rear BBK. Brembo does not make one and AP racing does so that might be a factor in my decision.

Thanks

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

You sure you don't want the Stoptech kit. Stare into my wheel :

tranzholik

How is brembo the best? this i do not understand

Zenvy

me too...they are not the best! they are overrated.

dansouliere

Everyone and thair grandmother have the stoptech bbk. I am sure they are great but I am looking for a 6piston caliper bbk.

Brembo is definately overrated. I guess I am looking for cold hard facts but nobody seems to have much experience with both bbk.

Only a handfull of members own the AP Racing kit and even less have the Brembo gran turismo kit.

al503

iTrader: (4)

have you thought about an Endless 6 piston 14" BBK? They're not as well known here as they are in Japan but they are considered to be japan's best along with project mu.

I bet Adam@z1auto could get you a price that was pretty close to the Brembos MSRP.

StarcraftBW

iTrader: (10)

your stoptech is killing me softly

dansouliere

Is there something wrong with the AP Racing BBK? Everyone seems to be recomending everything else.

marluci7

I've driven a 350z with the stoptech and i thought they were great. They look awesome and will give me the stopping power that i need. I can't to have them on mine.

dansouliere

Nobody has commented on the rear brake kit.

How important is a rear BBK since the fronts do most of the work?

Skrill

Keep in mind -- number of pistons has no effect on braking power. They all have to basically get moved by the same amount of brake fluid -- so whether you get 6 small pistons, 4 larger pistons, or just one big piston -- piston size is not really all that relevant to which brakes are best.

That said ... I would opt for the Stoptech or AP over the Endless or Brembro.

As folks have said -- Brembro is fine, but overpriced and overrated. I you want Brembro, just find some track model brakes.

Endless is nice -- but has a poor design. You have to take the dang calipers off to change pads. How dumb is that?

AP and Stoptech are great. I would choose Stoptech simply because you get more for your money. But that's just me.

My stoptechs are awesome. I have done four track days on them (including 2 at Buttonwillow) and never once have they even thought about fading.

dansouliere

Thanks for your feedback.. yet again my rear brake question is forgotten.

Maybe I should start a new thread about it.. lol

Skrill

My bad on the rear brake issue. I think generally rear BBK is for fine tuning. Most of the hard work is done with the fronts. It's rare in a front-engined car to heat the rears enough that you truly need BBK.

However, if you are tracking the car (road racing that is) -- the rears will provide the car more balanced braking, causing it to squat a bit more.

I would say fronts are far more inportant. That said -- as far as I know, only one BBK manufacturer actually makes a kit that is designed specifically to work with the stock rear (and not end up biasing too much to the front -- causing early brake lock up under hard braking). Stoptech.

Here is a good white paper on the subject.

dansouliere

That was exactly what I am looking for. Thanks so much, but after reading that I have a new question.. lol

Does the AP Racing kit match the stock bias condition to keep the original ballence of the car?

I doubt anybody here knows the answer to this question.

Skrill

I hate to sound like a broken record -- but as far as I know, Stoptech is the only manufacturer out there that has 4-wheel BBK's designed to match perfectly to the specific characteristics of each application (particularly the 350Z in this case).

Ask AP -- but I think the AP kits are more of an off the shelf solution.

dansouliere

After looking into the Steptech BBK I notice they use the same calipers on mostly all cars they make a kit for.

How is their kit tailored to the 350z if they use the same caliper on everything?

I guess I am looking for cold hard facts on why one is better than the other... not just because they say that it was designed to match the stock bias condition.

FritzMan

Dan, I ran an AP 4 pot front kit on my previous RX-7 TT. Overall it was a good package, but KVR (local) couldn't get a firm enough pedal to meet my expectations.

That leads into my second comment about proper configuration for the 350Z. Stoptech and a couple other setups make sure the piston sizing not only meets perfomance needs, but also match the 350's particular master cylinder capacities and brake balance to provide a firm pedal.

As for needing a rear brake upgrade. From what I've read, the rear performs well enough that it's not really required for street and occasional lapping. In fact, the OEM non-Brembo brake system rocks except for the fact that they have brutal thermal absorbing characteristics. The rear brake pads are *tiny*, so they will get chewed up quickly during lapping.

IMO, if you're going to spend the coin on huge power adders, large gorgeous rims, and a 6 pot up front - I'd get the rear upgraded to match - more of a bling reason than anything else.

Careful, apparently the rear AP kit has some potential offset issues with aftermarket rims. The rear rotor is unique in that it houses some kind of drum parking brake mechanism. There's a Cdn member out west who had a set (then got ripped off) who can provide more details.

Skrill

As Fritz says -- it's all in the piston bore sizing. Althought the calipers housing are the same for most applications, the sizes of the pistons certainly are not. How big the pistons are is how Stoptech customizes the brakes to each application. J Rhitt should jump in an explain further.

Read this article.