does bigger mean better? why? how much of a difference is there?

 

Try this web site: http://www.stoptech.com/faq/

 

that's what i want to know...but i am assuming that it is. i figure more surface area=more braking power. by exactly how much, i dont know. i am sure for street use you wont be able to tell the difference. but looks wise 14" definitly looks better.

 

I would imagine that the tires would become the bottleneck if u want a shorter stopping distance when comparing if 14's are better than 13's. The overall impact of a bigger brake kit is how much heat capacity it can hold and therefore I would imagine that smaller rotors will reach fade faster than bigger ones. So the question would lie in if the price difference justifies the better fade properties but hey if money is no object by all means.

 

if its just for street then 13'' should be good enough for everyday driving.....unless you plan on racing then 14''.....

 

I concur with Dragonstyle.

 

The important factor in braking is MASS, not surface area or even diameter alone. In this case, the thickness of the rotors is a constant (both the 13" and 14" kits use the same rotor thickness), so the 14" rotor has more mass and thus more heat capacity. The heat capacity is a resistance to a change in temperature, meaning that the rotor can hold more heat energy before reaching temperatures that would lead to brake fade.

The short answer to your question is this:

If you plan on driving the car on the street only, there is no need to upgrade the brakes.

If you plan to run auto-x or high-performance drivers education events (track days, etc), then the 13" will easily suffice.

If you plan to race the car competitively, or run track days on Hoosiers, consider the 14" kit.

If you're going purely for looks.. get whatever you want, my opinion doesn't matter.

 

the car will definately see track days. also, i drive my car pretty hard, sometimes in the summer for hours at a time the stock brakes are not enough for me!

my main concern about the 13" kit is whether it will hold up at track days (not auto-x, even though i will probably auto-x the car more)

i won't be trying to make every single event.. most likely i won't even be using r-compound tires, but i definately will not be taking it easy on the brakes at any track event!

what i really don't want is the 13" kit to not be enough.. if they'll hold up to the abuse of occasional track days, and numerous auto-x's then that's great and i can save some $$! i can also swap my stock 17's back on for the winter time (daily driver)

 

Hi OrhanZ33,
Jeff from StopTech here...I run our 13" kit on the track constantly without any issues. The only time I've ever faded them is at Buttonwillow on 2 back to back 25 minute sessions with myself and a pro-driver thrashing them. That's nearly an hour of non-stop abuse, on R compound tires, on a track that is moderately tough on brakes. We've had Grand Am Cup Race cars run our 13" kits in endurance races...their cars weigh about 3000lbs., and they push about 400hp. My bet is, you'll probably never fade the 13" kit. You'll also be able to run smaller, lighter 17" wheels with cheaper 17" tires, which is why I run our 13" kit. You also save a little on unsprung weight. I'm not sure if you realize it or not, but even our 13" kit is significantly greater in thermal capacity than the Track Model Brembo kit. As Azreal pointed out, our smaller front kit is 332x32mm rotor, vs. the Track Model's 324x30mm size...much more mass= more heat capacity.
As others mentioned, stopping distances are more of a function of your tire choice than brake choice. Big brake kits are about heat capacity.

ssc,
Surface area doesn't have anything to do with stopping distances (directly). The things that impact brake torque on a given axle are rotor diameter, piston sizes in the caliper, and the coefficient of friction of the brake pad. Surface area of the pad, and it's thickness will help determine the pad's wear characteristics (how quickly it will burn up).

I recommend you guys check out our tech articles. Here's a great one to start with: http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...ons_122701.htm

Let me know if you have any questions.
Jeff

 

Does it make a big difference if they are 6 piston or 4 piston? Which are the ones your specifically talking about that you use at the track? I will see few track events every now and then, what do you recommend as par as number of pistons....im already set on 13's. Also is it ok to just get front and just upgrade stage 2 rear? Thoughts please..

 

There is no real tangible benefit to 6 vs. 4 pistons. On a 6 piston, the pad typically has greater volume, and may not wear out quite as quickly. A 6 piston with more than one set of pads per caliper has more leading pad edges to bite into the rotor (think WRC cars). The amount of force generated by the caliper depends on the size of the pistons. A four piston caliper with large pistions can generate more force than a 6 piston with very small calipers. Bigger is not always better. Keep in mind, that the smaller the pistons, the less fluid is displaced into them...which means a higher pedal with more feel in most cases.

If on a budget, I'd recommend our 332mm front kit, stainless steel lines in the back, and some Hawk HPS rear pads. When going to the track, swap in a PFC 01 or Pagid RS4-4 or Pagid RS-14 pad in the front. Be aware that the rear pads will burn up quickly though. If you want more rear heat capacity, get our ST-22 rear 2 piston caliper.

 

good info jeff, thanks

 

J Ritt,

I've been trying to decide on a bbk for a while, and I heard that StopTech casts rotors in Taiwan and China? Any issues with quality? Thanks.

Phil

 

thanks a lot jeff.. the 13" kit sounds like it will definately do the job! i have a new dilemma, a local guy is selling a brand new 14" stoptech kit for about what i would get the 13" kit for, would you guys take advantage of this offer? i will be using my 18" lmgt4's for track/street use so i know it will clear

*the 14" kit for sale has drilled rotors.. i wanted slotted because i heard drilled rotors might crack after a while (this isn't a big deal).. also i need to make sure everything is included in the sale that is supposed to be in the kit.. i will most likely jump on this offer since the person is nearby and i can check them out in person!

 

Jeff:

Ok to just drive to track with PFC 01 or Pagid RS4-4 or Pagid RS-14 pads in the front and change back to street pads after event?

 

AznIceRckt,

StopTech racing AeroRotors® are cast at Pilenga S.p.A., a world class fifty-six year old rotor foundry that is ISO9002 and Vision 2000 certified, and the second largest rotor manufacturer in Europe.

StopTech's ST-40 and ST-60 calipers are manufactured using a squeeze-forged process at Sanyco, a 34-year old company that is CNS, QS 9000, and ISO 9002 certified. Mitsubishi®, Volkswagen® and Toyota® are among their top customers. Here's a link to their site: http://www.sanyco.com/index.asp?lang=2

Other caliper models (ST-22), hats, and brackets are also machined to these same ISO standards at StopTech's manufacturing facilities in Torrance, California using the latest CNC machines that feature active tooling.

The quality of our components are second to none, period. The forgings we get are incredible, and they almost look like finished product before they are even machined. Additionally, we pressure test every single caliper and brake line that leaves our facility. NOBODY else does this.

We supply brake systems to Toyota Racing Development, and we've never had a single defect in over 3 years of producing parts for them.

 

Absolutely. Driving to the track on the race pads will scrape off all of the old street pad bed-in material. By the time you get to the track, your rotors will be shiny and clean. Then it's time to bed in your race pads. Drive the event. Drive home on the race pads cold. They will scrape off all of the race pad material that was deposited on the rotors during bed-in and the event. By the time you get home, your rotors should be clean again. Now swap in your street pads. Bed them in. Get it?