Has anyone had any experience with Racing Brake BBKs? I'm interested in purchasing a big brake kit and for $3300, Racing Brake can set me up with 14"2-piece rotors/6 piston fronts and 13" 2-piece rotors/4 piston rears. Can't get a even close to that price looking at Stoptech, Rotora, or AP....Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

There are more and more companies that are coming out with BBKs. I'd just stick with a company that has done extensive testing on our cars.

 

FleetZ, what BBK did you end up going with?

 

Stoptech....4 piston calipers and 14" drilled rotors on all four corners....Very nice brakes.....

 

Wow -- very nice!!!

What wheels do you have to clear them? !8"? 19"? offset?

Do you track your Z?

How do you like the 4-piston front/4-piston rear setup? Why did you choose 4/4 setup? Aren't you worried about snapping the rear around under heavy braking with too much rear brake?

 

The wheels are Volk CE28Ns 19"x9.5 +22 fronts and 19"x10.5 + 22 rears.

I chose Stoptech for several reasons. Stoptech has several good write-ups for quality and customer service and when I spoke to the customer service reps at the factory about my car, they knew exactly what they were talking about. Also, I got a great deal from Paul at Advanced Race Technologies (Former Avalon Racing) on the kit. For a few hundred bucks more than the Racing Brake set-up, I was more comfortable dropping a few grand for brakes and not having fitment or operation issues. One thing I've learned about doing mods and buying stuff, is that you get what you pay for. The Stoptechs literally bolted right on, no funky ABS light came on and the brakes are powerful, smooth and quiet.

As far as tracking the car, right now, this thing is more show than go. Other than a Nismo exhaust and AEM intake, the engine is stock. I've been talking to Paul at ART about a turbo set-up, but I need to save my pennies up for that mod. Greddy twins or a Turbonetics single will probably be a 2008 winter project.

 

Fresh Alloy has a Racing Brake kit on their project car. Maybe they could better answer your questions. However, I would like to second the recommendation for Stoptech products. I have never seen a company with such a commitment to personal customer satisfaction, research & development, and quality.

 

You don't need a TT to track your car. I don't and I track mine as often as I can! NA the Z is a momentum car. You just got to grow a large sack and carry the speed thru the turns to stay in the clean air up front (easier said than done though). They always say, if you can learn to be fast in a momentum car then you will be *that* much faster when you add power.

Having a show car is cool too! I was just curious about the 4/4 setup since out on the track that could be a very touchy setup and snap around on you so I was soliticing input.

Thanks!

 

From what I've read, the 4 pot F/R will still preserve the car's balance. You won't have any "touchy" moments with this setup. StopTech went through the steps to ensure that whichever combo you go with, it will still maintain the car's factory braking balance front/rear. They do this with the size of the caliper piston cylinders. I have a the 14" front and rear kit but have not tracked the car with these brakes yet. June 5th will be the first time.

That being said, the 14" kit is overkill, the only reason I got it is because I got a good deal on it. If you want to track your car and are buying brakes at msrp, then the 13" kit is the way to go with ST40 caliper up front and the ST22 on the rear. The smaller the rotor diameter, the less knockback you'll get.

 

But the more heat you build up. Everything is a compromise...

Thanks for the info. though...

 

The rear brake torque of both of our kit is the same as stock so there wont be any issues with rear lockup or snap oversteer. All of our bias adjustments are made in the front calipers so you can safely install a front kit and then upgrade to a rear kit at any time. The rear kit wont do so much to reduce stopping distances but it will further improve pedal feel, improve the responsiveness and provide dramatically better pad selction and heat capacity. For track use, the lighter 2 piston 13" kit is better where the larger 14" kit looks better behind larger wheels.

 

How bad is the knock-back out on the track for a 14" kit front & back? I am not sure if I ever experienced pad knock-back on the track, is it a "livable" condition out on the track or does it surface as a seemingly unpredictable brake pedal feel out on the track? Your "13" kit is better" comment for track use, is that for rears or for fronts as well?

 

Knockback is 100% caused by hub flex so if your car doesnt have worn out hubs, you probably wont notice it, whereas if they are worn out, you are probably going to experience knockback to some degree. For more info on knockback we have an article on our website here:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_knockback.shtml

As to your question about 13" vs 14" for track use, the best answer I can give you is go with the smallest kit you can get away with. If a 13" kit will meet your needs, than a 14" kit will only serve to add weight and reduce performance. For most guys running track days on street or r-comp tires with about 300 WHP, a 13" front kit with a good set of track pads is going to be more than sufficient. As power and traction levels increase the addition of brake ducting or a larger setup may be required.

 

Thanks! As always from StopTech -- sage advise.

I thought I remembered reading on here that the larger the rotor diameter the more likely the knock-back so thanks for clarifying.

Other than Stillen, which is designed specifically for thier front bumper are you aware of any brake cool kits out there for the 350Z? I have not been successful in my searches. I am at the point where I could benefit from some brake cool for my stock Brembos. After a 20/25 minute stint with a full lap cool-down and the time it takes to get back in to the paddock, etc. my front rotors are over 900F and my burnt-copper Brembos are greater than 999F (more than my pryometer goes).