Rivet...the key word in this phrase is appears!

From the outside, yes the two calipers appear identical...and yes, the rotor is the same size. What's going on inside the caliper is a different story though. The piston bore in the caliper is what is influencing clamping force and balance. On our 4 wheel Z kit, the piston bores in the rear calipers are significantly smaller than the piston bores in the front calipers. They look almost the same on the outside, but they are not.
This is actually one of the biggest misconceptions about brake upgrades in general, that more pistons is better. A four piston caliper can have more clamping force than a six piston...it just depends on the size of the pistons in each of those calipers. The benefit of some 6 piston calipers is more pad surface area, and potentially better pad life. There are other tradeoffs between 4 and 6 piston calipers, such as the size of the caliper, wheel fitment, etc.
In addition to the clamping force of the caliper...some other factors contribute to balance...coefficient of friction of the pad being used, effective radius (center of hub to center of brake pad...rotor diameter changes this). As you can see, numerous factors are involved, and few companies take the time to explore them for optimum performance.
As for stock front to rear bias...it varies greatly by vehicle. The Z tends to have a lot of bias to the rear...don't forget that many current vehicles are using ABS and EBD systems to control bias.
Make sense?

 

So, after all these suggestions about brand, who knows where the best pricing is? (vendors, here's your chance, sell us on your product/service/whatnot)

 

For just an upgrade without changing the calipers...check out our Track model brake package we are offerig at www.350EVO.com.
This is a great upgrade if you want to keep your Brembo's. The kit include DBA 2pc slotted front rotors, DBA 1 pc slotted rear rotors, and SS brake lines. It is the same kit that we race with on our 350Z.
www.350EVO.com

 

The 350EVO.com kit looks like a great solution to those who want to keep their brembos...

as for me... my StopTechs 14's just got here today, and holy crap are they beautiful. I have aftermarket multi piston caliper and big rotor kits on 3 of my toys... a civic, a mr2, and the 350 now. This StopTech kit is very impressive in its finished quality down to the packaging and installation supplies. Great stuff, love it... price isnt bad for what you get at all. So far from what I see I recommend it, and after I get a chance to drive them I am sure I will be very pleased and start stocking the kit.

-Charles
CJM

 

Alcon Brakes

 

Sooo, do all the the BBK's squeel when braking? All of the StopTech kits I have seen/heard squeel when braking.

 

Do you guys sell the stock track model Brembo rotors? If so How much? If not, where can I get them?