Rotora, Stoptech? or any others?
Rotora, Stoptech? or any others?
03-25-2004, 01:38 PM
#2
Re: Rotora, Stoptech? or any others?
Originally posted by Blue Batmobile
Ok, once again I'm contemplating a big brake kit. I was looking into Stoptech and Rotora. Price and value for the money? Any other suggestions? Your input would greatly be appreciated!
Bat™
Ok, once again I'm contemplating a big brake kit. I was looking into Stoptech and Rotora. Price and value for the money? Any other suggestions? Your input would greatly be appreciated!
Bat™
03-25-2004, 03:56 PM
#6
Re: Re: Rotora, Stoptech? or any others?
Originally posted by Mapleleaf
Take a look at Wilwood , I have the front kit , excellent quality at a excellent price , and the backs will be out in 2 weeks great deal at $1750.00 per set.
Take a look at Wilwood , I have the front kit , excellent quality at a excellent price , and the backs will be out in 2 weeks great deal at $1750.00 per set.
Bat™
03-25-2004, 04:21 PM
#7
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Universal City
Posts: 1,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Re: Re: Rotora, Stoptech? or any others?
Originally posted by Blue Batmobile
Does Wilwood have a website?
Bat™
Does Wilwood have a website?
Bat™
Yes they do. I'll be getting a nice set of Wilwood brakes courtesy of Jeff@evolution. Special blue caliper color.
. I would give him a PM to inquire about the kit.
Trending Topics
03-25-2004, 10:03 PM
#9
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Blue Bat,
Read the article at the link below. I'm not going to tell you to buy one kit or another...but I just want you to be armed with enough data to make an educated choice. After you read this, call up all of the manufacturers of each kit, and ask them some questions about their products, etc. I think you will be surprised at some of the answers you get. My bet is that most of the people you speak with will either A) not have a good answer for you B) will dodge the question and simply say, "ours is just better" or C) will bash the @#*$ out of their competitors' products. There will be a lot of talk, but you won't know any more about braking systems than you already do now. My advice...take the time to evaluate the entire package...the quality of the product, customer support, cost of replacement parts, etc. If you really want to hear something funny...tell them you're just doing some hard street driving, and you want to know if you need a big brake kit. If they have any clue in the world, they'll tell you probably not. If they are looking for your $, they'll tell you 20 reasons why you need a 15 inch rotor with a 6 piston caliper.
Also, ask how many engineers they have on staff, and what their testing procedures are. Again, you'll find some dodgy answers to these questions. Good luck. Please post your findings, and see if I'm not right on many counts. 
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...ons_122701.htm
Read the article at the link below. I'm not going to tell you to buy one kit or another...but I just want you to be armed with enough data to make an educated choice. After you read this, call up all of the manufacturers of each kit, and ask them some questions about their products, etc. I think you will be surprised at some of the answers you get. My bet is that most of the people you speak with will either A) not have a good answer for you B) will dodge the question and simply say, "ours is just better" or C) will bash the @#*$ out of their competitors' products. There will be a lot of talk, but you won't know any more about braking systems than you already do now. My advice...take the time to evaluate the entire package...the quality of the product, customer support, cost of replacement parts, etc. If you really want to hear something funny...tell them you're just doing some hard street driving, and you want to know if you need a big brake kit. If they have any clue in the world, they'll tell you probably not. If they are looking for your $, they'll tell you 20 reasons why you need a 15 inch rotor with a 6 piston caliper.
Also, ask how many engineers they have on staff, and what their testing procedures are. Again, you'll find some dodgy answers to these questions. Good luck. Please post your findings, and see if I'm not right on many counts. http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...ons_122701.htm
03-25-2004, 10:33 PM
#10
Registered User
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: La Mirada
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Or better yet bat, don't let hi tech marketing words take the best of you, find the 3 most popular brake kits that you like, try and find 3 z members locally that would let you drive their car with the brake kit on see which one fits you the best. I have given many people the opportunity to drive my car with my brake kit and its an instant purchase right away! And like Jritt said, call around and do research. even though you wont be taking your brakes to the extreme unless you do some major track racing but if its for daily driving most big brake kits out there will do the job which in this case is all personal prefence. Good luck with your choice
03-26-2004, 03:46 AM
#11
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,814
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah dont rush into any decision on this. Investigate the 6 piston Vs 4 piston too. By everything I've read and heard, the 6 piston does very little , if anything over the 4 piston versions.
Personally If I were you, I'd look into a quality brand which has a good company reputation behind it. I'd look at Stoptech, Rotora, and Brembo..
I'm sure the wilwoods are great, but I've never heard of them prior to Jeff, and haven't seen them on any other cars.. I know a lot of people are going with them since their a better price, and for cosmetic reasons but I'd go with brakes for braking, not cosmetic alone.
Just my 2 cents though.
Personally If I were you, I'd look into a quality brand which has a good company reputation behind it. I'd look at Stoptech, Rotora, and Brembo..
I'm sure the wilwoods are great, but I've never heard of them prior to Jeff, and haven't seen them on any other cars.. I know a lot of people are going with them since their a better price, and for cosmetic reasons but I'd go with brakes for braking, not cosmetic alone.
Just my 2 cents though.
03-26-2004, 05:58 AM
#13
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: arizona
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
J ritt
funny you should mention about customer support / knowledge of product. When I was looking to buy a Big brake kit I first considered Stoptech. But after doing my research is when I got turned off of the product. Most of the dealers that sell your product know very little about it. Also most of them have very poor customer service skills. I found it very hard to get calls returned, correct pricing, ETA's etc. Most dealers claimed they had trouble getting Stoptech to return their calls with info. One went as far to say that they waited 3 days for a return call and never got it. To me this does not sound like a company that is big on customer service.
Im sure the Stoptech product is very good I just find it hard to believe its 1k better then some of its competition. I do believe that most kits that have been mentioned here are all great. The only problem I have is that pricing is a bit out of line on some and customer support is weak.
From expierence I can tell you that the Wilwood kit "fronts only" perform better then the stock Brembo 4 wheel kit that retails for 5k. You can talk tech all day but what matters most is how does it work in the real world. I think the best kits for the money are Wilwood AP Racing Stoptech. Do your homework and be smart with your money.
funny you should mention about customer support / knowledge of product. When I was looking to buy a Big brake kit I first considered Stoptech. But after doing my research is when I got turned off of the product. Most of the dealers that sell your product know very little about it. Also most of them have very poor customer service skills. I found it very hard to get calls returned, correct pricing, ETA's etc. Most dealers claimed they had trouble getting Stoptech to return their calls with info. One went as far to say that they waited 3 days for a return call and never got it. To me this does not sound like a company that is big on customer service.
Im sure the Stoptech product is very good I just find it hard to believe its 1k better then some of its competition. I do believe that most kits that have been mentioned here are all great. The only problem I have is that pricing is a bit out of line on some and customer support is weak.
From expierence I can tell you that the Wilwood kit "fronts only" perform better then the stock Brembo 4 wheel kit that retails for 5k. You can talk tech all day but what matters most is how does it work in the real world. I think the best kits for the money are Wilwood AP Racing Stoptech. Do your homework and be smart with your money.
03-26-2004, 09:17 AM
#15
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lotus,
Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult to know what a couple of hundred resellers are doing at all times. We try our best to make sure that they know what they are doing, but the reality is it's nearly impossible to constantly watch over them all. I don't think a single instance is a reasonable assessment of an entire dealer network. Also, if a reseller isn't doing what they are supposed to do, don't you think it makes sense that they would place the blame on someone else? If you called back after not hearing from them for three days, of course they would say it's StopTech's fault...that way they wouldn't shoulder the responsibility. I find it very hard to believe that any of our resellers would go 3 days without a callback. Has it ever happened? Possibly I suppose. Is that a normal occurance...most definitely not. If you remember the name of the shop you talked to, please PM me so I can look into it. I take this sort of thing very seriously.
If anyone has a question, they can call us directly. That's one of things that separates us from everyone else. If I (or my sales team) don't know an answer, I go upstairs and ask an engineer that designed and built the part. Also, if you call me up and ask for an installer/dealer in your area, I can send you to one that will take good care of you.
Trust me, our customer service is pretty darn solid vs. most other aftermarket companies. I have customers tell me all the time, "wow, I can't believe you even answered my email!"
I have no idea how in the world you would characterize our support as weak. I answer questions on this board at every chance I get. I go to track events and help people there, I attend local meets and events and answer questions, we give away free bits and pieces,support our race teams...what other manufacturers do that?
I think is odd...attacking us on price and customer support...hmmm...
As for talking tech all day...you can't deny the overall lack of info provided by other manufacturers. We are the only ones taking the time to really educate customers. Other manufacturers say, "don't let them dazzle you with tech talk." That's not the point. Our technical articles are written in plain english... if you take the time to think things through, you can learn a lot. It's not our fault that other companies aren't taking the time to do this.
If you want to talk real world results...Bill Auberlin won the Speed World Challenge race with our kit last weekend. The kit on his car uses EXACTLY the same parts that are on our street kits. My engineer called me from the track at Sebring last week, and I overnighted him an extra kit off of the shelf for some testing on one of the other Turner cars. We don't differentiate between the two...our street kit is our race kit.
As for price, I'm not sure what you're talking about there either. We sell a full 332mm kit with 2 piece floating rotors for $1995 retail. We also have a 14" kit, 4 wheel 14" kit, and soon a 4 wheel 13" kit. They are all priced hundreds (or more) less than Brembo, AP, Alcon. If you know of somewhere that I can buy a $1000 brake kit that I can slap on my car in a couple of hours, and then go win a World Challenge race with, I'd love to know where.
http://www.stoptech.com/press_releas...ns_sebring.htm
Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult to know what a couple of hundred resellers are doing at all times. We try our best to make sure that they know what they are doing, but the reality is it's nearly impossible to constantly watch over them all. I don't think a single instance is a reasonable assessment of an entire dealer network. Also, if a reseller isn't doing what they are supposed to do, don't you think it makes sense that they would place the blame on someone else? If you called back after not hearing from them for three days, of course they would say it's StopTech's fault...that way they wouldn't shoulder the responsibility. I find it very hard to believe that any of our resellers would go 3 days without a callback. Has it ever happened? Possibly I suppose. Is that a normal occurance...most definitely not. If you remember the name of the shop you talked to, please PM me so I can look into it. I take this sort of thing very seriously.
If anyone has a question, they can call us directly. That's one of things that separates us from everyone else. If I (or my sales team) don't know an answer, I go upstairs and ask an engineer that designed and built the part. Also, if you call me up and ask for an installer/dealer in your area, I can send you to one that will take good care of you.
Trust me, our customer service is pretty darn solid vs. most other aftermarket companies. I have customers tell me all the time, "wow, I can't believe you even answered my email!"
I have no idea how in the world you would characterize our support as weak. I answer questions on this board at every chance I get. I go to track events and help people there, I attend local meets and events and answer questions, we give away free bits and pieces,support our race teams...what other manufacturers do that?
I think is odd...attacking us on price and customer support...hmmm...
As for talking tech all day...you can't deny the overall lack of info provided by other manufacturers. We are the only ones taking the time to really educate customers. Other manufacturers say, "don't let them dazzle you with tech talk." That's not the point. Our technical articles are written in plain english... if you take the time to think things through, you can learn a lot. It's not our fault that other companies aren't taking the time to do this.
If you want to talk real world results...Bill Auberlin won the Speed World Challenge race with our kit last weekend. The kit on his car uses EXACTLY the same parts that are on our street kits. My engineer called me from the track at Sebring last week, and I overnighted him an extra kit off of the shelf for some testing on one of the other Turner cars. We don't differentiate between the two...our street kit is our race kit.
As for price, I'm not sure what you're talking about there either. We sell a full 332mm kit with 2 piece floating rotors for $1995 retail. We also have a 14" kit, 4 wheel 14" kit, and soon a 4 wheel 13" kit. They are all priced hundreds (or more) less than Brembo, AP, Alcon. If you know of somewhere that I can buy a $1000 brake kit that I can slap on my car in a couple of hours, and then go win a World Challenge race with, I'd love to know where.
http://www.stoptech.com/press_releas...ns_sebring.htm
Last edited by J Ritt; 03-26-2004 at 09:25 AM.
03-26-2004, 09:30 AM
#16
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Whoops...had some technical difficulty there...here's the press release for our Sebring win last week:
http://www.stoptech.com/press_releas...ns_sebring.htm
http://www.stoptech.com/press_releas...ns_sebring.htm
03-26-2004, 09:33 AM
#17
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: arizona
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
J ritt
Not everything I said was directed at you or Stoptech. Most people dont buy there kits directly thru you they buy them from your dealers. The expierence I had while shopping for your kit was accurate. Now if its an isolated expierence then ok, but it still is fact. Like I said in my post Stoptech makes a very nice product but your price for a 4 wheel 14" kit is $4,200 - $4,500 depending on the color/dealer. The Wilwood kit is $3,300 - $3,500 depending on when you order it. I was quoted $4,500 for your 14" kit in silver. I dont see a 1k difference some might.
What happend to me might be a rare expierence but it only takes one customer having a bad expierence to have 10 others hear about it. I am in Retail management and if I did not represent the product I sell for my vendors well I would not be a dealer for them very long.
So please dont think of this as a personal attack, im just sharing my opinion and expierence.
Not everything I said was directed at you or Stoptech. Most people dont buy there kits directly thru you they buy them from your dealers. The expierence I had while shopping for your kit was accurate. Now if its an isolated expierence then ok, but it still is fact. Like I said in my post Stoptech makes a very nice product but your price for a 4 wheel 14" kit is $4,200 - $4,500 depending on the color/dealer. The Wilwood kit is $3,300 - $3,500 depending on when you order it. I was quoted $4,500 for your 14" kit in silver. I dont see a 1k difference some might.
What happend to me might be a rare expierence but it only takes one customer having a bad expierence to have 10 others hear about it. I am in Retail management and if I did not represent the product I sell for my vendors well I would not be a dealer for them very long.
So please dont think of this as a personal attack, im just sharing my opinion and expierence.
03-26-2004, 09:37 AM
#18
....for your health
I've emailed directly into StopTech numerous times. I initially had some knock back problems and contacted StopTech to get their take. I never had any trouble getting a hold of someone who was happy to help me with my questions. My emails were always responded to within a day and usually within a couple of hours.
Now, JRitt- about that 13" rear kit
Now, JRitt- about that 13" rear kit
03-26-2004, 09:48 AM
#19
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,814
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lotus,
The fact that the shops you bought from were very slightly knowledgable and didn't provide customer service is horrible, but not StopTech's fault. It's their duty to make sure what products they sell, and their specifications. Although as a retailer for their products and not doing so makes StopTech look bad indirectly, nothing is in their control. They can't MAKE everyone learn the specs on their products.
And not knowing the product and giving bad service goes hand in hand. That's the own individual's businesses problem. If they are horrible at customer service, it's not StopTech's fault..
I don't mean to sound rude or anything, I just don't think it's fair that you implyed that's their fault..
The fact that the shops you bought from were very slightly knowledgable and didn't provide customer service is horrible, but not StopTech's fault. It's their duty to make sure what products they sell, and their specifications. Although as a retailer for their products and not doing so makes StopTech look bad indirectly, nothing is in their control. They can't MAKE everyone learn the specs on their products.
And not knowing the product and giving bad service goes hand in hand. That's the own individual's businesses problem. If they are horrible at customer service, it's not StopTech's fault..
I don't mean to sound rude or anything, I just don't think it's fair that you implyed that's their fault..
03-26-2004, 09:52 AM
#20
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lotus,
I understand completely. As I said in my last post, if at all possible please pm me with the dealer you talked to, who you spoke with, etc. I will definitely be having a word with them. This does concern me.
I agree that some people don't care about certain features of a product...it depends on what they want to use it for. This sort of leads into Failsafe's question...we have a cheaper alternative on the way. This is actually the setup I'll be using on my street/track car.
failsafe,
How did I know this was going to come up?
We have our first ST-22 rear calipers inbound now. We are looking to test them on some of our World Challenge and Grand Am Cup cars in mid April. After that, we will go into full production. As far as I can tell, we are still looking at May for retail release. The rears will match up to our front 332mm kit, and will be balanced properly. They will be priced at $1995 or less. The total price of the 4 wheel kit will be under $4000 retail. I will have them on my car for testing as soon as they get here...I'll have to post some pics. 
I understand completely. As I said in my last post, if at all possible please pm me with the dealer you talked to, who you spoke with, etc. I will definitely be having a word with them. This does concern me.
The Wilwood kit is $3,300 - $3,500 depending on when you order it. I was quoted $4,500 for your 14" kit in silver. I dont see a 1k difference some might.
failsafe,
How did I know this was going to come up?
We have our first ST-22 rear calipers inbound now. We are looking to test them on some of our World Challenge and Grand Am Cup cars in mid April. After that, we will go into full production. As far as I can tell, we are still looking at May for retail release. The rears will match up to our front 332mm kit, and will be balanced properly. They will be priced at $1995 or less. The total price of the 4 wheel kit will be under $4000 retail. I will have them on my car for testing as soon as they get here...I'll have to post some pics.