BTW, it seems like the Ferrari guys like talking about brakes too: http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/me...tml?1046459792



Michael.

 

Dave,
You seem very up-to-speed on brakes in general and I enjoyed reading your post.

I understand exactly what you are saying and I'll buy that for a dollar.
But I still say anyone worried about boiling their brake fluid on the "commute" home is kidding themselves.

Stock brakes are fine for street driving and occational autocrosses.
If you ask me if these kits will make a difference in braking performance, i will not argue. But for normal applications, they are still unnecessary.

Don't get me wrong here. If I had $4500 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd jump on a set. I used to slobber all over myself when looking at ads for those beautiful Brembo Monobloc 4 piston kits for 911's.
It's just that I don't see it being a wise investment (dollar for dollar) unless the car is being used in certain applications.

We need more posters like you here though.

Cheers,

 

We are in total agreement here! In fact, if someone is boiling brake fluid on the street, they should probably be hauled off to jail before they kill someone. (That's assuming they have brake fluid that is less than two years old which is not contaminated with moisture.) Pad fade is possible on the street, especially with a low dust, low performance pad such as EBC Greenstuff. But fluid fade in an otherwise healthy brake system is rare on the street.I would go one step further and say that stock brakes are OK for someone who is just starting out on the track. When people come to me and ask what they need to do to their cars for their first driving school and they have very little, if any, motorsports experience, a big brake upgrade is the last thing I would suggest. Mostly I go over safety issues with them as well as urging them to bleed the brakes with fresh Motul 600 (50 degrees higher boiling point than ATE Super blue Racing) and install a decent set of track pads such as Porterfield R4 (not R4S!) or Pagid Orange. I don't even suggest R-compound tires until the customer has had several track events and driving schools under their belts. It's much easier to learn when unexpected "events" happen at much lower speeds on street tires.

The biggest improvements to the car's performance, during the first couple years of motorsport, are to be found in the driver. If this is your first season, take that $3000 you saved up for a brake upgrade or coilovers and spend it, instead, on a week at Bob Bondurant, Bertil Roos, or Skip Barber. Don't just go for the 2 or 3 day class. Take the full week and get some competetive stuff in there (passing, blocking, drafting, rolling starts). Now that's REAL fun and may also save your life on the street. And it WILL shave your lap times.I hear you! Looks played a big part in my going for the 4-wheel upgrades on my 2001 540i/6 and Impala SS. Although I must say I prefer the look of the 2-piece Porsche 993TT calipers to the more recent monobloc calipers. The former are smooth and sexy, almost organic in shape. The latter are chunky and blocky and are also tougher to fit wheels around and in front of. The Monoblocs are not as stiff is 2-piece with through bolts, so they are forced to use thicker bridges to avoid flex when hot. As a result, there is less barrel clearance for smaller wheels.

Give me a smooth, sexy 2-piece caliper from Brembo, StopTech, or Porsche (993TT) any day!


My wife's 2000 540i 6-speed (destroyed and replaced with a 2001 540i 6-speed)