So, obviously you had to go to 18" wheels to fit the BBK. Did you go with 355mm rotors? Why did you choose Endless, instead of Stoptech?

 

Im glad I read this but I am somewhat baffled by the conflicting advise...

I get technique stuff, but bottom line, can you go wrong getting a BBK? Other than maybe not getting your money's worth, is there a possible downside? Sounds like going BBK drops a chunk of coin upfront but will undoubtedly have less maintenance costs down the line assuming you don't go with an exotic setup, as in choosing a Stoptech for easy sourced pads, parts, and whatnot. Not to mention, they should be better brakes Is this right for us fellas wondering about upgrading and willing to pay for it? Good info anyway

 

@george3: yeah I had to go to 18 inch wheels because of the BBK. There's two downsides - more weight and more $$$. I went with Endless because my tuner's from Singapore and he managed to find me a second hand kit there for a good price. I'd recommend Stoptechs for best bang for your buck and parts availability, or else Alcon or AP if cost is no object. Endless makes good stuff but pads etc. are more expensive and hard to find in the States - Endless is no better than the AP or Alcon kits, just different.

@Protostar - yep that was pretty much my philosophy behind going BBK - pay up once and less worries later on. I simply found that running the stockers at their limits all the time was way too labour intensive. Also, it's nice to never have to worry about running out or brakes - especially on crowded circuits when there's other cars around. Big safety factor there - I always have a "buffer".

It just comes at a price. I'd only suggest going BBK if you're going to be tracking ALOT. If it's only a few times a year there's no point really - upgrading the stock brakes will get you 90% of the performance most of the time. That extra 10%.....well that's up to your needs.

 

@theshadow:
Which 18" wheels do you run on the track? I assume you have 2 sets?
I usually have at least 2 sets of wheels for whatever car I'm running... you just have to. I do a lot of track events and I'm thinking maybe 18" is the way to go.
What's the maximum size rotors can you get inside your wheels?
thanks

 

Depends on the compound - but yes - quite pricey - and hard to find

 

i've done some searching and it seems that the stoptech bbk and the whiteline roll center correction kit aren't compatible, something to keep in mind

 

Where did you find this information, and why are they not compatible together?

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...light=stoptech

some others chimed in with the same issue. someone but a spacer to offset the rotors (spacer between rotor and hub). seems to me like that automatically becomes the weakest link in that area. its not something i'd feel comforable doing, upto each individual it they're willing to do something like that on their own car. i wouldn't risk even the slightest chance of the wheel falling off

 

Are the matching rear calipers very important?

I heard most of the stopping is done with the front, so it's not a good idea to use the stock brembo rears?

 

Paul or Ken,

Can you comment on the brake bias of the Stoptech, Alcon, and Endless front kits? My understanding is that they do their best to maintain the stock bias or improve it, but I've never confirmed if this is actually true.

On the other hand, from what I'd heard the K Sport/Rotora/D2 kits have little actual R&D behind them as they're just blatant rip-off designs adapted to fit as many cars as possible as cheaply as possible with an off the shelf kit. Judging from the quality of K Sport and D2's coilovers, I wouldn't touch their brakes with a 10 foot pole.


- Andrew

 

Stoptech has alot marketing speak on their website about the importance of 'balanced' brake upgrades.

If you had the cash to invest in going for a quality BBK on all four corners of the car I'd say why not?

In my case I've just upgraded the front brakes though based on my observation that my front stock calibers were turning BLACK (beyond brown) whereas the rears are still looking pretty virgin.

No problems so far - am running the same pads front and rear to maintain some balance and it all seems to work very very well on circuit. Fronts seem to do ALOT more work than the rears do on our cars.

@ george3: I run the same ROTA P45Rs for street and track and run my Pirelli Corsas as my daily tire as well. 3 reasons for this:
1. The Rotas are CHEAP - if I happen to damage them I can replace the whole set for about a third of what I'd pay for higher quality rims.
2. I don't do very much mileage on my car so given that it only rains like twice a year here I can get away with semis as a daily tire.
3. I like to have the same setup on the car at all times in order to get as well acquainted with its handling limits as possible (especially important in AutoX I find).
4. Changing tires trackside in Dubai heat is just not worth the hassle IMHO...especially when you're already running around like a headless chicken trying to get registered and scrutineered, checking tire pressures, storing tools etc. Maybe if I had a pit crew of young Swedish ladies

If I were more flush with cash, or when I'm more hell bent on competitive track racing(Evo is my daily - does trackdays and AutoX but stripping it out and caging it for touring car racing is not yet practical), I'd definitely go with two sets of better rims; one with much better rubber.

Not sure what the biggest rotor is that can fit inside an 18 inch rim - depends on inner rim shape, caliper size, rim offset etc. as well as rotor diameter. My BBK is 345mm and works fine.

Depends on your own needs and budget though IMHO.

 

BTW if anyone's feeling particularly rich I believe Stoptech does PURE carbon ceramic rotors - featherlight as heck and last forever. Talking like 10k for the kit though!!!

Surprised some of the serious Time Attack boys haven't ponied up for some of those yet...absolutely insane.

 

After talking to AMS about this, Ill pass on the info. It doesnt sound like a bias issue to just upgrade to the front BBK as the pistons and fluid volume to the calipers seems to be the same as stock. However, because the fronts are more efficient, increased strain is places on the rear, which after heating, the bias can change. I was recommended to go for a four corner Stoptech kit (ST60s in the front ST22s in the rear)

 

Agreed, the backs will never be black or even brown under hard use with upgraded fronts. That does not however mean they are OK. It is not stopping power we are discussing, it is bias and it's effects on corner entry. If you upgrade the fronts only expect corner entry understeer when ever you try to trail brake which is a real issue in a nose heavy car like an EVO. Only do front and rear and only from the same manufacture so you don't accidently mess up the bias that way.

We learned this at AMS with many combinations tried over the years on TA 1 and subsequent street class and modified cars and it was true on any level of car. AMS has "been there and done that" so their recommendations are based on results in competition not what they happen to have the most of it stock when you call

You can trust their advice

 

Can't you just use a prop. valve for bias rather than changing the rear calipers? Not sure if this is a no-no for ABS, but for us RS folk...