I bring forth my review on the Supercar Engineering Stoptech Big Brake kit for the FWD cars. (what a long name)
Yesterday Philip from SE and I installed the BBK on my car. We started around 4PM and at 10PM my car was rolling around the parking lot at my work where we did the swap. It would have been done faster, but Philip is METICULOUS with his installs! When I pulled the brake hardware out of me stock setup he took a triangle file and cleaned each thread individually just to make sure there would be no binding when reinstalling. He also took EXTREME care to make sure that nothing got scratched/scuffed, or marred in any way,shape, or form. I honestly think the swap could be done in about 3 hours if you get it done quick.
After having to "tweak" the splashguard and the lower control arm for clearence (I'll let him explain it) there was no problems with fitment, and my GOC these things are HUGE!!! We put AXXIS Metal Master pads in front and rear and bled the system with Valvoline synthetic DOT3/4 fluid, and then proceeded to "bed" the brakes. Philip did this while I tried to watch the G's being created on the G-tech Comp. Pro that he had brought along with him. With no ABS, shoddy tires (not my rims - brakes would clear on my rims), and a slightly sandy road we were pulling .7G's stopping from 60mph! I was litterally bracing myself using both feet and the handle on the passenger door while trying to keep an eye on the G-Tech. After about 7-8 HARD stops like this in about 3 minutes we started to get what Philip called "Green Fade" which is new=pad break-in, so we were forced to drive around and let the brakes cool down and stop smoking (once again, due to new pads/rotors).
I've been driving around with the BBK today and the pedal and stoppping power aren't even comparable to stock. The pedal is extremely tight and very responsive to the pressure I give it. You do NOT stand on these brakes unless you really want to kiss your windshield. With about an inch of pedal movement I'm stopping as hard as I did with nearly full pressure on stock. I honestly won't hit these brakes there hardest in fear of what might happen!
The look: Once again, not even on the same planet! The Stoptech calipers make the TT brakes look like you bicycle brakes. The huge, black anodized caliper mocks whatever you throw at it and the 2-piece rotor simply dwarfs the stock piece. Every piece of the kit looks like a piece of artwork and I can't help but to look in disgust at the pieces that have to go back on my car (I have to give these back unfortunately).
In closing, I can tell you exactly what brakes I'll be purchasing once I get some larger rims. The StopTech Big Brake Kit is simply amazing in ever aspect, and you would be crazy to pass on these if you have the money for them. I'd like to thank Philip with Supercar Engineering for his awesome abilities and giving me the chance to test these for the FWD community. I will make sure to buy these from him as soon as I can.
Pictures of the install will be available as soon as Philip sends them to me.
Good write up Jeremy. What size rims are required with this brake set up? I am thinking about something like this but at the same time am trying to conserve rotational weight.
wow, they are that good huh? congrats on being the lab rat for this, i would have gladly offered my ride as a test car for this sort of thing. well hopefully when i do decide to replace my front calipers that the stoptechs would have already a proven system for our cars (by the looks of things i think they are there)
I used 2nd gen 17" rims, as my 16X7's (they were on teh car when I bought it) were way to small. Honestly, with these brakes you'll be in the same boat as 2nd gen TT guys when it comes to rims (minimum 17", LOTS of positive offset).
You'll have have to talk to Philip on the price, as I was only the tester and I'm not buying these right this moment (why buy when I don't have rims?).
These will help with rotational weight. Though they are larger, the calipers weigh almos the same and the rotors are lighter! Aluminum is a good thing.
I used 2nd gen 17" rims, as my 16X7's (they were on teh car when I bought it) were way to small. Honestly, with these brakes you'll be in the same boat as 2nd gen TT guys when it comes to rims (minimum 17", LOTS of positive offset).
You'll have have to talk to Philip on the price, as I was only the tester and I'm not buying these right this moment (why buy when I don't have rims?).
These will help with rotational weight. Though they are larger, the calipers weigh almos the same and the rotors are lighter! Aluminum is a good thing.
you are still a lucky man having been given the chance to test these wonderful toys!
well i have to save the $$ for them. i plan to take off the front brakes when i clock 100K or so, because i think the stock fronts should be very damed well shot at 100K
Well, I just got my pc running for the first time since Friday, so I should have pictures for you shortly, just as soon as I can get everything sored out again (had to do a format/clean install of XP).
one of the things i forgot to ask was will the calipers clear 17x7.5 inch rims? coz if not id have to get bigger wheels. i know for a fact 1st gen brakes clear my wheels (did some measurements and asked for help) so i think if the stoptechs dont require bigger rims id definitely take a close look at them fro brake replacement.
The StopTech NA kit is just plain awesome. Jeremy could probably discribe best how his car felt before and after, but I just thought I was driving a go-cart. The brakes were so firm, light and the car was stopping immediately. The pedal travel was about 1/3 of what it was before. This is because of the super stiff calipers. Very short pedal travel, low effort, immediate response and a brick-wall deceleration. We gave rides to several local 3/S owners, including Steve from 3SX who is visiting us this week. He said he almost got a whiplash!
The installation was easy, but we had to pay attention to all the little details and I had to use some extra care because this kit was going to a customer. We had to do some tweaks. The control arms needed to be modified with a hammer. It's a procedure approved by StopTech. A little nuisance but it makes your wheel selection much wider by positioning the calipers as far inboard as possible and allowing a larger spoke clearance. The kit requires 17" 2nd gen wheels at a minumum. Use this template to check your wheels.
I will have to let the secret out that this is a StopTech kit made for DSM cars. It fits and works on naturally aspirated 3/S cars as we hoped it would and as we have just proven through fitting and testing. StopTech did not want to add another 3/S part number for it since the kit is the same as the DSM one, but at least they let me sell it to 3/S NA owners.
I am taking deposits and full payments for NA kits now. See this thread for more details about the kit. Please contact me via email or phone.
The black anodized calipers looked better on the car than I expected. Unless you want a different color, I would not pay extra for it. Here are the pics of what Jeremy and I tested:
here's a better question: Why would you want stronger rear brakes? With this setup we were able to lock the rear tires before the front when really trying, which shows that the kit gives a slight rear-wheel bias in braking. By making bigger brakes in the rear you'll give them even more bias, creating a very very dangerous situation if you ever have to really get on your brakes. Remember that over 80% of your braking power comes from the front, and not the rear (just take a look at your rear rotors for proof of this - I guarentee they are not clean).
Sorry, missed this one. The answer is no for now and probably also for the future. The reason is that the rear NA rotors would have to be made out of cast iron, since some of you FWD guys (including me with my non-3/S FWD daily driver ), really like to do turns by locking the parking brake. So, the cast iron rotors would provide no weight savings. The rear brakes are already quite adequate. Jeremy and I were able to lock all four wheels with his virtually no effort on a car where the ABS was not working, so more rear bias is not needed and not recommended. Rear rotors rarely get hot, so bigger rear rotors are not needed for heat management either. Bigger rear rotors would be for looks only. I recommend getting a good set of rotors and pads there instead. We thought those Axxis Ultimate pads on all four corners felt pretty awesome.
Ahh...I didnt think about that...well...maybe I should have said....
when upgrading the brakes..if I get the stop tech kit for the front..what would be a good upgrade for the rear brakes?
I am trying to compile info on what the best parts for the $ are..
After all my research is done..then I will spend $ on the car and get it hooked up real good!!
I am plannying to start on the car..within the next 3- 6 mos
As soon as my sis gives back the HOnda that she is borrowing from me..I will use that as my daily driver..and give the 3000 a rest..
it will be delegated for pleasure driving..hehhe
Sorry, I gave away my two sets of TT calipers as loaners, so I can't take side by side pics. But you can see the picture of these rotors with my hand in one photo and with the 328 mm rotor in the other and they look quite large. They are one of the bigger calipers out there, about the same size as the Porsche "Big Reds" and bigger than AP 6-piston or Brembo F50. The size and the bridge makes them one of the stiffest calipers on the market, even stiffer than some monoblock calipers.
Ahh...I didnt think about that...well...maybe I should have said....
when upgrading the brakes..if I get the stop tech kit for the front..what would be a good upgrade for the rear brakes?
...
Big D
That's the beauty of having a balanced front big brake upgrade. Once you install it you are done. No need to upgrade the other end. The balanced upgrade would take care of that by shifting the brake bias to or from the other end if necessary. The least headache and the biggest bang for the buck.
Philip
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