Big brake kit

[lutexas]

What are the benefits of upgrading to a big brake kit (Rotora or Brembo)?

Will them reduce the stopping distance?

 

[Hank3]

Tires play a huge part in helping you stop better. Read Stoptech's blurb on how BBKs are beneficial:

Why do I need a big brake upgrade?

Modern stock brake systems, for the most part, work well for a single 60-0 or 80-0 stop, and average daily street driving. The typical performance enthusiast will quickly push the stock brake system beyond its capabilities. Driving style and other performance modifications such as increased horsepower, tire and suspension upgrades quickly add up to overpowering stock brakes. A big brake kit will provide increased heat capacity, which means substantially more resistance to brake fade and caliper distortion with multiple stops from high speed. A firmer pedal due to stronger and stiffer components, as well as better modulation characteristics under threshold braking are also typical with a properly balanced brake upgrade.

 

[Smokehouse]

I may be the minority on this but coming from other performance cars...I can say the stock brakes on the MS3 kick some serious ass. If you would have driven my GTO, you'd thank GOd for the setup the MS3 comes with. They stop well and have next to no fade (even magazines who track the car say this).

In this case, I think the $$ it will take to get a serious brake package would not be worth it unless you plan on doing some serious work to the rest of the car. Upgrade you pads/rotor if you want...


...but like Hank said...get better tires, they'll make a huge difference.

 

[Circle9]

The MS3 has about the same stopping distance as the Corvette, I think that's pretty badass considering the 'Vette is a couple classes above it.

Spend your money on other things first.

 

[Nliiitend1]

All this car needs is a pad/fluid upgrade to be 100% fade-free on just about any road course you can throw at it.

BBKs on this car are a waste of money, IMO.

 

[AllLostThings]

I'm with everyone else on this. Don't worry about the breaks too much. It's hard to mess with near perfection.

 

[mr_mazda329]

BBK, not worth it. Like everyone says here...they are right. Pads/Fuild, and SS brake lines are the best upgrades you can do. Not to mention that doing a BBK upgrade would increase the rotating mass (unsprung weight) and actually hurt your performance. Take it from a Miata guy (where weight is everything) and don't waste your money.

 

[Maxx Mazda]

I can't believe you guys... A BBK was one of the best mods I ever did to my car. They're expensive, yes, but when is decreased stopping distance ever worse? I'd rather be able to stop a few feet shorter (and it's more than a few feet.) Not to mention the fade resistance and more consistent performance that a BBK provides.

I'm just beside myself how all you guys can be telling someone that stopping better is a "waste of money." It's a safety upgrade, not just a performance one. Everyone drives around doing nothing but adding more power, and no one ever considers that the stock brakes just can't keep up once you've reached a certain point.

Brakes are probably one of the best ways to spend money on your car, don't let anyone try and fool you.

 

[mr_mazda329]

Proof...? I guarantee if I were to swap out the fluid, pad and lines, I would have a shorter stopping distances than with a BBK. What tires are you running Maxx

 

[Nliiitend1]

I can't believe you guys... A BBK was one of the best mods I ever did to my car. They're expensive, yes, but when is decreased stopping distance ever worse? I'd rather be able to stop a few feet shorter (and it's more than a few feet.) Not to mention the fade resistance and more consistent performance that a BBK provides.

I'm just beside myself how all you guys can be telling someone that stopping better is a "waste of money." It's a safety upgrade, not just a performance one. Everyone drives around doing nothing but adding more power, and no one ever considers that the stock brakes just can't keep up once you've reached a certain point.

Brakes are probably one of the best ways to spend money on your car, don't let anyone try and fool you.

Dude, you drive a completely different car. Nobody is saying that BBKs are worthless across the board...we're just saying that they aren't really worth it on the MS3, and that it already has sufficiently large brakes.

 

[mr_mazda329]

Bbk's are only good for keeping fade down and rotor temps lower than stock for track use, yielding more consistant breaking

 

[Nliiitend1]

Bbk's are only good for keeping fade down and rotor temps lower than stock for track use, yielding more consistant breaking

QFT.

 

[mr_mazda329]

Qft?

 

[Nliiitend1]

Quoted For Truth.

Sorry for teh forum-speak.

 

[mr_mazda329]

lol...that was the first time I has seen that acronym.

 

[daonly1around]

I can't believe you guys... A BBK was one of the best mods I ever did to my car. They're expensive, yes, but when is decreased stopping distance ever worse? I'd rather be able to stop a few feet shorter (and it's more than a few feet.) Not to mention the fade resistance and more consistent performance that a BBK provides.

I'm just beside myself how all you guys can be telling someone that stopping better is a "waste of money." It's a safety upgrade, not just a performance one. Everyone drives around doing nothing but adding more power, and no one ever considers that the stock brakes just can't keep up once you've reached a certain point.

Brakes are probably one of the best ways to spend money on your car, don't let anyone try and fool you.

the brakes on a P5 are nowhere near as sufficient as the ones on the MS3.

I would go with better pads stainless lines and new fluid..

 

[NCZ13]

the question is this

does a BBK make a difference in stopping power

short answer:
yes.

however,
is it worth the 3k it costs for a BBK worth the extra stopping power on a daily driver that will probably not see any track time? I doubt the stock MS3 wheels have the clearance for a BBK, therefore you would have to get new wheels as well.

 

[Renzokuken]

I can't believe you guys... A BBK was one of the best mods I ever did to my car. They're expensive, yes, but when is decreased stopping distance ever worse? I'd rather be able to stop a few feet shorter (and it's more than a few feet.) Not to mention the fade resistance and more consistent performance that a BBK provides.

I'm just beside myself how all you guys can be telling someone that stopping better is a "waste of money." It's a safety upgrade, not just a performance one. Everyone drives around doing nothing but adding more power, and no one ever considers that the stock brakes just can't keep up once you've reached a certain point.

Brakes are probably one of the best ways to spend money on your car, don't let anyone try and fool you.

LOL at you. Have you driven an MS3 and felt the brakes. They are in incredible for stocks. Upgrade pads, lines and rotors. Only reason anyone would need a BBK for an MS3 is so they can show off the brand name on the caliper. Let's not kid ourselves here. Save your money.

 

[lutexas]

I have been looking at the Big Brake Kits vs stock brakes and these are the differences I found:

BBK: 4 opposing piston caliper
stock: 1 sliding piston caliper

BBK: FRONT ONLY 13' rotor slotted or drilled or both.
Rotora is 2-piece Brembo is 1-piece disc
stock: front 12.6 x 1.0 in. vented disc
rear 11.0 x 0.4 in. solid disc

BBK: pads are as twice as big as the stock.
stock: pads replaceable with many brands (Hawk HPS an others).
the stock pad is the same as the Volvo S40

BBK: steel lines
stock: rubber (not steel)?


BBK: around $1600 Brembo (1-piece disc), $1800 Rotora (2-piece disc)
ONLY FRONT BRAKES. Add $400 for rotors+pads+lines for the rear brake.
stock: free

other option: brake lines+ pads+ slotted/drilled rotos = around $800
FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. keep the stock calipers

other (if I were rich) option: Ksport 6-piston BBK for $3100

what can probably happen if there is a failure on your brake/pads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx-zmGm3Kj4

 

[daonly1around]

oh, that guy was on R comps, and he imself mentioned, on this forum himself, that he didn't check the INSIDE of the pads just the outside.

The R compound tires were affecting the ABS sensor along the line or something... so that wasn't the brakes, it was the drivers fault for not fully checking the brakes before he went racing