As the topic title states, which brake kit for the G35 coupe is better and why? Here are the two choices: AP Racing and Stoptech.

Please express your opinion and offer a blurb about why that particular brake kit is better than the other. I'm trying to figure out which kit to have installed; I've heard various explanations on both, but would like to hear from you all.

 

After trying both, I feel that both are of equal quality. We have track and street tested both, and they both hold up very well. The only real difference, IMO, seems to be that Stop Tech only offers up to a 4 piston caliper and a 14.1" rotor for the front, but AP Racing offers a 6 piston caliber and a 14.25" rotor. For the rear Stop tech has a two or a four piston caliber with a 12.9" or the 14.1" (same as the front ) rotor. AP offer a 4 piston caliber and a 13" rotor for the rear. If you go with the 4 pistons all the way around (what Stop Tech offers) than you will run into some proportioning issues (having too much rear brake) Therefor I feel that the AP Racing set up, 6 piston front and 4 rear is the way to go.

 

That's not so much the case. Larger pistons have more brake torque output. Smaller pistons have less brake torque output.

The pistons in the rear calipers are much smaller than the 4 piston in the front. Because cause we are able to have different piston sizes in our 4 piston, it is capable of the same amount of brake torque output as some 6 pistons.

 

I agree, but you should get better surface contact and life out of a 6 piston caliper.

 

just out of curiosity wa2good, do you have racing experience? I know both StopTech and AP Racing have their products on race cars and I'm sure they know what they're doing when it comes to proportioning. Simply comparing rotor size and piston count leaves out a lot of other important factors that may play into account (ie. caliper stiffness, heat capacity of the rotors/calipers, heat dissipation through rotor vein technology, floating vs. non-floating rotors, etc. ) I'm not saying I understand all this stuff, but I think that brake systems are more complex than you're making them out to be.

 

You are correct as well. But, then comes the math of if the 6 piston is really worth the extra money.

For example: A set of PFC01 race pads for our 4 piston cost $305 a set. A set of PFC pads for the 6 piston cost $500 a set. In order to justify the cost, will the pads last 66% longer?

Unfortunately I don't have an answer to pick a side, but I feel that is a way to decide.

 

Makes since. Like I first stated, both are quality systems. In my experiences I (We) have found the AP's to be a little better praportionaly for our purposes. Nothing is wrong with the Stop Techs, in fact compared to the other alternatives, these 2 above named brake kits are both very good.


Scott at VRT
http://www.violentracing.com/

 

Funny you ask, hayaku,
Yes, I have allot of racing experience , with a racing background that is too in tailed to get into here.
Everything about the r&d and the design of the brake kits was, and is taken into consideration. I do understand all this stuff (weather I want to or not) See, my father, who has been doing brakes and booster and master cylinder rebuilding for almost 35 years, owns a prominent brake shop in Southern Calif. with accounts such as Cal. Trans., many police and state officials, school districts, and transport services. There are Severall more accounts with both, on-road and off-road racing teams. He has been known as the go-to man for trouble shooting any ABS, vacume, and air brake system in the tri-state area. He has taught allot of current ABS tech classes to ASE students, OH, and he is the state of California's Automotive Brake Expert. This is the title given to him by the state.




Scott at VRT
http://www.violentracing.com/

 

noted wa2good. I just had concerns, since when I had a problem with my stoptech brake setup, I gave them my car for a few days. at least half the time they had it, they spent working out the brake balancing of my system, making sure the front/rear bias worked out properly, hence leaving me to belive that they design their products to balance out the brakes using the stock master cylinder. however, it seems like you understand this subject more than I do, so I'll move aside and let the brake experts duke it out.

 

Cool, I'm am glad to see Stop Tech has some good customer service. I was just stating my experiences with these two particular big brake kits. So Stop Tech had your car for a few days working out the brake balance and proportioning out. . I am glad that they took the time to get it right. I noticed this problem as well in the Stop Tech's that I have seen on these cars (Z's and G's), however the AP Racing brake kit for the same application had absolutely no "balance" problems whatsoever. That is my point , but I feel that both companies seem to be GREAT.




Scott at VRT
http://www.violentracing.com/

 

Ah. Good input/feedback. What kind of life can you expect on the brake pads (normal, semi-conservative driving) and are the brake pad brands/prices?

Andycon, I don't have any links or prices. Maybe Scott can answer this question =)

 

so how does Brembo's Gran Turismo bbk compare to Stoptech?

 

Here is a recent test of how some brake companies faired out.

http://www.stoptech.com/company_info...hallenge.shtml

 

Here is the links for you Derek (RockG),

FRONT http://www.brake-pros.com/brakepros_...d=43193&page=1

REAR http://www.brake-pros.com/brakepros_...d=43201&page=2