RacingBrake BBK Installed *PICS*
#1
06-18-2006, 04:55 AM
RacingBrake BBK Installed *PICS*
I finally got the RacingBrake BBK installed yesterday. I had a friend do the work with help from myself. The entire install took about five hours as we ran into a few snags that slowed the progress. Final result looks pretty good IMO. I’m very happy with it. Performance is still unknown as I only did the break-in procedure and will take it easy on the brakes for a few hundred miles.
I call this the “poor man’s BBK”. By using the stock calipers you can save a ton of money. I paid just under $1700.00 for this kit. Compare that to the BBK’s that use aftermarket calipers and you’re talking about thousands of dollars I don’t have to blow on mods.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that although the RacingBrake rotors are larger than the stock ones, they are significantly lighter. That means a little less rotational mass.
Here are the pics…
Pics of the BBK from the RacingBrake website. For some reason they don’t picture the brake pads for the rear but they are included.
Front before/after.
Rear before/after.
Front and rear with the wheels off.
I never would have tried to install this kit myself because I have never worked on brakes myself. Since my buddy used to be a mechanic I felt comfortable doing the install in my garage.
Here are a few notes in the event you decide to DIY:
*The caliper brackets are painted bright red by the manufacturer. I didn’t really care for the color so I stripped the paint myself and had them powder coated gloss black. After the install I now wish I would have had the stock calipers powder coated gloss black as well, but I still think it looks great.
*Make sure to clean the RacingBrake rotors thoroughly before installation. They are covered in oil to keep them from rusting, but you want to remove all the oil for obvious reasons. I used an orange degreaser product called “Natures Orange” that worked very well.
*A breaker bar or long torque wrench will come in handy on some of the bolts that are torqued down really tight.
*We found a lot of rust on the hubs after removing the stock rotors so we cleaned them with the wire brush attachment on the Dremel tool. This allowed the new rotors to seat properly. A small wire brush would also do the job.
*In the rear, one of the caliper bracket bolts was trapped behind a suspension bar so we had to jack up the suspension in order free the bolt. Jack stands are a must.
*The rear rotors will not fit over the stock dust shield so you have to modify the dust shield. Cutting the dust shields in the rear was a real PIA. We used the Dremel and went through five or six heavy duty cutting discs. A pair of tin snips will work also. Bending the dust shield may be a better alternative.
*The stock 17” sport wheels (five spoke) DO fit over this BBK. There is about a half an inch clearance from the caliper to the inner circumference of the wheel.
*The doughnut spare tire does NOT fit over this BBK.
So far, big thumbs up for this kit.
I call this the “poor man’s BBK”. By using the stock calipers you can save a ton of money. I paid just under $1700.00 for this kit. Compare that to the BBK’s that use aftermarket calipers and you’re talking about thousands of dollars I don’t have to blow on mods.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that although the RacingBrake rotors are larger than the stock ones, they are significantly lighter. That means a little less rotational mass.
Here are the pics…
Pics of the BBK from the RacingBrake website. For some reason they don’t picture the brake pads for the rear but they are included.
Front before/after.
Rear before/after.
Front and rear with the wheels off.
I never would have tried to install this kit myself because I have never worked on brakes myself. Since my buddy used to be a mechanic I felt comfortable doing the install in my garage.
Here are a few notes in the event you decide to DIY:
*The caliper brackets are painted bright red by the manufacturer. I didn’t really care for the color so I stripped the paint myself and had them powder coated gloss black. After the install I now wish I would have had the stock calipers powder coated gloss black as well, but I still think it looks great.
*Make sure to clean the RacingBrake rotors thoroughly before installation. They are covered in oil to keep them from rusting, but you want to remove all the oil for obvious reasons. I used an orange degreaser product called “Natures Orange” that worked very well.
*A breaker bar or long torque wrench will come in handy on some of the bolts that are torqued down really tight.
*We found a lot of rust on the hubs after removing the stock rotors so we cleaned them with the wire brush attachment on the Dremel tool. This allowed the new rotors to seat properly. A small wire brush would also do the job.
*In the rear, one of the caliper bracket bolts was trapped behind a suspension bar so we had to jack up the suspension in order free the bolt. Jack stands are a must.
*The rear rotors will not fit over the stock dust shield so you have to modify the dust shield. Cutting the dust shields in the rear was a real PIA. We used the Dremel and went through five or six heavy duty cutting discs. A pair of tin snips will work also. Bending the dust shield may be a better alternative.
*The stock 17” sport wheels (five spoke) DO fit over this BBK. There is about a half an inch clearance from the caliper to the inner circumference of the wheel.
*The doughnut spare tire does NOT fit over this BBK.
So far, big thumbs up for this kit.
Last edited by skeleton_cru; 06-19-2006 at 11:17 PM.
#4
06-18-2006, 07:29 AM
Nice job but why not drilled/slotted on the rear as well. I ordered RB rotors too but only the fronts are in stock right now and I am waiting for the rears.
How is stopping performance, do you like the Hawk pads? I put some on a few weeks ago and have sqealing problems. Hoping that will go away with the new rotors as the drilled/slotted should keep the pads from building up crap and squealing.
How is stopping performance, do you like the Hawk pads? I put some on a few weeks ago and have sqealing problems. Hoping that will go away with the new rotors as the drilled/slotted should keep the pads from building up crap and squealing.
Last edited by G-Force; 06-18-2006 at 07:31 AM.
#7
06-18-2006, 10:27 AM
BUT, the rotors are directional. Look at the internal vanes from the top. The curves of the vanes should arch from the front to the back of the car. This will tell you which side to install.
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#16
Okay, depends on the rotor itself. Hope you got it on right.
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#16
Okay, depends on the rotor itself. Hope you got it on right.
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#9
06-18-2006, 11:51 AM
I was reading the RacingBrake web site and they show the vanes forward, rotating into the pads. This image is showing the driver's front wheel. I will call them directly to find out tomorrow because I will have mine in a week or two and want to install correctly.
See also the page from Stoptech, they show the vanes forward too. That said, I think Cru did the install correct per both sources.
See also the page from Stoptech, they show the vanes forward too. That said, I think Cru did the install correct per both sources.
Last edited by G-Force; 06-18-2006 at 11:54 AM.
#11
06-18-2006, 01:04 PM
#13
06-18-2006, 01:43 PM
excellentness, eloy! i love it! i paid $700 for my stoptech stage 2 kit (yes, BBK is now off), and your looks better than mine. i wonder why... may be the extra inch you got on me, give or take?
now the question that's been bugging me:
will the doughnut spare still fit on, with the calipers relocated?
let us all know. i know i won't be upgrading my brakes again, but who knows - maybe someone else will. oh, and i would have definitely never attempted to do this install myself!
i wonder why... may be the extra inch you got on me, give or take?now the question that's been bugging me:
will the doughnut spare still fit on, with the calipers relocated?
let us all know. i know i won't be upgrading my brakes again, but who knows - maybe someone else will. oh, and i would have definitely never attempted to do this install myself!
#14
06-18-2006, 01:57 PM
#15
06-18-2006, 02:14 PM
The Rotors look like they are on backwards. The holes and slots are facing the wrong way,
Yes the rotors are on backwards..You want the "Curve" facing the direction of wheel spin..They must work great in reverse..
yea i agree with G35TX and MRC.. it does look like the rotors are backwards.
There were directions that came with the kit and they were very specific about the direction of rotatation. Also, each rotor had an arrow of direction of spin stamped on it. We made sure they were installed correctly. These pics were taken directly from the RacingBrake website: