What kinda of brakes to buy????

[Black_90TSI]

I was wondering if anyone recommends any certain kinda brakes to buy? I was looking into ebc-green stuff or red stuff. Any input is appreciated. thanks

 

[kylemoto]

Your question is open ended; maybe thats why no answers yet. But I will give a (long winded!) primer on brakes.

First, the thing you need to ask is the same for engine performance - what do you want out of it. Just a little better stopping reserve on the street or mountian road capability or race (really stop the world!) stuff? Answering this will tell you what you need in terms of braking and lining material AND the tradeoffs (in other words, the pain in the ass stuff) that you will have to put up with. There is NO single perfect brake system or lining material, lets get that straight now

OK, first, lets assume you just want a little more reserve for street driving. Stock brakes, even the small ones on the non-turbo versions, will work for single stops on the road. But if you want a little more here are some "suggestions:
- first, the so called "big brake" package is worthwhile (I have them, in fact). You get 22% more lining area and about 20% more mass, which is good for stopping. Its relatively inexpensive too - all the parts can be purchased from either a recycler or dealer. And its totally bolt on, if you remember to get the proper brackets (check the website here for more info on exactly what parts are needed).
- Proportioning valve. For such a change I don't recommend a new valve. Lots of DSMers will tell you the same thing. Save your $$$. If you are really picky about getting front/rear brake balance done you can experiment with different lining materials, using slightly stickier material in the back to balance things out.
- lining material: The EBC "green stuff" seems to be a good choice (more info on lining material are explained later)
- removing the splash shield will really help cool the rotors down and help braking capability. Our friends at the NSX site (www.nsxprime.com) have run a set of brake cooling tests on the track caomparing stock brakes, removed backing plates, and air deflectors. Its really intersting reading, check it out!
- Flush out brake fluid and add a really good quality one. They are not all the same, different brands have different boiling points, which is extremely important to make sure you have brake capacity!

OK, you want to stop the world and run at the track all day long. Here you will need bigger brakes and $$$$, be aware:
- Bear and others sell such packages. Be aware, not all are completely bolt on, you will have to check things out, as well as ask the kind advice of other members here.
- You may be required to get larger diameter wheels to fit these too (see what I mean about the $$$ part?).
- The information on removing the brake sheilds and brake fluid apply here also - except in this case its probably manditory instead of just a good thing.


Well, thats about it for the brake sextion. I left linings out out of the above because they are an entitiy by themselves! Linings are made of lots of stuff, including kevlar, asbestos (in the old dirty days - not used anymore because it causes a symptom called mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer. Really nasty!), rubber, walnut shells, brass or other metal particals, fiberglass, and maybe floor sweepings too. As you can see, a big choice of stuff for linings. Now, whats it all do?:
- In general, lining with fiberglass/kevlar are quiet, have pretty good braking capacity but fade at really high temperatures (1000 degrees F) but recover well. They do make dust though, despite what some manufactuers say. EBC "green stuff" is an example. This is good stuff for a typical street application.
- So called "semi mets" or semi-metallic linings will have little metal particles added to increase heat capacity and thus braking reserve. At high temps or heavy use these babies can stand up well. The Porterfield RS4 or maybe EBC "red stuff" series would be in this catagory. Drawbacks include: noise (your significant other will think you are driving some piece of crap car!), sometimes nasty dust, some materials will attack the rotor, which means now that BOTH your linings and rotor wears. Also, some "race only" compounds can be nasty at cold temps - they almost dont work! Yikes!

As you can see, brakes and linings are a compromise: you want fade resistance but may have to accept noise and dust. If you accept good high use braking, cold use braking may suffer. Sorry that i can't provide any firm answer - maybe thats why no one has answered to this point!

I know, I know: what do I use? Well, I do normal street drving with weekly runs in the mountains, using brakes more often and harder than what is considered normal. No smoke or funny noises or wearing rotors. I have the big brakes, removed backing plates for cooling, EBC "green stuff" linings.

Well, good luck in your quest!

Kyle