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Brakes and Wheels

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  clamer 
#1 ·
So I am interested to know what are good brake systems out there. I am leaning towards Brembo for my calipers and rotors. Any thoughts?

Also, right now I have 18" wheels on with the car being lowered. Is it possible to put in 19" without any rubbing?

Thanks in advance guys.
 
#2 ·
If youre going full bore with brakes id go with a brembo or willwood big brake kit. For a little less you can upgrade the rotors and pads, I have had great luck with Hawk HPS pads and Centric Premium rotors. Upgrade fluid and ss braided lines will help too. It depends on what direction you want to go in with the car.

How low is the car? Depending on How much low you have they may or may not work. Id lean towards them fitting though.
 
#4 ·
Well the tires are Michelin Tires Pilot Sport A/S 3. They happen to be the tires that were on them when I bought the car.

I took a look at the car and I know it already has upgraded fluid and ss braided lines. Just wondering if it would be more efficient for me with better calipers and rotors. I happen to be living at Fort Polk, LA and the roads here are shitty. That is the main reason why I am leaning towards better braking.
 
#5 ·
I looked at your profile and it says you have an 08, grab a master cylinder brace first. the 08-13 models have a bit of an issue with firewall flex and a master cylinder brace makes a huge difference. @Haw1es did his and I did mine shortly thereafter and we are both thrilled with the results.

Beware it takes a few hours to install but the feeling when you done is well worth the hundred bucks.

As for big brake kits Brembo has made a name for themselves and their kits are fantastic but they are not cheap and for most daily drivers they are kind of overkill.
 
#7 ·
There's some great advice here, with inexpensive ways to improve braking performance.

However, if you simply want a brake upgrade to look better in big wheels then that's quite an expensive upgrade.

Brembo brake kits are $1,800 for the front, and another $1,800 for the rear. Here's a link:

Brembo Brake System Application List
http://www.brakewarehouse.com/pdfs/Brembo-GT-Applications.pdf
 

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#8 ·
@brfatal, Its an odd place here in LA, our highways are some of the worst maintained in the country and to add to choppy, wavy, uneven surfaces they go from 75 to 2mph in a heartbeat for no reason at all, I was initially considering a big brake kit for mine until I did more reading here in particular.

@ngoitztony, Big brakes handle constant aggressive use and excessive heat better than small brakes, going big just to fill a gap between rotors and wheels is an expensive endeavor. As far as street performance is concerned I strongly recommend a master cylinder brace first. I think you'll find that the better modulation and more confident engagement curve works very well on the 405.

Oh and what highways do you drive around LA? I'm up and down the 405 and 5 3-4 times a week so maybe I'll see you out there.
 
#10 ·
@brfatal, Its an odd place here in LA, our highways are some of the worst maintained in the country and to add to choppy, wavy, uneven surfaces they go from 75 to 2mph in a heartbeat for no reason at all, I was initially considering a big brake kit for mine until I did more reading here in particular.
The point still remains, a BBK has nothing to do with the conditions of the road (quite the opposite actually). They don't make you stop faster. If you want to stop faster, you need tires, not calipers. On the contrary, a BBK would only benefit you in track conditions where you are overheating your breaks, and you're not going to be driving that hard or that fast on bad roads. ;)
 
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