Stoptech trophy kit - finish gone after 6 months

[PINHEAD]

thank god I got brembo instead of stoptech.

I thought the trophy kits special dull finish was suppose to be more "resistant" than the painted ones. I guess not. Ive abused my previous Brembo BBK after 20-30 track days and the finish was not even slightly faded..dinged up but not faded.

thumbsdown to stoptech IMO. Brembo FTW

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by aus

...They are suppose to have the better finish compared to the regular calipers...

Personally, I used to use anodized finishes on products I was designing, and with that experience in mind, I'd never want that finish on my brakes. It's super durable and tough against everything except staining and chemical damage.

Actually the OP's pictures look like the anodizing is fine, it's the bolts that have rusted. If that's the case, either Stoptech got a shipment of bolts with a defective finish, or the shop that hand-washed his car dissolved the plating with a high-powered wheel cleaner.

[aus]

Are the bolts steel and then coated?
Why not stainless steel?

[FruitCake]

yikes.
glad I got brembos

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by PINHEAD

thank god I got brembo instead of stoptech.

I thought the trophy kits special dull finish was suppose to be more "resistant" than the painted ones. I guess not. Ive abused my previous Brembo BBK after 20-30 track days and the finish was not even slightly faded..dinged up but not faded.

thumbsdown to stoptech IMO. Brembo FTW

Anybody who is serious about tracking an M3 would be crazy to go with Brembos for track use.The 380 MM Brembos are 8mm larger than the 380 Mm Stoptechs which really limits the choice of 18" track wheels that are available for use and combine that with the fact that with the Brembos you have to remove the caliper to change pads.With the Stoptechs or AP's this is less than a 5 minute job at each corner.I was offered Brembo's at a lot less money than my ST's but when I found the difference in specs & ease of servicing,I decided the Brembo's were for posers not serious driving.

[Team Plutonium]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Anybody who is serious about tracking an M3 would be crazy to go with Brembos for track use.The 380 MM Brembos are 8mm larger than the 380 Mm Stoptechs which really limits the choice of 18" track wheels that are available for use and combine that with the fact that with the Brembos you have to remove the caliper to change pads.With the Stoptechs or AP's this is less than a 5 minute job at each corner.I was offered Brembo's at a lot less money than my ST's but when I found the difference in specs & ease of servicing,I decided the Brembo's were for posers not serious driving.

Damnit! I must be doing it wrong... 20 track days with the brembo's, and yet nobody ever called me a poser...

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by SehrSchnell

Damnit! I must be doing it wrong... 20 track days with the brembo's, and yet nobody ever called me a poser...

I think you are the exception I have probally done at least 10 pad changes this last year so the ease of self servicing is a huge thing for myself.I was ready to go with the Brembos as they were $1000 less than the ST's but not having having a removable bridge was a deal changer for me.

[apecush]

Originally Posted by aus

Are the bolts steel and then coated?
Why not stainless steel?

They'll be plated alloy steel.
Why not stainless? because stainless bolts will either be considerably weaker than plated alloy steel, or prohibitively more expensive for similar strength.

[Team Plutonium]

Again, I run Brembo's and many folks on this board know that I'll do just fine on the track.

[AMPowerJ]

My ST Trophy's look as good as the day I got them.

Replacing pads in 5 mins and having inexpensive brake pads with tons of options is mandatory IMO if you are serious about tracking your car.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by SehrSchnell

Again, I run Brembo's and many folks on this board know that I'll do just fine on the track.

I am quite sure the Brembo's perform just as well as the other BBK's but are much harder to service & more expensive for replacement parts.I think that if you are a serious trackday person there are much better choices out there for a dedicated trackday enthusiast.

[Team Plutonium]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I am quite sure the Brembo's perform just as well as the other BBK's but are much harder to service & more expensive for replacement parts.I think that if you are a serious trackday person there are much better choices out there for a dedicated trackday enthusiast.

I agree that service is a little more involved and somewhat more expensive, but making a blank statement that people who run Brembo's are posers is ridicules. Brembo BBK's are amazing with obviously a long racing heritage... so yeah, they belong on the track just fine.

[zsapphire7]

Ive had stoptech trophies for over 2 years and the bolts are not rusted... I wash them rarely and have run both carbotech xp8/10 and the stoptech pads. This doesnt seem to be a typical issue.

[Malek]

First off, what I am wondering, why was 9k payed for these brakes? They can be had for far less brand new.

2nd, while I love Stoptech's serviceability with cheaper replaceable parts, their customer service and how they deal with things has been pretty iffy, and seems to remain that way.

However, based on your pictures, looks like someone is using a very strong acid based wheel cleaner. Which wouldn't be Stoptechs fault IMO.

[e60cs5]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

First off, what I am wondering, why was 9k payed for these brakes? They can be had for far less brand new.

2nd, while I love Stoptech's serviceability with cheaper replaceable parts, their customer service and how they deal with things has been pretty iffy, and seems to remain that way.

However, based on your pictures, looks like someone is using a very strong acid based wheel cleaner. Which wouldn't be Stoptechs fault IMO.

That certainly is a possibility. It's worthwhile to note that stoptech is taking care of the problem (replacing the bolts, rebuilding the calipers, covering shipping, etc) They deserve credit for that, IMO.

And FWIW, I've loved these brakes. (Aside of the rusted bolt issues which may not be Stoptech's fault) By far the best brakes that I've ever owned.

[HP Autowerks]

Did you use a harsh chemical to clean your wheels or wash your wheels without cooling off the brakes first? Not rinsing off the wheel cleaner completely and allow the caliper to go through heat cycles can potentially cause the same finish damage.

We have installed Trophy BBK's on our project cars ever since they were available with zero finish quality issues. Our RTA track car was consistently exposed to rotor glowing heat and yet the finish stood up to the torture.

Originally Posted by PINHEAD

thank god I got brembo instead of stoptech.

I thought the trophy kits special dull finish was suppose to be more "resistant" than the painted ones. I guess not. Ive abused my previous Brembo BBK after 20-30 track days and the finish was not even slightly faded..dinged up but not faded.

thumbsdown to stoptech IMO. Brembo FTW

Brembo or Stoptech the painted finish have never stood up to track use. At the speed and times we are turning, both Brembo and Stoptech will start to turn yellow after just one day of track time.

[persian54]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I am quite sure the Brembo's perform just as well as the other BBK's but are much harder to service & more expensive for replacement parts.I think that if you are a serious trackday person there are much better choices out there for a dedicated trackday enthusiast.

Actually if you have the $$$$ the brembo is the way to go

For one thing.. Their pistons a titanium while ST is stainless steel (not sure about the trophy kit)

Brembos are prefect for the track if you can afford the expensive replacement parts and servicing

And brembo has better customer service from what I've heard (no personal experience)

But you guys have to admit that the general brembo buyergets them for looks. Brembos look better than regular stop tech IMO

FYI Not saying the StopTech/Trophy isn't great, just saying Brembos are great just like the other BBKs

[4sevens.com]

Originally Posted by persian54

Actually if you have the $$$$ the brembo is the way to go

Actually if you track a lot even if you have $$$$ stoptech is still the way to go.

[THE TECH]

According to Stoptech's dealer price list:

"For Track Use: black is best, red is acceptable. Other caliper colors may experience significant color change due to the extreme temperatures."

[rzm3]

Gentlemen please keep the thread on topic. Start another thread if you want to discuss StopTech vs. Brembo.

[persian54]

Originally Posted by 4sevens.com

Actually if you track a lot even if you have $$$$ stoptech is still the way to go.

O.
Curious why you say that? I like learning

[4sevens.com]

Originally Posted by persian54

O.
Curious why you say that? I like learning

Maybe do a little re-"search?"

pad changes are faster by a magnitude. it's off and back on with the removable bridge. I know this because I ran wilwood dynapro's that had a similar construction. I can't imagine the pain with dealing with brembos having to take the caliper off EVERY SINGLE TIME there is a pad change.

Also the pads are extremely cheap and are a standard size.

ok if you're balling with brembos maybe you have your own trackside support and your fav shop that does everything for you. Then again you may not be tracking much or at all with brembos lol (note I said MAY NOT I do know lots of guys who picked up brembos just for show)