when i was deciding on a kit, i simply wanted the best i could get at a reasonably justifiable cost. i was originally going to spring for a 380 kit- i figured bigger was better. a while back, i bought some tires from dogbone. when i went to his house to pick them up, he was prepping his car (before it was stripped) for a track day. with my first trackday approaching, i started picking his brain for advice on a number of subjects. he was working on his brakes, and it happened to be the subject i was most curious about. i was impressed with his knowledge and endorsement for ap racing brakes, so i started to look into ap.
it wasn't long after that when i discovered the essex ap racing brake blog. i really liked how they took the time to explain each and every component of their brake kit. this was more literature than i have ever seen by any other brake company/distributor. i like knowing how things work, and what makes them work well. i was impressed with the little details like the domed piston backs, explanation of piston seals, importance of rotor design, etc..
these aren't necessarily exclusive to ap kits, but when you become educated on many features of what makes a good bbk- and you're not seeing any mention of the subject in other brake advertisements, it raises questions. if i see variations between brake kits and one explains how it is superior, and the other bbk has design differences and doesn't provide any argument to the contrary- i'm going to go with the bbk that appears to be superior.
plus, i'm not a super handy guy. i wanted ease in changing pads, and this kit certainly provided this. without ever having changed brake pads in my life, once i did one (about 30 minutes getting creative with tools to spread the pistons), i did the other side in ten minutes.
plus, i lost 21lbs of unsprung, rotating weight.
scroll down in this link for lots of info if you haven't seen these. i know i mention this kit a lot. i'm not on their payroll- i'm just really satisfied with my brakes.
http://www.essexparts.com/essex-desi...p5060355mm-e92