Brembo GT pedal feel

[Redd]

I recently tried a friend's car with AP Racing bbk and the pedal feels much firmer than my M3 with Brembo GT bbk. Is this normal?

[ashtaron14]

If you are using the brake pads that came with the Brembo GT, then yes the pedal feel as well as the stopping power will not reflect the capabilities of these brakes at all.

Perhaps you can ask your friend what pads he's using on his AP.

[Green-Eggs]

What kind of tires and suspension was on your friend's car?

[Redd]

KW V3, forgot what tires but I think they were PSS. I have Ohlins R/T and Advan AD08R rubber.

How would suspension/tires affect pedal feel?

[roastbeef]

pad compound will influence pedal feel more than anything. another factor is rotor design- are his rotors slotted? slotted vs drilled rotors has been debated to influence pad bite. another factor is fluid and stainless lines.

[Green-Eggs]

Movement of the car through suspension may cause more brake effort due to the feeling of the weight shifting under braking.

R compound/slick tires requires more effort to stop when cold along with the pads.

Pad compound plays a huge role. Also, maybe there is a little air in your system. Are both brake boosters the same? Brake booster pressure plays a role as well. The brake booster for cars with ceramic brakes is different than steel.

[slonik]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

pad compound will influence pedal feel more than anything. another factor is rotor design- are his rotors slotted? slotted vs drilled rotors has been debated to influence pad bite. another factor is fluid and stainless lines.

hub bearings condition add a lot of pedal travel feel.

[roastbeef]

I'm sort of presuming everything is in good working condition.

[swhat]

When I first installed my GT kit, I felt the same way. It didn't bit as hard as the stock brakes, but now I have come to love the pedal feel because you get so much more feel for brake modulation.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

I'm sort of presuming everything is in good working condition.

Yes. Hub bearings no noise. All brake components - master cylinder, booster, vacuum sensor - changed in the last 12 months. Using Project Mu HC+ pads and Endless RF650 fluid, both known to provide excellent pedal feel.

Looks like may just be a difference between Brembo and AP products.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by swhat

When I first installed my GT kit, I felt the same way. It didn't bit as hard as the stock brakes, but now I have come to love the pedal feel because you get so much more feel for brake modulation.

Ok that's good to know. Cos I got my Brembo GT used and was afraid there may be something wrong with the calipers. Car stops very well, just the feel wasn't as good as stock or the AP.

[slonik]

Originally Posted by Redd

Yes. Hub bearings no noise. All brake components - master cylinder, booster, vacuum sensor - changed in the last 12 months. Using Project Mu HC+ pads and Endless RF650 fluid, both known to provide excellent pedal feel.

Looks like may just be a difference between Brembo and AP products.

hub bearings has a lot of play under load before any noise will start.

i had front bearing with play more then a year, and it didn't make any sound. i've seen it only when fitted winter wheels without spacers, with 2mm caliper to rim's spokes clearance. one side worked okay and on other spokes touched caliper under braking or cornering even without applying brake.
also i had a problem before bearing was changed, that pads on this side overheating a lot quicker and worns two times faster.

i saw similar problems on different cars (bmw, vw etc), and all of hubs make no sound.
if you have trackdays (or regular fast driving) time to time, after 50k miles you have a lot of chances to get worned hub bearings.

[slonik]

Originally Posted by Redd

Ok that's good to know. Cos I got my Brembo GT used and was afraid there may be something wrong with the calipers. Car stops very well, just the feel wasn't as good as stock or the AP.

ap calipers has smaller pistons area, sometimes even smaller than stock calipers.

[roastbeef]

You know what, I'm about to say it. AP Racing is better than Brembo.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Redd

I recently tried a friend's car with AP Racing bbk and the pedal feels much firmer than my M3 with Brembo GT bbk. Is this normal?

Honestly, it's hard to pin this down to a single reason. It could be a combination of things. A braking system is just that: a system. There are many components and it could be a lot of little things that add up, or it could be a bit of a placebo effect.

You'd have to set up some pretty strict testing conditions to narrow it down. Ideally, something like this: same car, pads, fluid, track temperature, ambient temperature, airflow, etc.

I also missed my chance for "inb4 because Brembo sucks".

[Redd]

I had the hub bearings checked numerous times by mechanic and alignment shop and all said no free play, no need to replace.

Lol. So much hate for Brembo? 😂

[ashtaron14]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

You know what, I'm about to say it. AP Racing is better than Brembo.

The thing is... AP Racing is owned by Brembo

AP is wonderful
Brembo is great
Alcon is pretty nice

[pbonsalb]

I vote difference in brake pads. Buy the pads your friend has if you have driven his similar car on a track similar to what you run on. Don't go by how they feel on the street and assume that is how they feel with heat in them on the track.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by ashtaron14

The thing is... AP Racing is owned by Brembo

AP is wonderful
Brembo is great
Alcon is pretty nice

it was a half-hearted joke.

vw owns porsche. porsche is better than vw. sup?

[ashtaron14]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

it was a half-hearted joke.

vw owns porsche. porsche is better than vw. sup?

Porsche brakes are the best

[buddalun]

Originally Posted by ashtaron14

Porsche brakes are the best

But, but, Porsche brakes are Brembo!

[M43S7RO]

Seems you may be referring to bite. If so, then feel is going to be heavily pad dependent. More track oriented pads will not bite as well/feel mushy when not in optimal operating range.

You both would have to run the same pads for a better comparison, without factoring in the aspects others have mentioned.

I run Hawk HPS 5.0, which is a street pad. Even then, the initial bite is not as good as oem when cold. Once up to temp though after a few stops, then it bites much better than stock.

Originally Posted by Redd

Ok that's good to know. Cos I got my Brembo GT used and was afraid there may be something wrong with the calipers. Car stops very well, just the feel wasn't as good as stock or the AP.