BBK StopTech vs. APracing--clear OEM 18" with 12mm spacer?

[BimmerRob08]

Ok fella's,

Times getting near where I'm gonna have to decide.

I'm gonna go with 12mm spacers all around with the style 219 18" OEM wheels my M3 is fitted with. I know from what venders and others have said, APracing BBK will clear with no less than 10mm spacers so this should be no problem.

Assuming the Stoptech's will clear it too...hopefully. I'd like your feedback and inputs on which BBK to go with and what pads.

It looks like the Stoptech's are gonna be considerably cheeper so I'm interested in them too.

Street to on/off the track without having to change pads is what I'd like. Might track about once every two months.

Thanks and cheers,
Rob

[KM3]

Rob, as I mentioned in your other thread, StopTech's 380mm kit will *not* clear the OEM 18" wheels. You would have to go with their 355mm rotors all around if you want to stick with your wheels.

[Eugene-TAIWAN]

no match AP all the way

[aus]

OP, if you track 6 times a year, you might as well get some track wheels/tires. Then you could get the bigger BBK's out there that'll have greater thermal capacity.

Originally Posted by Eugene-TAIWAN

no match AP all the way

Please show some solid proof of this? That's a BOLD statement.

[BimmerRob08]

Originally Posted by aus

OP, if you track 6 times a year, you might as well get some track wheels/tires. Then you could get the bigger BBK's out there that'll have greater thermal capacity.



Please show some solid proof of this? That's a BOLD statement.

Yeah, I'd like to pros & cons on both and why. That may very well be but I think we would all like some indepth reasons.

I'm thinking of the AP's because it'll clear the OEM 18" with 12mm spacers and for now I would not have to go getting wheels & tires. But please give some points on it.

Cheers,

[montreal red]

in order to fit the stoptechs, you have to go with their smaller kit which i believe is 355mm rotors all around. this is smaller than the stock oem rotors which are 360mm in the front.

ap racing's front rotors are 368mm so its a larger size than the oem rotors.

this is probably why people who have 18" wheels tend to do APR brakes.

[BimmerRob08]

yeah, makes sence to me. Thanks,

[KM3]

Originally Posted by Eugene-TAIWAN

no match AP all the way

Please explain.

[aus]

Originally Posted by montreal red

in order to fit the stoptechs, you have to go with their smaller kit which i believe is 355mm rotors all around. this is smaller than the stock oem rotors which are 360mm in the front.

ap racing's front rotors are 368mm so its a larger size than the oem rotors.

this is probably why people who have 18" wheels tend to do APR brakes.

They both offer thicker rotors than stock to add thermal capacity despite the similar rotor diameter.
The other issue is the AP's are Brembo prices, while the StopTech's are considerably cheaper, at least in the US.

[rzm3]

Fact 1: ST has 355x35 vs stock 360x30 for front.
Fact 2: It's not just the thermal capacity but also the rate of cooling that affect heat management. BBK discs have a much higher vane count and hence higher air flow and cooling.
Fact 3: You can download a ST caliper template from http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/ch...60-24C0-00.pdf to see if your wheels will work.
Fact 4: Racing driver Leh Keen has ST on his car and never has an issue... using the "street sport" ST pads which is quiet like stock on the street.
Fact 5: ST has a removable steel bridge to allow pad change w/o taking off the entire caliper.

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

Fact 1: ST has 355x35 vs stock 360x30 for front.
Fact 2: It's not just the thermal capacity but also the rate of cooling that affect heat management. BBK discs have a much higher vane count and hence higher air flow and cooling.
Fact 3: You can download a ST caliper template from http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/ch...60-24C0-00.pdf to see if your wheels will work.
Fact 4: Racing driver Leh Keen has ST on his car and never has an issue... using the "street sport" ST pads which is quiet like stock on the street.
Fact 5: ST has a removable steel bridge to allow pad change w/o taking off the entire caliper.

oh and AP also has the removable steel bridge to allow for fast pad changes.
i think brembo is the only one that needs calipers removed for pad changes.

[rzm3]

And Fact 6: I have ST too (see sig) so they must be good

[aus]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

Fact 1: ST has 355x35 vs stock 360x30 for front.
Fact 2: It's not just the thermal capacity but also the rate of cooling that affect heat management. BBK discs have a much higher vane count and hence higher air flow and cooling.
Fact 3: You can download a ST caliper template from http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/ch...60-24C0-00.pdf to see if your wheels will work.
Fact 4: Racing driver Leh Keen has ST on his car and never has an issue... using the "street sport" ST pads which is quiet like stock on the street.
Fact 5: ST has a removable steel bridge to allow pad change w/o taking off the entire caliper.

Fact 6: Juniour M3 is a professional IndyCar driver and got StopTech's for his M3 when he literally burned his stock brakes up.
Fact 7: When I was at JIC/Cross' US headquarter's they have StopTech's on their race cars.

THAT'S why I'm still waiting on Eugene's (who's a well respected member here) reason why the AP's are CLEARLY the better system. They CLEARLY cost more; I'll give him that. They give GREAT support/info on this forum too, and it's MUCH appreciated.

[KM3]

Fact 8: I run StopTechs and absolutely love them - best mod for me hands down!
Fact 9: A number of senior instructors/former professionals I know run STs on their insanely fast C6 Z06s.
Fact 10: Turner runs ST brakes on their race cars.

Come to think of it, I see orders of magnitude more ST brake systems at track days than I do any other setup... and I've never heard a single negative review.

[Donbona]

Sounds like StopTechs are the shizzle!

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

Fact 2: BBK discs have a much higher vane count and hence higher air flow and cooling.

Not quite, it is the following that matter with the vanes and their cooling.

1. Access of unimpeded air flow to the vanes
2. Proper vane shape
3. Proper vane count

Obviously if your claim was totally true you could just keep adding vanes and at some point you would have to make them thinner and thinner. Which would result in a weak rotor under the pad compression load.

[montreal red]

stop techs are great but the fact that they only have a 380mm or 355mm front rotor and nothing in between does not make it ideal for people who want to run 18" track wheels. the clearance that you have with the 380mm front rotor is very very minimal even if you get 18" wheels that can fit over the caliper and rotor.

for this reason, i'd still prefer the AP kit since its 368mm which is a good compromise between bigger rotors and easy fitment into most 18" wheels.

it really depends what size and type of wheel you want to run for track use.

[ModBargains.com]

Originally Posted by BimmerRob08

Ok fella's,

Times getting near where I'm gonna have to decide.

I'm gonna go with 12mm spacers all around with the style 219 18" OEM wheels my M3 is fitted with. I know from what venders and others have said, APracing BBK will clear with no less than 10mm spacers so this should be no problem.

Assuming the Stoptech's will clear it too...hopefully. I'd like your feedback and inputs on which BBK to go with and what pads.

It looks like the Stoptech's are gonna be considerably cheeper so I'm interested in them too.

Street to on/off the track without having to change pads is what I'd like. Might track about once every two months.

Thanks and cheers,
Rob

Rob, I know that you have been corresponding with my co-worker Edward. If you're looking to fit your OEM 18" wheels I would recommend that you stay away with the idea of even going with a 380mm rotor as it will definitely not clear. Both StopTech and AP Racing are great systems and have been proven themselves on the track. I'm sure that you'll be happy with either setup. It's ultimately going to come down to how much you are willing to spend on the BBK system. I'll shoot you over an email with more details!

- Alan

[garek]

Originally Posted by montreal red

stop techs are great but the fact that they only have a 380mm or 355mm front rotor and nothing in between does not make it ideal for people who want to run 18" track wheels. the clearance that you have with the 380mm front rotor is very very minimal even if you get 18" wheels that can fit over the caliper and rotor.

for this reason, i'd still prefer the AP kit since its 368mm which is a good compromise between bigger rotors and easy fitment into most 18" wheels.

it really depends what size and type of wheel you want to run for track use.

There are many 18" wheels that will clear the 380mm StopTech kit. For example, I've got 18" Volk G2 that actually have more clearance over the calipers than the OEM 19".

[david @ eas]

Originally Posted by Eugene-TAIWAN

no match AP all the way

+1000

We've done our research on this before deciding to carry the product (in which we carry both stop tech, and AP Racing). We put AP Racing on our E92 M3 because of their major background. AP Racing has been in Formula one, and more importantly now, they're in about 85% of all NASCAR race cars.

Because of their extensive background, we knew that we hit the nail on the head with this one. And because of this, we've sold several kits to forum members on this board who extensively visit the track. So far, we've had a great response and we look forward to serving more. But more importantly, if you're looking for track duty, AP Racing all the way. If you just want a set up that works well, that wont have any issues, then either one will be perfect for you.

[BimmerRob08]

Originally Posted by jurrian @ eas

+1000

We've done our research on this before deciding to carry the product (in which we carry both stop tech, and AP Racing). We put AP Racing on our E92 M3 because of their major background. AP Racing has been in Formula one, and more importantly now, they're in about 85% of all NASCAR race cars.

Because of their extensive background, we knew that we hit the nail on the head with this one. And because of this, we've sold several kits to forum members on this board who extensively visit the track. So far, we've had a great response and we look forward to serving more. But more importantly, if you're looking for track duty, AP Racing all the way. If you just want a set up that works well, that wont have any issues, then either one will be perfect for you.

Thanks to all of you guys giving inputs. I think as I go read on and collect all this info, I am with you on this Jurrian about the AP's. If I had to rank it all for what I'd want then AP's and Brembo's are at the top, Stoptech's 3rd.

So what I'm looking for again is to fit a BBK with my OEM 18"s and avoid spacers if I can. I'm looking into low profile wheel weights and I hear that might be my answer in combination with Brembo 365/6pot up front. I have no hard data yet if the AP's will fit the bill along with the Brembo's for wheel clearance.

Again, thank you all for the inputs.

[KM3]

Originally Posted by jurrian @ eas

But more importantly, if you're looking for track duty, AP Racing all the way. If you just want a set up that works well, that wont have any issues, then either one will be perfect for you.

I'm sorry, but this statement is completely suspect and makes me question your credibility as a forum sponsor. To be clear, I have nothing against AP - I think their kit is fantastic, their support is top notch, and their track record is proven. The AP kit was certainly high on my list.

But what you are doing is making a very broad and bold generalization that the AP setup is clearly superior to the ST setup for track duty, which I think is completely bogus. Where is your data? Because the anecdotal data in this thread suggests that ST is just as good...

Both of these kits are top notch. Let's not make arbitrary statements otherwise.