ap racing adaptation kit from FreakyParts

[shootnjunky]

I followed the Brembo thread, but am curious if anyone has purchased the AP Racing kit from them and have any opinions?

TIA

https://freakyparts.co.uk/collection...-big-brake-kit

https://freakyparts.co.uk/collection...-big-brake-kit

[jritt@essex]

Originally Posted by shootnjunky

I followed the Brembo thread, but am curious if anyone has purchased the AP Racing kit from them and have any opinions?

TIA

https://freakyparts.co.uk/collection...-big-brake-kit

https://freakyparts.co.uk/collection...-big-brake-kit

I see that you're located in Ohio, USA. My suggestion would be to steer clear of these products. Essex Parts Services is the exclusive importer and distributor for AP Racing products in North America. We have been in business since the early 1980's and have a stellar reputation in both professional and amateur motorsports. We produce numerous AP Racing brake kits for Road and Track use on the e90 M3 chassis, using genuine AP Racing components with AP Racing technical support. We are also long-time Bimmerpost forums sponsors.

When you go outside or around the authorized importer and distributor for your territory (gray market), below is what you potentially face. Who you buy from, and where that product originated, is just as important as the product you're purchasing. With brakes, that statement is even more true!

• Counterfeit/fake products- There are loads of fake AP Racing and Brembo calipers floating around. Many of these originate in Asia and make their way abroad. They're then packaged into low-priced brake kits for purchase by unsuspecting customers.

• Supporting components of suspect quality- Even if a brake package in question is using an authentic AP Racing caliper, the disc may be a no-name brand piece of junk. Do they have any understanding of the stresses placed on a brake caliper bracket? Are they using high quality disc attachment hardware? Are the brake line fittings made from butter, so when you put a wrench on them they'll strip immediately? What type of quality control processes were employed in the production of the kit? Is the builder even in any way directly affiliated with AP Racing? Has AP Racing signed off on their procedures and quality? The quality of some of these fakes are abysmal, and many will be flat out dangerous. Do you want to be hurtling at a wall at 150mph and wondering who designed and built your brake kit?

• Service/Support- When you run into a brake problem, you want help quickly. If you purchase a brake package from an unknown entity abroad, you're setting yourself up for a poor long-term ownership experience. We get emails, texts, Facebook messages, chats, and phone calls from our customers at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes they have a problem, and other times they're just looking for advice for something on the horizon. I got one yesterday from an M3 customer heading to Road America, and he was asking about advice on temperature collection, swapping pads, and bed-in. We have a dedicated staff of sales and support staff to handle these questions. Successfully getting in touch with "Freaky Parts" while you're at the track and need help is highly unlikely. Their last "latest news" entry on their blog is from November 2018. Many of these companies are one guy in his underwear, trying to make a buck from his mom's basement.

• Spares- What kind of access will you have to reasonably priced spares? When you crack a disc and need a replacement, how quickly can you get it? How much will freight be on iron discs when shipping them abroad? Can you get spare pads that will fit the calipers you're using. How many compound options will you have? Most people realize they need spares on Wednesday, when they're heading to the track on Friday!

Most people get lured into gray market products because they think it's going to save them money. They see a low initial price and believe it's a good deal. In the end it almost always ends up costing them a lot more money than they were expecting. They also end up with a brake system of suspect quality and performance. They suffer along with poor support and expensive spares (if they can even get them). When they move on to their next car and it's time to sell their brake kit on the used market, the savvy buyer asks a lot of questions and they have a hard time getting any money back out of them. Many times they're stuck with a useless pile of brake components.

Conversely, if you go with a legitimate product from a legitimate source, your odds of having a positive long-term ownership experience are exponentially higher. You'll know your brakes were professionally designed specifically for your application. You'll know those parts have been tested over hundreds of thousands of miles under the most grueling conditions. You'll have immediate access to spares. You'll have technical support and answers to your questions when you need them most. You'll be able to get a large chunk of the money you spend back out of your brake kit when you move on to your next car.

You may have to spend a little more upfront, but you will save money over the long haul, and you'll have a far better ownership experience.

[jritt@essex]

With regards to the specific brake 'kits' listed in this thread, they use the stock discs. Brake kits are all about increasing thermal capacity and managing heat. The disc is a foundation of a proper brake kit. If your disc runs hot, everything downstream of the disc will run hot. Hot discs=hot pads=hot pistons=hot calipers=hot brake fluid. When run on the track, the OEM discs are a source of brake problems, not a solution. All of our customers purchase our kits to get away from the OEM discs. They don't flow much air, and they just don't have much thermal capacity, especially once you start modding the car. In other words, just replacing the calipers doesn't get to the root of the heat issue.