AP Racing brake upgrades (the real race stuff) from Essex Parts
Oct 11, 2011 | 02:45 PM
#1
AP Racing brake upgrades (the real race stuff) from Essex Parts
This is a brake upgrade option for those of you out there that have reached a level where the Brembo's have fallen apart, failing, or failed all together. AP racing makes racing brake calipers and other super high-end components for just about every single racing organization on the planet. For me it was a no brainer. This past weekend I took the kit for a beating at Sebring International Raceway which has many 100+ to 40 mph braking zones in Florida heat. The pedal pressure was much more present and consistent over the entire practice, qualifying, and 30 minute race. In this instance I also switched from Castrol SRF fluid to Endless 650. I had done the switch prior when still on the brembo's and the above was also true then. So I combined that awesome fluid with the hardware and this is how we sit.
More product detail and feedback can be found here:
AP Racing brake options for your Evo
Privious setup(s): I've been tracking the Evo in DE's, Time Trials and now Racing for the past 4 years. I've run a ton of different pad/fluid combo's with the OEM brembo setup. Some were better then others but as I got faster and the car was fine tuned I started to notice the failures right away. I won't repeat pictures and posts showing those so onto the AP aftermath.
***INSTALL***
The directions were pretty straight forward. Anyone can do this if you've changed pads or fluids before. For the lines you'll need a nice set of flare wrenches and thats about it. Note that this works with most of the Brake cooling kits that have been sold by various vendors without much modification. The kit comes with very nice lines, rotors, and all hardware. There's also a metric ton of pad options that they can help you decide on.
***BEDDING***
As with all racing brakes, it will take heat and time to get them properly situated. This is why Essex burnishes the disks prior to race day for almost ALL of their pro team customers. While this isn't a feasible option for the club racer it gives you an idea of how important it is. Went through a 15 min practice, 15 min qualifying, and about 6 laps of the race before the got quiet and hot enough to really come through. This is primarily due to how much cooler these brakes run. Next time i'm gonna have to block off the ducts to accelerate the process. Onto the pics:
This is about what the transfer from Ferodo's should look like. This is one of the first disks that I've ran where it didn't heat crack ANYWHERE. My PF rotors cracked in the middle slightly on the first run and got worse but not on the edge. Time will tell.
Pistons looked good, some material made it's way around but nothing big.
Ferodo DSUNO Pads are freaking Awesome. Very tough, very consistent, easy modulation and very predictable. However it does seem that the AP calipers still flex a little bit, but nowhere near as much as the Brembo's. This is to be understood and expected since it's not a zillion dollar monoblock caliper.
Front outside
Front inside
New Pad
2 race, 2 qualifying, and 1 practice later
Here you can visually see some taper. Seems to be most prevalent on the front top corners. Half a Mil.
***OVERALL***
A serious upgrade from the Brembo's. No paint fade, not screws to break off, no super expensive pads, no damn dust boots I mean debris, runs cooler with just a 2 inch duct, Super easy to maintain, Super consistent and reliable pedal = WIN, and one of the best performing rotors i've tested. And the most important part, SUPERIOR customer service. It's not some retail store that sells parts, it's the actual racers and engineers you deal with when on the phone. I can't wait for a rear setup.
More product detail and feedback can be found here:
AP Racing brake options for your Evo
Privious setup(s): I've been tracking the Evo in DE's, Time Trials and now Racing for the past 4 years. I've run a ton of different pad/fluid combo's with the OEM brembo setup. Some were better then others but as I got faster and the car was fine tuned I started to notice the failures right away. I won't repeat pictures and posts showing those so onto the AP aftermath.
***INSTALL***
The directions were pretty straight forward. Anyone can do this if you've changed pads or fluids before. For the lines you'll need a nice set of flare wrenches and thats about it. Note that this works with most of the Brake cooling kits that have been sold by various vendors without much modification. The kit comes with very nice lines, rotors, and all hardware. There's also a metric ton of pad options that they can help you decide on.
***BEDDING***
As with all racing brakes, it will take heat and time to get them properly situated. This is why Essex burnishes the disks prior to race day for almost ALL of their pro team customers. While this isn't a feasible option for the club racer it gives you an idea of how important it is. Went through a 15 min practice, 15 min qualifying, and about 6 laps of the race before the got quiet and hot enough to really come through. This is primarily due to how much cooler these brakes run. Next time i'm gonna have to block off the ducts to accelerate the process. Onto the pics:
This is about what the transfer from Ferodo's should look like. This is one of the first disks that I've ran where it didn't heat crack ANYWHERE. My PF rotors cracked in the middle slightly on the first run and got worse but not on the edge. Time will tell.
Pistons looked good, some material made it's way around but nothing big.
Ferodo DSUNO Pads are freaking Awesome. Very tough, very consistent, easy modulation and very predictable. However it does seem that the AP calipers still flex a little bit, but nowhere near as much as the Brembo's. This is to be understood and expected since it's not a zillion dollar monoblock caliper.
Front outside
Front inside
New Pad
2 race, 2 qualifying, and 1 practice later
Here you can visually see some taper. Seems to be most prevalent on the front top corners. Half a Mil.
***OVERALL***
A serious upgrade from the Brembo's. No paint fade, not screws to break off, no super expensive pads, no damn dust boots I mean debris, runs cooler with just a 2 inch duct, Super easy to maintain, Super consistent and reliable pedal = WIN, and one of the best performing rotors i've tested. And the most important part, SUPERIOR customer service. It's not some retail store that sells parts, it's the actual racers and engineers you deal with when on the phone. I can't wait for a rear setup.
Oct 11, 2011 | 05:22 PM
#4
So if I am mistaken please correct me, did you run only the front AP racing calipers?
What I mean by this is if you only had the front brakes on your Evo and you removed the stock rear Brembos.
What I mean by this is if you only had the front brakes on your Evo and you removed the stock rear Brembos.
Rear brembo's are still there.
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