I am trying to figure out what to do with the brakes on my evo. they flat out suck.. they shimmy fairly bad, have crappy initial bite and don't have the linear modulation I like - you have to slam them. they stop hard, but have a crappy feel. The shimmy, I am fairly certain it is from letting the car sit for 3-4 weeks at a time over the summer. I put in a set of raybestos st43 pads to try and scrub the rotors, but they have only gotten worse... so they need to be replaced
so I am looking at my options. I know the front calipers need a rebuild and would like to have them refinished... cough... brownbos... cough. the dust seals are toast and with the shimmy, I will be getting new rotors. I want to stay with the ability to run 17" wheels, so I have limited options in that regards. otherwise I would likely just get a 355 brembo gt kit. I am not a fan of stoptech, so please don't put a "write in" vote for them. I don't think they are a bad setup, just not what I want to spend my money on.
so if I go a two piece rotor, like I have, a full rebuild with refinish, and new pads, I am looking at 1500+ bucks!
ferodo pads = 245
rebuild/refinish calipers with new SS pistons = 650
girodisc two piece rotors = 700
+ shipping
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based on that, I feel like I should just get a new BBK, but now it becomes tricky because I want to be able to run 17" wheels. My options
Alcon 343mm BBK - arguably the best of the best, but costs ~3000 bucks (which is actually a very good price based msrp of ~4200) this is just for the fronts, and I would need at least new rotors and pads for the rear.. so add about 350 at a minimum. down the road I could get a rear kit for another 2600.... !!!!
- replacement rings and pads are not cheap. pads are same price as current setup (~250), but rings are at least 400/each. but again, this is alcon, so we are talking premium goods
Essex AP 325mm front setup. This is a kit that essex put together for evo owners. Calipers are a common setup they use in a few setups they put together for other applications. has good reviews from the handful of guys running them. Kit wil run me about $2500. kind of pisses me off because they have run a few specials on them for about 300 bucks less, but will only work with my a little bit on the pricing right now... I probably would have bought this kit already if they would have offered me the discounted pricing they have ran a number of times on the forums. replacement parts are cheap. like 1/2 the price of alcon stuff. the calipers are just a goofy black/greyish anodizing. they almost look burnt. No matching rear kit.
My third option is wilwood. I can do front and rears for about 3000 bucks COMPLETE. Very good pricing, but almost no evo guys run them. replacement parts are cheap. the rear caliper kind of looks cheap, but they include a 2 piece rear rotor with iron hat, which is good for use with oem hand brake. I am hesitant with this kit for two reasons... the narrow caliper and the limited pads they have available. I can't find the ferodo pads I want to run, and due to the narrow calipers, are limited to 16mm pads, where as both other kits, I can get the pads I want. this is not to say the available pads are bad, just that I can't get much feedback from the evo guys on this kit and the pads.
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if money is no option, I am buying the alcons.... but that's just it, I don't have the money like I used to- lost my baller status. that's not to say I am not willing to spend the money if it's better in the long run. I am in for at least ~1500-2000 (fronts and rears) bucks no matter what I choose, so it's not like I have a "cheap" option. I think all the kits will likely be more than enough, but most say the stock brakes are great and I am thoroughly disappointed (oem brembo are not equal to their high performance aftermarket stuff). I have ran 3 different pads on the stock brakes and I have what many consider good rotors, so I have given them a good shot. I'd just hate to buy the wilwoods and have them be not better than stock. and I would hate to buy the alcons, and have them be no better than the wilwoods or ap setup would have been. the ap setup pisses me off, because they have been as cheap as 1700, and usually around 2100 with pads... and they will only work with me to about 2400 when I waited them out on a fall discount like they offered in the past... may be petty, but this is kind of what has kept me from buying them
any advise is appreciated
edit:
This is a street car.
so I am looking at my options. I know the front calipers need a rebuild and would like to have them refinished... cough... brownbos... cough. the dust seals are toast and with the shimmy, I will be getting new rotors. I want to stay with the ability to run 17" wheels, so I have limited options in that regards. otherwise I would likely just get a 355 brembo gt kit. I am not a fan of stoptech, so please don't put a "write in" vote for them. I don't think they are a bad setup, just not what I want to spend my money on.
so if I go a two piece rotor, like I have, a full rebuild with refinish, and new pads, I am looking at 1500+ bucks!
ferodo pads = 245
rebuild/refinish calipers with new SS pistons = 650
girodisc two piece rotors = 700
+ shipping
-----
based on that, I feel like I should just get a new BBK, but now it becomes tricky because I want to be able to run 17" wheels. My options
Alcon 343mm BBK - arguably the best of the best, but costs ~3000 bucks (which is actually a very good price based msrp of ~4200) this is just for the fronts, and I would need at least new rotors and pads for the rear.. so add about 350 at a minimum. down the road I could get a rear kit for another 2600.... !!!!
- replacement rings and pads are not cheap. pads are same price as current setup (~250), but rings are at least 400/each. but again, this is alcon, so we are talking premium goods
Essex AP 325mm front setup. This is a kit that essex put together for evo owners. Calipers are a common setup they use in a few setups they put together for other applications. has good reviews from the handful of guys running them. Kit wil run me about $2500. kind of pisses me off because they have run a few specials on them for about 300 bucks less, but will only work with my a little bit on the pricing right now... I probably would have bought this kit already if they would have offered me the discounted pricing they have ran a number of times on the forums. replacement parts are cheap. like 1/2 the price of alcon stuff. the calipers are just a goofy black/greyish anodizing. they almost look burnt. No matching rear kit.
My third option is wilwood. I can do front and rears for about 3000 bucks COMPLETE. Very good pricing, but almost no evo guys run them. replacement parts are cheap. the rear caliper kind of looks cheap, but they include a 2 piece rear rotor with iron hat, which is good for use with oem hand brake. I am hesitant with this kit for two reasons... the narrow caliper and the limited pads they have available. I can't find the ferodo pads I want to run, and due to the narrow calipers, are limited to 16mm pads, where as both other kits, I can get the pads I want. this is not to say the available pads are bad, just that I can't get much feedback from the evo guys on this kit and the pads.
-----
if money is no option, I am buying the alcons.... but that's just it, I don't have the money like I used to- lost my baller status. that's not to say I am not willing to spend the money if it's better in the long run. I am in for at least ~1500-2000 (fronts and rears) bucks no matter what I choose, so it's not like I have a "cheap" option. I think all the kits will likely be more than enough, but most say the stock brakes are great and I am thoroughly disappointed (oem brembo are not equal to their high performance aftermarket stuff). I have ran 3 different pads on the stock brakes and I have what many consider good rotors, so I have given them a good shot. I'd just hate to buy the wilwoods and have them be not better than stock. and I would hate to buy the alcons, and have them be no better than the wilwoods or ap setup would have been. the ap setup pisses me off, because they have been as cheap as 1700, and usually around 2100 with pads... and they will only work with me to about 2400 when I waited them out on a fall discount like they offered in the past... may be petty, but this is kind of what has kept me from buying them
any advise is appreciated
edit:
This is a street car.
Last edited:
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