xtnct

iTrader: (33)

Also, you guys forgot the R&D costs - it is not just the face value of the bolts and bracket parts themselves. Essex has been updating us for almost a year on the development of this kit. They fronted the costs for the testing, the engineers, the prototyping, the brake dyno time, etc. etc... So yeah, they have to surcharge on some of the parts to get back what they fronted in designing and testing.

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

Yep yep, no doubt a lot went into it. Considering this is the only truly homegrown kit from EssexParts USA's website. The Corvette kit has Hardbar as making the other parts, looks like the same price too, but then again hardbar overcharges for everything traditionally, and people pay, simply because the stuff works. Any one of us could guess all day as to what was really put in behind the scenes and what it is worth to us Vs what was spent making it. But in the end we have to realize - this is a TRUE racing brake kit, for less then the price of half the other kits with "cookie cutter" parts that will fail just as easily as the Brembo's did, and weigh a lot more.

JDMevoBOOST

iTrader: (37)

That and from the conversations I have had with Essex they will be there to provide support. If there is one thing that is undervalued in this industry is manufacturer support after the sale is complete. All you guys shooting for the lowest price based on the parts alone must realize that if the company barely makes any profit over their costs, then there is no more money for new developments and support for the customer.

It has become quite standard in the industry for a company to take your money and move on to the next customer. All of us have got quite used to this behavior, but from the communications I have had with JRitt I would have to say they are one of the good ones. No short one liner e-mails and no hard sales pitch. Just very informative and sound advice.

awdboosted

iTrader: (30)

Before set up
OEM Brembos
CL C6 Brake pads
Titanium Shields
AMS Brake Cooling Ducts
Motul Brake Fluid 600
Rear stock Brembos with Hawk DTC60

Current set up
AP Front brake system
AP300 Brake Pads
Rear Stock Brembos with Hawk DTC60
AMS Brake Cooling Ducts
ATE Super Blue

Overview
I was getting sick of replacing expensive pads, dealing with cracked seals and black calipers, and having to bleed the brakes after every session. I decided to look into a bigger brake system to avoid dealing with all those issue. The OEM Brembos just doesn’t have the ability of stopping a 400+ HP Evo at 3100 pounds. I started doing my research to find the best set up where I could just focus on racing, instead of having to worry about pulling tires and bleeding hot brakes in 80+ degree weather.

Back in December I spent some time on the phone with Jeff Ritter (aka sometime being me just talking his ear off lol) and he is very friendly and knowledgeable about brake systems. He recommended the AP brake setup and how he was developing it for our Evos. He also shared with me how full weight Corvettes are using the AP brakes as well and making well over 550-600 whp and how the cost of pads and rotors would be much cheaper. Even though I was impressed by the information that Jeff gave me, I still wanted to do my own research to make sure. After all of my research I came to the conclusion that I would be purchasing without a doubt the AP brake system when it came out for the Evo.








Some key Benefits
-Cheaper and 4mm thicker brake pads
-Professional rebuilds no dust seal to crack
-Full floating rotor, larger then OEM size, J hook rotors w/ vain rotors
-Better stopping power

Receiving the kit
-Receiving the AP brake system shows up well packed and very neat with very detailed instructions on how to install the brakes. It feels like Christmas morning when unpacking everything looked immaculate.




Install
-Installing the brakes was a snap. I was a little concerned about the dust shields and AMS Brake ducks, and not being able to use them, but it fits with plenty of room to spare. The fitment of the AMS brake ducts worked well with the kit, I had no issues. I did have to place the washer in-between the brake duct and hub so it would leave the space that is needed. Being able to use my brake ducts is a huge plus. Wheel fitment is even better then the old Brembo brakes; leaving at least 6 mm of space unlike the Brembos which was only 2 mm of space. Talk about cutting it close!























On the Track
-I drove my car to AMS Autobahn event on June 5th. Yep I drive the car to events. They put us on the South course with four, 30 min sessions. In our drivers meeting one of this first things they warned us about was the fact that, that particular course was very hard on the brakes. After racing that track for the first time and with my new AP300 brake pads all I can say is WOW!! They stopped very well and consistent throughout the session. I could brake harder and keep going way longer then I could with the factory Brembos. There were about three other Evos at the event. I watch one guy bleed his brakes after every session. My friend had to come off after 15 min because he almost lost his brakes due to overheating his brake fluid. I ran my car hard for more than 25 minutes straight which then caused me to low run low on fuel and I had to exit the track earlier or risk running out of fuel and having to be towed off the course. As far as brake bias goes, the brakes felt very solid and well balanced during the hard braking periods. Pedal modulation was very easy and made the trail braking very manageable, and the ABS worked well as needed too. On the longer straights there were a few dips where the ABS kicked on a few times, but it recovered quickly with no issues.










After math
I decided to take a closer look at the car when I got home and had a chance to pull the brake pads and inspect them. What I found was the wear was very minimal and after an entire day of racing the brakes still measured in at 18.74 mm on one side 18.66 mm on the other side. These pads are 20 mm new and the wear was even from side to side. The rotors looked good as well and didn’t show any signs of cracks or excessive wear. Here are some pictures of what it looked like, as you can the pictures are worth a thousand words.

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

What are you doing with dust shields still, you know better . More benefit from the cooling coming from the wheelwell then the duct in most cases.

awdboosted

iTrader: (30)

Well Yes, but I don't want to melt the Whiteline ball joints.

Ludikraut

iTrader: (17)

Thanks for posting the review, awdboosted.

l8r)

xtnct

iTrader: (33)

Agreed. I run the shields for that reason as well. My tie rod ends are starting to show signs of cracking already (1 year old) as there is no shield in that area.

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

Some folks run a small shield just on the bottom for that reason. I personally have thought about it a bunch of times but each time I go to look at it there's no tears or cracks, going on 3 years now. I'd consider a wrap first before adding more metal though. I forget where but the shields and hardware were several pounds of unsprung weight.

Robevo RS

iTrader: (16)

next season i will definitely run them this year i spend too much on the body and the engine and the ecu's and the tune LOL

the shop who build s my car just got them , the AP stuff is unreal!

awdboosted

iTrader: (30)

Yea, I also cant believe how light they are. That helps unsprung weight.

Nilesh

iTrader: (3)

Any one else buy this kit and get a chance to test them? I will most likely be getting this kit next yr.

tsi90awd

I got the kit and tried it out last weekend at Brainerd International Raceway. I'll write up a detailed review sometime, but the thumbnail is:

Pros:

1. Very good pedal feel. I can really feel the difference that the piston springs make. There is no kick-back of the pads between braking events. You don't have to pump-up the pedal before hard braking.

2. Cheap pads! The race pads that I got were extremely, unbearably squeaky on the street. I got some DS2500 street pads from Essex for ~$125. That is almost half the cost of stock Brembo DS2500 pads.

3. Greater caliper-wheel clearance.

4. I was really happy with the track performance.

Cons:

1. The floating rotors are pretty rattle-y on rough streets.

2. I use the AMS brake duct kit. You have to mess-around to get it to work with the AP calipers. I had to leave off the AMS inner heat shield because it would mount between the caliper and the knuckle. The clearances are pretty tight with the AP caliper. Leaving the heat shield in moves the caliper out-board by a couple of millimeters and makes the rotor rub on the caliper body itself. The gap between the caliper adapter bracket and the knuckle is pretty small. I think it is smaller than the gap between the stock Brembo and the knuckle. This means less air going to the center of the rotor through the duct. I need to check again to make sure this is true. I installed them pretty quickly and didn't take any picutres. I hope Essex comes up with an air duct that is optimized to work with the AP calipers.

JRitt@essex

I just wanted to bump this thread back up. We've sold a few of these kits in the past couple of days, and we're nearing the launch of our Subaru STI system, both of which reminded me of this thread. The customer reports that continue to roll in remain extremely (and universally) positive. We're racking up race wins, TT wins, etc. We have our complete front Evo systems on the shelf and ready to ship. If you've been having any brake problems at the track, give us a call!

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

Still first on my list! How goes the rear system dev?

I also noticed we're saying on EssexParts.com that the AMS duct fits, but one or more then one of the guys here said it requires major modification to fit "right." Any word on this?