For those of you that know AP Racing brakes, I think you will be excited to hear that I have successfully fit and tested their new kit for the 370z! Includes a 14.25" 6-pot front and 4-pot rear kit. For those of you that haven't heard of them, let's quickly cover their credentials... example apps:
- Ultima GTR which has world record for 0 to 100 to 0, 0.5 sec faster than the Veyron
- most of Formula 1, LeMans, ALMS, Grand Am, NASCAR, WRC and Champ Car
- cars 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Top Gear TV show fastest lap chart AP Racing Limited Edition Competition Gray Calipers Are Here! : STILLEN
- and now my humble 370z!
Why I decided to make this upgrade... If you read my build journal and some of the other threads from folks that track this car, you'll notice that even with the Akebono sport package brakes, high temp fluids and track pads, people are experiencing significant degradation in braking performance during track sessions with hairpins and other intense braking zones. At first I thought I could resolve this with more airflow, different pads, etc, but after playing around with all that I just wasn't able to get consistent stopping performance on the OE setup. Why take chances with your brakes?! I bought this kit in order to get 99.99% confidence that I will stop predictably every time. In addition, as I move to stickier tires, I suspect that this car is going to need a lot more than the stock setup could offer. Larger surface area of contact between pads + rotors = more thermal capacity... Some more discussion here:
Sport Pkg brakes up to track use? and here
370Z Brakes?
Installation: I had the kit professionally installed by Redline Motorsports of Tempe, AZ. They primarily work on Porsche and Ferrari. They are a Brembo dealer but were seriously impressed with this kit. Install was reportedly straightforward "virtually bolt ons" - only downside noted was that there was trimming required to the OEM backing plates. Nothing a DIY'er can't handle with a grinder and sawzall. We are using DOT5.1 fluid. As for servicability in the future, one thing you'll notice about these is the huge opening for pads... swapping pads is drop-in, unlike some other BBK's
What's in the kit: Choice of slotted, drilled or slotted/drilled rotors, calipers, stainless steel brake lines, mintex extreme metallic high-temp pads, all the hardware you need for install. I elected the slotted rotors. Cross-drilled are for looks. Slotted are for heat dissipation and performance.
Testing and impressions: I am just getting started with testing, but first impressions... flawless! First and most importantly, I have experienced ZERO fade issues throughout the hot summer months here in the southwest. Including time at tracks in AZ and Utah. I have braked the car from 150+mph with some intensity and it was supremely stable and confidence inspiring. Stopping G's have increased and distances reduced. And to be honest, I am still exploring the limits of these brakes. You will see from a chart I post later that I am not yet fully exploiting these brakes. Why? Because I continue to underestimate how much stopping power is on reserve... It takes bravery and time to adjust to fully exploit a set of brakes like this, and well I'm still working on it!
Where to get: Stillen : AP Racing AP Racing 6-Piston Big Brake Kits You may be worried about how much they cost but I offer this up for you: 1) if you act while your z is new'ish, you can probably sell your existing brakes for about $1K - lots of interested "G" owners, 2) you're going to spend a significant portion of this on quality rotors and still not have as reliable and powerful a setup, 3) they may save your ***! 4) One of the things you are paying for with these brakes is support. Since purchasing these, I've had all the access I need to Stillen's technical people to talk about brake pad options, servicing, etc. The responsiveness and technical skill of the folks I've interacted with at Stillen/Brake Pros has been 10x what I've gotten from Nissan for the car itself.
I will continue to test different pads during the upcoming season and will update this thread occasionally with results. Questions and comments welcomed!
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