Installed StopTech Big Brake Kit Today
05-08-04, 08:29 PM
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Installed StopTech Big Brake Kit Today
The kit was delivered this Friday, woke up early this morning and got to work. The craftsmanship on this kit looks excellent right down to the packaging. StopTech has not completed the installation instructions for the RX-7 so they sent the Lexis IS300 instead with a letter apologizing for it not being ready and explained that the install was basically the same.
The hardest part of the install was unscrewing the two screws on each side that held the stock rotor in place. Three of them came out using an impact driver, power drill and a #3 bit. The 4th one I stripped and had to drill it out. The other thing I had to do was use a cutting blade on the dremel to cut off the splash guards since the new rotors are too big and came in contact with them. Other than that the kit just bolted right on and aligned perfectly with all the existing bolts etc..
I had to get some very thin wheel spacers because the spokes on my 17” Fiske FM10’s where just barely rubbing the calipers. Total install took about 4 hours and that included a trip to the auto parts store for some wheel spacers and an impact driver.
I just got done doing the brake bedding process, which consisted of 10 fairly hard stops from 60mph to 5-10mph. The brakes smoked a little bit but the instructions said that was to be expected. Other than that I took it real easy. I’ll post an update after I get them a little more broken in and can really put them to the test. Can’t wait to get it out on the track!
The hardest part of the install was unscrewing the two screws on each side that held the stock rotor in place. Three of them came out using an impact driver, power drill and a #3 bit. The 4th one I stripped and had to drill it out. The other thing I had to do was use a cutting blade on the dremel to cut off the splash guards since the new rotors are too big and came in contact with them. Other than that the kit just bolted right on and aligned perfectly with all the existing bolts etc..
I had to get some very thin wheel spacers because the spokes on my 17” Fiske FM10’s where just barely rubbing the calipers. Total install took about 4 hours and that included a trip to the auto parts store for some wheel spacers and an impact driver.
I just got done doing the brake bedding process, which consisted of 10 fairly hard stops from 60mph to 5-10mph. The brakes smoked a little bit but the instructions said that was to be expected. Other than that I took it real easy. I’ll post an update after I get them a little more broken in and can really put them to the test. Can’t wait to get it out on the track!
Last edited by 95FD_VA; 05-08-04 at 08:49 PM.
05-08-04, 08:52 PM
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Felt real good. The pedal is definalty firmer and I had pretty new pads on before. I can feel the slots on the rotor through the brake pedal. I always felt the sotck brakes where pretty good to though. I got this kit mainly to avoid the chronic fade the stockers gave me at the track
05-08-04, 08:56 PM
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Oh yeah the kit was $1,895, you can buy it from the StopTech website. I also rember Jason from the RX-7 Store said he was going to sell them too
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05-08-04, 10:35 PM
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Damn, that clearance problem with the calipers was what I was afraid of. I've got Fikse FM-5s, so I'm not sure how different the spokes are between the wheels. In checking with the template that their website has, the clearance right where the spoke meets the wheel is extremely close. How thick were these spacers you installed to get clearance? Have you ever compared your FM-10s to the FM-5s? As much as I'd like to get the Stoptech kit, I don't want to put down the $$ only to find out that the clearance problems are insurmountable.
05-08-04, 11:16 PM
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Originally posted by Kento
Damn, that clearance problem with the calipers was what I was afraid of.
Damn, that clearance problem with the calipers was what I was afraid of.
05-08-04, 11:46 PM
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this has prob been gone over before but it "looks" like the rotor vanes are facing the wrong way. did stop tec say which direction they should face? any their reasoning?
05-09-04, 12:55 AM
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Originally posted by mad_7tist
this has prob been gone over before but it "looks" like the rotor vanes are facing the wrong way. did stop tec say which direction they should face? any their reasoning?
this has prob been gone over before but it "looks" like the rotor vanes are facing the wrong way. did stop tec say which direction they should face? any their reasoning?
05-09-04, 10:47 AM
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The wheel spacers I picked up from Pep Boys for 7 bucks each. They are 5/16" thick universal 5 bolt pattern. Since the are universal they don fit real sung and slide around until you torque the wheel down. This I don't like because I can't insure they are centered and could cause balance issues. Also 5/16 is more than I need, the wheels just ever so barely rubbed the calipers. I plan on geting some 2-3mm spacers made to fit the exact lug pattern so it won't move around
05-09-04, 11:27 AM
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Nice! 
StopTech has a good reputation for making well balanced kits.
Did you also do the rears?
Any idea of the total weight compared to stock (calipers, brackets and rotors)?
StopTech has a good reputation for making well balanced kits. Did you also do the rears?
Any idea of the total weight compared to stock (calipers, brackets and rotors)?
05-09-04, 03:00 PM
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They don't have anything for the rears. I did put on some power slot rotors in the rear (stock replacements), stainless steel braided lines and some upgraded pads.
05-09-04, 05:06 PM
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No exact idea on the weight. I did not weigh them before putting them on. I can only guess that they do weigh more than the stocks brakes since they are bigger. I did not notice much difference though when handling the stock ones versus the new.
05-10-04, 01:59 PM
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Congrats...they look great! The RX-7 kits are now hitting the streets...a little later than I had hoped for, but we took the time to do our homework and get the right setup.
Testing on the kits at the airfield went well. We toyed with a few different piston setups on the kit, and ended up with a substantial improvement over stock in terms of both stopping distances (shaved a couple of feet from 60 and 100-0) and feel (firmer pedal). Thermal capacity will obviously be a tremendous improvement over stock. We also made a few minor changes to our original hat design to improve fitment. Fitment charts are on our website: http://www.stoptech.com/wheelfitchar...hart_index.htm
We are offering the RX-7 kit at $1895 with slotted rotors. We've decided to do painted calipers only (no more black anodized), so at this price you can have either red, black, or silver painted calipers.
Weight of the entire corner is roughly 25-26lbs. I quoted someone 35lbs per corner last week (RX7 Rage?), but that is the shipping weight, not the actual weight (includes packaging, etc.). Sorry for the confusion. The caliper itself weighs just over 8.25 lbs...bracket and hardware are about 2lbs, and the 332mm rotor, hat, and hardware weigh about 15lbs., for a total of approximately 25-26lbs per corner.
The rotors are on correctly in this case. What you are referring to as a vane, is not a vane but a slot. Vanes are the internal structure that you cannot see from a profile view. The vanes are actually 'slanted' in the opposite direction of the slots on the face of the rotor. The leading edges of the vanes 'point' towards the center opening of the rotor. As the wheel rolls, the rotor spins so that the leading edges of the internal vanes are cutting into the air, and actually pumping it outwards. This is one area that our AeroRotor design is superior to the competition. Air evacuation through the rotor is greater. I have some great pics that show the vane structure if anyone wants them...you can feel free to host them. Let me know jeff@stoptech.com.
Back to the slots...you don't want the slots on the face in the same direction as the vanes. Why? Because they interfere with heat transfer. Heat travels from the face of the rotor into the internal structure of the rotors...into the vanes. As air flows over the vanes, it cools them. By cross-hatching the slot over the vane like an X, you are not taking a big chunk of material out of any single vane. If you laid a slot down in parallel over top of an internal vane, you would impair the heat transfer mechanism, and you would take away from the strength of the part.
These kits are available through a number of vendors including: Jason from here at the RX7 Store, Sean at A-Spec, Dave at Zeckhausen Racing, Peter Farrell Supercars, and Rotary Performance just to name a few.
Testing on the kits at the airfield went well. We toyed with a few different piston setups on the kit, and ended up with a substantial improvement over stock in terms of both stopping distances (shaved a couple of feet from 60 and 100-0) and feel (firmer pedal). Thermal capacity will obviously be a tremendous improvement over stock. We also made a few minor changes to our original hat design to improve fitment. Fitment charts are on our website: http://www.stoptech.com/wheelfitchar...hart_index.htm
We are offering the RX-7 kit at $1895 with slotted rotors. We've decided to do painted calipers only (no more black anodized), so at this price you can have either red, black, or silver painted calipers.
Weight of the entire corner is roughly 25-26lbs. I quoted someone 35lbs per corner last week (RX7 Rage?), but that is the shipping weight, not the actual weight (includes packaging, etc.). Sorry for the confusion. The caliper itself weighs just over 8.25 lbs...bracket and hardware are about 2lbs, and the 332mm rotor, hat, and hardware weigh about 15lbs., for a total of approximately 25-26lbs per corner.
this has prob been gone over before but it "looks" like the rotor vanes are facing the wrong way. did stop tec say which direction they should face? any their reasoning?
Back to the slots...you don't want the slots on the face in the same direction as the vanes. Why? Because they interfere with heat transfer. Heat travels from the face of the rotor into the internal structure of the rotors...into the vanes. As air flows over the vanes, it cools them. By cross-hatching the slot over the vane like an X, you are not taking a big chunk of material out of any single vane. If you laid a slot down in parallel over top of an internal vane, you would impair the heat transfer mechanism, and you would take away from the strength of the part.
These kits are available through a number of vendors including: Jason from here at the RX7 Store, Sean at A-Spec, Dave at Zeckhausen Racing, Peter Farrell Supercars, and Rotary Performance just to name a few.