A "not-so-expensive" brake upgrade for F355

i think i paid a total of $4k for my front and rear stoptechs. they fit perfect and look great. they are an easy cost effective solution over stock, plus they are well supported through stoptech. the same calipers and rotors are used on a lot of their kits, its mainly the brackets that make them vehicle specific. sorry i dont have any better pics.


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the stoptech PNs for red calipers with slotted rotors are:

315-83-305004671 (Rear)
315-83-305470071 (Front)

i paid $1700 for the rear and $2000 for the front. pretty good deal for a BBK kit for a ferrari

 

Stoptechs are a great brake package and being a US company you can get parts and service with a smile. I race on stoptechs and beat the living shut out of them. They take the abuse and come back for more.

 

I like the idea of having aftermarket options for more performance. But I'm having some trouble understanding how the stock brakes were inadequate when people raced the snot out of these cars in the Challenge Series. In my own meager track racing exploits, I've always found that good pads and fluids were all that was needed.

And another thing, a few pages back, someone was making aluminum adapters for the calipers, and it was suggested by someone else to have them threaded in a fine pitch. I'm just a hobbyist when it comes to machining, but I always thought you wanted coarse threads in aluminum, and fine pitch for high torque applications in steel. The additional torque and shallower bite from the fine pitch would strip aluminum. Right?

 

I also have the Stoptech brakes on my Challenge now (Race Trophy) and they are exceptionnal!
The installation is really easy, great quality parts and the braking is really perfect, you can use them for more than 1 hour without feeling any differcences!
And I was on track with other Challenge cars with 150kg less and I was as fast as them

 

Challenge cars got the bigger Brembo brake kit, not the stock ones. Caliper part numbers: 163292 & 163293. See attached image.

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Ahh, gotcha. Then that makes sense.

 

I got the Trophy street calipers. I think same as race except street have dust shields. Fantastic brakes and the calipers are incredibly light weight
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Do you happen to have a link to these? I am looking to do breaks next with the refresh she is going through. I will have challenge wheels on when I get her back.

Thanks, those look wonderful also!

 

If you mean a link to where I bought the brakes, I bought them at Vivid Racing. Not sure they still carry them.

 

Try Zeckhuasen they carry Stoptech. The Trophy calipers and rotors are so light compared to stock. A lot less unsprung weight
They are huge. When I used to track the car I ran a 255 front tire on 9 inch rims and the braking was fantastic. Now I,run Challenge rims.
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Right. I suggest that you put those original rotors into storage and get a set of slotted GiroDiscs. The original F355 Challenge cross-drilled rotors (the same brembo calipers and rotors were used on the F40s) were prone to cracking and a source of complaints during the Challenge Series. Most of us who track our F355 Challenge cars today have switched to the GiroDisc rotors years ago...


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Ya I've also got the Girodiscs. Much cheaper to replace and direct bolt on.

 

Here's an example of cracks in an original brembo Challenge rotor...


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That rotor is done.


Here's a guide for cross-drilled rotor inspection...


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Whew! Now I can sleep nights.

 

Hahaha ya the girodiscs don't have the whole cross drilled cracking problem since they're slotted and I've always had great customer support from them.

 

when i bought my stoptechs i didnt even check the pricing on the trophy kit...didnt know it existed. they look really good. i, too, am happy with the stoptechs, especially considering the price compared to a brembo kit. when i bought the car it needed all 4 new oem rotors and i think just buying those was around 60% the cost of the stoptech kit, so i just upgraded. the stock brakes are ok for street driving, but they look stupidly small and rotors were expensive.
i scaled my car at 3145lb without me in it and that is heavy enough to get a good quality kit for street and occasional HPDEs i run.

 

Can't seem to find the front calipers that the O.P. (Eric355) mentioned at the beginning of this thread.
JD

 

They're probably hens teeth nowadays with the escalation of aircooled porsche prices. 964RS or 965 turbos were rare enough...The trick would be to find the base number from Brembo. Maybe check porsche racer suppliers?

sjd

 

The OP used 964 Calpers, but later in the post people started using the big red Porsche 993 TT calipers.
I'm running 550 rotors, Porsche Big Red's, and mad Turk adapters. No complaints I love them.

 

Turk adapters?

 

after all the posts readings, searching for calipers adapters discs etc.... The effort and cost would be to reinvent the wheel so to speak comparing costs new for new. So just might as well just go for a prepackaged, no muss, no fuss StopTech or Brembo kit. I love doing things myself and saving a penny or two is an added bonus, but at the end of the day....the smartest route is not to DIY. The unbranded "Dansk" Big Red caliper copies are certainly cost effective, but I have little trust in an unproven copy when my life depends on it. I worry about little things like metallurgy, materials, engineering... and a knock off is a no-go in my book. So I'll be spending just a little more, not much more really, and be able to not fear when I step on the brakes.

 

I’m taking a slightly different approach. Concentrating my efforts on weight reduction. Therefore increasing performance in all areas while keeping the low polar moment of inertia of the stock brakes

 

I'm running 993 and 550 as well, huge difference from factory. LOVE IT. Well worth the $1.5k I have in it. (Bought the giro 550s)

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You chaps have done a good job of convincing me that these are worth a close look (and better value than the Brembo kit which is eye-wateringly expensive).
I've found a "local" dealer (in New Zealand, lol), but I have a couple more quick questions if you don't mind.

ThomasK appears to have them with his stock rims, so I assume there are no fitment issues with the stock rim?
What (if anything) else do you or should you buy (lines etc.) or do the kits include everything you will need for the upgrade?
And finally, although I'm sure both would be fine for my application (99% street, a couple of track days per year), is it the opinion of those with most experience that slotted is the way to go, rather than cross-drilled?

Thanks.