ENDLESS vs BREMBO vs STOPTECH vs ROTORA.
11-02-04, 04:56 PM
#18
Guest
Posts: n/a
Let me chime in as I have ton tons of research as well.
All these companies have done tons of research on their kits.
Brembo is the most popular and you are paying for the name somewhat. Brembo had a pretty much lock on the BBK industry until recently and still controls the market. Yes, their brakes are worth the money. Yes, they come standard on most performance cars for a reason. They are seen are are arguably the best. Brembo=brakes.
Rotora=Cost Effective Alternative. Not as pretty, not as big as others but fits with many OEM rims. Smaller and cheaper than the others. They are new to the BBK game but I have not read of anything bad about them. They are just new to Lexus (expecially).
Endless=Some JDM legend. Legendary there, not here. They have no intentions of lowering thier price to come here yet. I don't see any benefits of this kit over the others. No data at all to support the price. Clearly though, it is a top of the line kit as well.
Stoptech=The newer kid on the block, reminds me of I-forged some and how they make wheels. Like HRE almost. Stoptechs remind me of Brembo. Though looking at some tests, they might be slighly better. Great price and looks. Not as well known as Brembo.
Supra Upgrade-The Supra had the shortest stopping distances until the $440,000 Porsche GT broke them with its Ceramic Brakes. They are that good. Heavy as hell though, compared to the others. But much cheaper to own.
Now I see all these BBKs and honestly, its for looks mostly, B/C they will not make u stop any shorter. They WILL make u stop shorter after the 5th stop and the 10th stop and 20th stop, since they will not fade. Period. Data for Brembo and Stoptech show those suckers don't fade at the track. But how many go to the track, as in road-course?
But man, they do look hella cool. I cannot say one is better than the other. Hopefully you can see what I wrote and make a decision on what u prefer and want out your kit.
All these companies have done tons of research on their kits.
Brembo is the most popular and you are paying for the name somewhat. Brembo had a pretty much lock on the BBK industry until recently and still controls the market. Yes, their brakes are worth the money. Yes, they come standard on most performance cars for a reason. They are seen are are arguably the best. Brembo=brakes.
Rotora=Cost Effective Alternative. Not as pretty, not as big as others but fits with many OEM rims. Smaller and cheaper than the others. They are new to the BBK game but I have not read of anything bad about them. They are just new to Lexus (expecially).
Endless=Some JDM legend. Legendary there, not here. They have no intentions of lowering thier price to come here yet. I don't see any benefits of this kit over the others. No data at all to support the price. Clearly though, it is a top of the line kit as well.
Stoptech=The newer kid on the block, reminds me of I-forged some and how they make wheels. Like HRE almost. Stoptechs remind me of Brembo. Though looking at some tests, they might be slighly better. Great price and looks. Not as well known as Brembo.
Supra Upgrade-The Supra had the shortest stopping distances until the $440,000 Porsche GT broke them with its Ceramic Brakes. They are that good. Heavy as hell though, compared to the others. But much cheaper to own.
Now I see all these BBKs and honestly, its for looks mostly, B/C they will not make u stop any shorter. They WILL make u stop shorter after the 5th stop and the 10th stop and 20th stop, since they will not fade. Period. Data for Brembo and Stoptech show those suckers don't fade at the track. But how many go to the track, as in road-course?
But man, they do look hella cool. I cannot say one is better than the other. Hopefully you can see what I wrote and make a decision on what u prefer and want out your kit.
11-02-04, 08:07 PM
#19
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Petal,MS
Posts: 910
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Let me add my couple of cents.
When it came time to upgrade the brakes, AP was my first choice. I chose the AP over Brembro because the AP brakes had a 6 piston setup compared to the Brembro's 4. Only thing i didn't like was that there was no matching rear set.
By this time Stoptech had entered the market. When i saw the 4 wheel kit, that put Stoptech over the AP kit. Since most of the stopping power comes from the front brakes, i was hesitant to pull the trigger on the 4 piston Stoptechs.
Months go by as i'm trying to decide to pull the trigger on a BBK. Steve posts about the Rotora 6/4 kit for the GS and i'm done thinking about what kit to buy. The Rotora had the 6 piston front i was looking for plus the matching rear brake to go with it.
This is my second favorite mod. behind the suspension stuff. I think it will be hard to find a difference performance wise between the kits. As everyone said, BBK are for better brake feel and better looks.
When it came time to upgrade the brakes, AP was my first choice. I chose the AP over Brembro because the AP brakes had a 6 piston setup compared to the Brembro's 4. Only thing i didn't like was that there was no matching rear set.
By this time Stoptech had entered the market. When i saw the 4 wheel kit, that put Stoptech over the AP kit. Since most of the stopping power comes from the front brakes, i was hesitant to pull the trigger on the 4 piston Stoptechs.
Months go by as i'm trying to decide to pull the trigger on a BBK. Steve posts about the Rotora 6/4 kit for the GS and i'm done thinking about what kit to buy. The Rotora had the 6 piston front i was looking for plus the matching rear brake to go with it.
This is my second favorite mod. behind the suspension stuff. I think it will be hard to find a difference performance wise between the kits. As everyone said, BBK are for better brake feel and better looks.
11-02-04, 08:48 PM
#20
Originally posted by 1SICKLEX
Let me chime in as I have ton tons of research as well.
All these companies have done tons of research on their kits.
Brembo is the most popular and you are paying for the name somewhat. Brembo had a pretty much lock on the BBK industry until recently and still controls the market. Yes, their brakes are worth the money. Yes, they come standard on most performance cars for a reason. They are seen are are arguably the best. Brembo=brakes.
Rotora=Cost Effective Alternative. Not as pretty, not as big as others but fits with many OEM rims. Smaller and cheaper than the others. They are new to the BBK game but I have not read of anything bad about them. They are just new to Lexus (expecially).
Endless=Some JDM legend. Legendary there, not here. They have no intentions of lowering thier price to come here yet. I don't see any benefits of this kit over the others. No data at all to support the price. Clearly though, it is a top of the line kit as well.
Stoptech=The newer kid on the block, reminds me of I-forged some and how they make wheels. Like HRE almost. Stoptechs remind me of Brembo. Though looking at some tests, they might be slighly better. Great price and looks. Not as well known as Brembo.
Supra Upgrade-The Supra had the shortest stopping distances until the $440,000 Porsche GT broke them with its Ceramic Brakes. They are that good. Heavy as hell though, compared to the others. But much cheaper to own.
Now I see all these BBKs and honestly, its for looks mostly, B/C they will not make u stop any shorter. They WILL make u stop shorter after the 5th stop and the 10th stop and 20th stop, since they will not fade. Period. Data for Brembo and Stoptech show those suckers don't fade at the track. But how many go to the track, as in road-course?
But man, they do look hella cool. I cannot say one is better than the other. Hopefully you can see what I wrote and make a decision on what u prefer and want out your kit.
Let me chime in as I have ton tons of research as well.
All these companies have done tons of research on their kits.
Brembo is the most popular and you are paying for the name somewhat. Brembo had a pretty much lock on the BBK industry until recently and still controls the market. Yes, their brakes are worth the money. Yes, they come standard on most performance cars for a reason. They are seen are are arguably the best. Brembo=brakes.
Rotora=Cost Effective Alternative. Not as pretty, not as big as others but fits with many OEM rims. Smaller and cheaper than the others. They are new to the BBK game but I have not read of anything bad about them. They are just new to Lexus (expecially).
Endless=Some JDM legend. Legendary there, not here. They have no intentions of lowering thier price to come here yet. I don't see any benefits of this kit over the others. No data at all to support the price. Clearly though, it is a top of the line kit as well.
Stoptech=The newer kid on the block, reminds me of I-forged some and how they make wheels. Like HRE almost. Stoptechs remind me of Brembo. Though looking at some tests, they might be slighly better. Great price and looks. Not as well known as Brembo.
Supra Upgrade-The Supra had the shortest stopping distances until the $440,000 Porsche GT broke them with its Ceramic Brakes. They are that good. Heavy as hell though, compared to the others. But much cheaper to own.
Now I see all these BBKs and honestly, its for looks mostly, B/C they will not make u stop any shorter. They WILL make u stop shorter after the 5th stop and the 10th stop and 20th stop, since they will not fade. Period. Data for Brembo and Stoptech show those suckers don't fade at the track. But how many go to the track, as in road-course?
But man, they do look hella cool. I cannot say one is better than the other. Hopefully you can see what I wrote and make a decision on what u prefer and want out your kit.
and yes i agree, nowadays (even to myself), most brakes are not really for performance, but also look. my brakes do help me to eliminate the mushy feel, but there is also the factor of nice looking, etc...also, keep in mind that no matter how good a brake it, most of the time it's developed for a certain application. so for example the supra brakes are very good on the supra, but coz' the GS has different weight distribution, etc... result might be a bit different. just something to keep in mind
oh and sick, sorry to say but the brembo also fades at the track
couple of times i watch videos from japan (and i remember one about super cars) where the gt brakes on the 360 faded so bad but then the bottom line, these bbk, they reduce the chances for fading, but it can't prevent it forever
11-05-04, 12:36 PM
#21
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: California
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, an FYI, Rotora is a branch of a large Taiwanese brake manufacturer that produces OEM components, and interestingly enough, also produces Stoptech's brakes. Although Stoptech is a US-based company, their parts are made overseas. Rotora is that company's foray into the aftermarket brake market under their "own" name. Their stuff isn't really that bad...finish quality isn't as great (looking closely at one of their calipers you can see what amounts to overspray on the insides, etc.), but for the money, they do work well, and unless you are super critical about how the calipers look, they are not a bad buy.
11-05-04, 02:28 PM
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
11-05-04, 03:02 PM
#23
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: CLUBLEXUS USA
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the wealth of knowledge replies.. Right now, I am leaning toward Stoptech, but I've been looking around and the Rotora Front and Rear setup is a fair price(still expensive) but not as expensive as the Stoptech F&R setup.. Having 14" rotors front and back would look KILLER !
11-05-04, 03:39 PM
#25
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: California
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by Neo
Can you elaborate on this? Which part of the StopTechs are you saying Rotora produces? I'd like to verify with my contacts as this is the first time I heard this.
Can you elaborate on this? Which part of the StopTechs are you saying Rotora produces? I'd like to verify with my contacts as this is the first time I heard this.
11-05-04, 04:22 PM
#26
Originally posted by OneTonVIP
It's not that Rotora makes Stoptech's products (I forgot if it was the calipers or the rotors, or both, specifically), but its parent comapany. The parent company (whose name also escapes me at the moment) is a huge brake manufacturer that focused on OEM, but started producing parts for some aftermarket companies several years ago. Then the sons of the owner of that company founded Rotora so that they could put that manufacturing resource to use producing parts under their own name.
It's not that Rotora makes Stoptech's products (I forgot if it was the calipers or the rotors, or both, specifically), but its parent comapany. The parent company (whose name also escapes me at the moment) is a huge brake manufacturer that focused on OEM, but started producing parts for some aftermarket companies several years ago. Then the sons of the owner of that company founded Rotora so that they could put that manufacturing resource to use producing parts under their own name.
11-05-04, 08:08 PM
#27
Originally posted by OneTonVIP
Well, an FYI, Rotora is a branch of a large Taiwanese brake manufacturer that produces OEM components, and interestingly enough, also produces Stoptech's brakes. Although Stoptech is a US-based company, their parts are made overseas. Rotora is that company's foray into the aftermarket brake market under their "own" name. Their stuff isn't really that bad...finish quality isn't as great (looking closely at one of their calipers you can see what amounts to overspray on the insides, etc.), but for the money, they do work well, and unless you are super critical about how the calipers look, they are not a bad buy.
Well, an FYI, Rotora is a branch of a large Taiwanese brake manufacturer that produces OEM components, and interestingly enough, also produces Stoptech's brakes. Although Stoptech is a US-based company, their parts are made overseas. Rotora is that company's foray into the aftermarket brake market under their "own" name. Their stuff isn't really that bad...finish quality isn't as great (looking closely at one of their calipers you can see what amounts to overspray on the insides, etc.), but for the money, they do work well, and unless you are super critical about how the calipers look, they are not a bad buy.
11-05-04, 08:16 PM
#28
Originally posted by Neo
I would have to think it is the plain rotors. StopTech drills them in their plant. As far as I know, they have the calipers casted somewhere else but finishes it in-house too. They recently (less than a year ago) changed their caliper source. I don't know if the new or old source is the "Rotora parent" you are stating (assuming the info is correct and it is the calipers). I am not sure of the powder coat though. I also know they build the SS lines in house but that does not means the components/parts are made in house. Even if some parts of the StopTechs come from the same source as Rotora, it does not make them the same. Both companies have different approaches to engineering a BBK system and both have pluses and minuses.
I would have to think it is the plain rotors. StopTech drills them in their plant. As far as I know, they have the calipers casted somewhere else but finishes it in-house too. They recently (less than a year ago) changed their caliper source. I don't know if the new or old source is the "Rotora parent" you are stating (assuming the info is correct and it is the calipers). I am not sure of the powder coat though. I also know they build the SS lines in house but that does not means the components/parts are made in house. Even if some parts of the StopTechs come from the same source as Rotora, it does not make them the same. Both companies have different approaches to engineering a BBK system and both have pluses and minuses.
and from what i know, rotora makes TONS of oem calipers and brake setup for a lot of manufacturers, that's why if you talk about making brakes, yes they know what they are doing. they also made a lot of calipers and stuff for aftermarket companies, specailly those in taiwan (in taiwan you see a lot of junk brands). starting last yr, they said why not just do it themselves, that's when they started to push out the rotora name (when we first heard it). their approach has been from the lower end (no offence) market, so they started out with honda. that's pretty much where i first heard the brand name. soon enough i heard the name here on clublexus as well and they started to offset stuff for the lexus models. early this yr they started to produce stuff for more high end cars like porsche or so. but from what i have seen so far though, they haven't been too successful (just my own observation) in entering those markets. those people just dont' keep to really buy the rotora name yet. i guess they are well off enough to get the ultimate ones -- brembo, ap racing, etc....
on the other hand, i think stoptech has done very well over the past 2 yrs entering the high end euro market. you see TONS of audi and bimmers running stoptech stuff. some people say that they are knock offs of brembo, but personally i kinda stay neutral, coz' as far as i know, they might look similar but the technology behind is pretty different. they are both good stuff.
11-05-04, 09:56 PM
#29
Originally posted by 1SICKLEX
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...5&page=1&pp=25
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...5&page=1&pp=25
Sick...that was a good read, thanks!
11-05-04, 10:29 PM
#30
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,959
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OneTonVIP & Rominl are right on with the info.. Being sponsored by Rotora, I have heard the whole caliper story a few times now and most recently was at Sema a few days ago. Steve Ganz and I had dinner with one of the main guys at Rotora... It seems to be a very heated inside argument between the two companies ever sine Rotora started pushing their own line. The Taiwanese company did in fact build the calipers for Rotora, Stoptech and many other OEM manufactures. Rotora continues to have their calipers built by their Taiwanese company but uses Rotora's name, engineering and design. Stoptech has indeed changed companies building the calipers, which maybe is why they do alot of stuff in house. That also may account for the 2-4 week wait when ordering a BBK from them. Ever since Rotora started pushing their own line, Stoptech has had some bad blood with them... Even when Rotora explained to Stoptech that there were design changes (bolts, pins, materials), Stoptech still wasn't happy. Regardless of all this information, Rotora has struggled to get out fo the shadow of Stoptech. However, things are changing. Since Rotora is coming from a drift-racing background, they are using race technology for the street applications that other BB companies are not doing. Simple things like bolt placement and new high grade metals are being used. Furthermore, Rotora has been heavily involved in trying to get a full line up of products ( 4, mini 4, 6, 8 piston setups) for many vehicles. Starting in 2005, Rotora will now be extending their products to a variety of Trucks and SUV's. Also watch for a new line of colors.
Anyway, keep your eyes open sometime in early '05 for a brake shootout hosted by Sport Compact. Rotora has already asked to be apart of the friendly competition between other BB companies.
And for bragging rights, here is the largest BBK kit out so far...as i was told. Pic taken 11/2/04
Rotora's 8 PISTON Caliper with a 407mm rotor (16").
Anyway, keep your eyes open sometime in early '05 for a brake shootout hosted by Sport Compact. Rotora has already asked to be apart of the friendly competition between other BB companies.
And for bragging rights, here is the largest BBK kit out so far...as i was told. Pic taken 11/2/04
Rotora's 8 PISTON Caliper with a 407mm rotor (16").
Last edited by LXOGOOD; 11-06-04 at 06:48 AM.