ECS Big Brake Opinions
12-21-2004, 06:19 AM
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ECS Big Brake Opinions
I'm going with either the Stage III or IV Brake Kit. The Stage IV has a larger rotor (14") but will not fit my stock 17" OEM rims. Would they fit with spacers? Is the Stage III brakes as good? Both kits are about the same price.
Joe.
Joe.
12-21-2004, 06:43 AM
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I've got the Stg III which is actually more expensive due to Porsche rotors.
The kit was excellent and included genuine Porsche parts such as wear sensors, disks, calipers, piston hats etc. I've had them on for almost two years now and let me tell you, these brakes have more power than God! I find it almost impossible to make them fade and have saved my a$$ in numerous occasions. Some things I'd advise though:
1. Don't go for Hawk Performance pads. They are too hard on the disks and squeal a lot. They are very temperature resistant but cause the disks to bend. They also don't perform too well when brakes are cold, but can cause your eyeballs to pop out when they are warm!
2. Some cracks around the vent holes on the drilled Porsche rotors are normal after hard use and do not expand, so don't fear if you notice something like that.
3. I didn't use the ATE Blue racing fluid supplied 'cause it's silicone-based DOT5. I used the Castrol RS DOT4 which has a boiling point of 360*C instead of the ATE's 280*C IIRC. Bad news is the much more expensive Castrol needs to be replaced every 18 months.
4. The Stg IV calipers are monobloc whereas the Stg III are not. That makes the IVs lighter and slightly more rigid. I've never had problems form my 993 Turbo calipers though, plus they are HUGE, bigger than the 996-derived ones included in the Stg IV kit.
5. When I bought the Stg III kit I didn't have a choise 'cause the Stg IV hadn't been developped yet. I'd make the same decision today since Porsche parts )rotors, etc) are easier to trace than ECS custom rotors, esp. if you live in Europe like me and have to pay $$$ in taxes when importing goods from the US.
Hope that helped!
1. Don't go for Hawk Performance pads. They are too hard on the disks and squeal a lot. They are very temperature resistant but cause the disks to bend. They also don't perform too well when brakes are cold, but can cause your eyeballs to pop out when they are warm!
2. Some cracks around the vent holes on the drilled Porsche rotors are normal after hard use and do not expand, so don't fear if you notice something like that.
3. I didn't use the ATE Blue racing fluid supplied 'cause it's silicone-based DOT5. I used the Castrol RS DOT4 which has a boiling point of 360*C instead of the ATE's 280*C IIRC. Bad news is the much more expensive Castrol needs to be replaced every 18 months.
4. The Stg IV calipers are monobloc whereas the Stg III are not. That makes the IVs lighter and slightly more rigid. I've never had problems form my 993 Turbo calipers though, plus they are HUGE, bigger than the 996-derived ones included in the Stg IV kit.
5. When I bought the Stg III kit I didn't have a choise 'cause the Stg IV hadn't been developped yet. I'd make the same decision today since Porsche parts )rotors, etc) are easier to trace than ECS custom rotors, esp. if you live in Europe like me and have to pay $$$ in taxes when importing goods from the US.
Hope that helped!
12-21-2004, 06:56 AM
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Some pics of the Stg III...
On my car...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/bigred.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/111-1149_img.jpg">
The new Stg III kit on a friend's S3: notice the different central mounting part with the ECS logo. Its design doubles as a 5mm spacer
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/nikbigred.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/bigred.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/111-1149_img.jpg">
The new Stg III kit on a friend's S3: notice the different central mounting part with the ECS logo. Its design doubles as a 5mm spacer
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/8717/nikbigred.jpg">
12-21-2004, 08:29 AM
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stg 3 "Big Yellows"
<img src="http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Events/TT%20West/2004/067.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/gmallare/bling005.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/gmallare/Polished2.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/gmallare/bling005.jpg">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/gmallare/Polished2.jpg">
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12-21-2004, 09:44 AM
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actually, they are still on my car...
which is at the dealer getting a new subframe and driveshaft. Since the accident, I've only had my car back for 1 day. So far, it's been in the shop for almost 1 month.