I have the ultimate brake solution Review, Essex/AP Racing Radi-CAL BBK!UPDATE 4/15

[summit1le]

Hi Guys,
I wanted to share a project that I've been working on for the past few weeks.
• Since buying my car I've never had much confidence in my brakes
o list some of the brake issues
• I lost my brakes at 140mph and went looking for solution
o Essex wrote a blog post about my situation here
• I contacted Essex Parts Services. They are the importer and distributor for AP Racing's Competition Brake Components in North America
• I looked at all available options and decided to go with Essex/AP Racing based on their experience, positive customer feedback, etc.
o http://www.essexparts.com/news-blog
• I sent them my car on a trailer from FL to NC
• I wanted to share this info for all track rats who have been looking for the ultimate long-term brake solution


Essex Parts Services Background
Essex is located in Charlotte, NC and has been in business for roughly 30 years. They are the exclusive importer and distributor for a number of high-end, mainly European brands including: AP Racing competition brake products, CL Brakes pads, Ferodo Racing brake pads, Spiegler SS brake lines, etc. You can read more about them and watch a video overview of the company here. Historically their focus has been on professional racing, but lately they've been bringing more of the technology from pro racing into the aftermarket.
The Solution
For my car, Essex decided to implement their latest AP Racing Pro5000R Radi-CAL calipers. The AP Racing Radi-CAL was introduced in 2007, and has been dominating pro motorsports ever since. They're used in F1 and have repeatedly won Le Mans and 8 out of the last 9 NASCAR Sprint Cup championships. You can read their history and design philosophy in the blog post, The AP Racing Radi-CAL Story. To summarize, these calipers are stiffer, lighter, and more advanced than anything else currently available at any price…which is why I wanted them!
Essex is going to produce two different front kits and one rear kit for our cars. These kits will fit all trim levels (SS, ZL1, Z28), and should be available around the beginning of March. The front kits are as follows:
Essex Designed AP Racing Radi-CAL Competition Brake Kit (Front 9660/372)- Gen.5 Camaro
Essex Designed AP Racing Radi-CAL Competition Brake Kit (Front 9668/372)- Gen.5 Camaro
Both kits will use the same 372x34mm, 84 vane AP Racing J Hook endurance racing disc, but the six piston calipers being used are different. The CP9660 caliper is a little lighter and uses an 18mm thick pad, whereas the CP9668 uses a huge 25mm (1 inch) thick pad. I'm going with the CP9668 for additional pad wear. The OEM pads are only 15.8mm thick!
Below is the list of benefits Essex told me to expect with their new front system:
• Approximately 10lbs. of unsprung weight reduction from the nose of the car vs. the OEM SS 1LE four piston brakes and approximately 12lbs from the ZLI six piston brakes.
• Compact design fits a wide array of 18" wheels
• AP Racing Radi-CAL calipers are the stiffest, lightest, and most technologically advanced calipers available at any price
• CP9668 calipers use a 25mm thick, commonly available brake pad shape, vs. the factory 15.8mm thick pads
• Ventilated, domed back, stainless steel pistons keep heat out of the brake fluid and provide an ultra-firm pedal
• Mitigation of pad knockback via anti-knockback springs behind the caliper pistons
• Anodized caliper finish that is resistant to wear and deterioration at elevated temperatures
• Stainless steel caliper hardware for a long caliper service life under frequent pad change conditions
• High temperature, low drag seals that will hold up to track temps= less rebuilding and longer service life
• No dust boots to burn up
• Simple pad change with two bolts or quick-change spring clip, no caliper removal required
• Lifetime professional caliper rebuilding support by Essex (at a fee)- pull off your calipers, send them to us, we clean, inspect, and rebuild them
• Available disc burnishing service ensures that your kit arrives ready to be installed and driven hard immediately
• Championship winning, 84 vane, fully floating, AP Racing J Hook racing discs with 12 attachment points to hat
• Anti-knockback/anti-rattle disc attachment hardware
• Replacement iron disc rings available at an extremely competitive replacement price ($399 each)
• Disc metallurgy specifically designed to handle the temps typically seen on track offer a long service life
• Highest quality, Spiegler stainless steel brake line with clear sheath that reduces compliance over OEM rubber design
Essex is currently working with AP Racing on a new rear Pro5000R caliper and disc solution, and that kit will be ready later this year. I'm not terribly worried about my rear brakes though, since I've gone through several sets of front pads and discs but haven't really even touched the rears yet. It's pretty obvious that these cars are much tougher on front brakes than they are on the rears. Since the Essex front kit closely matches the brake torque output of the OEM front brakes, they can be added with any my OEM rear brake setup, and they'll integrate seamlessly with ABS, etc.
Why I went this route
I considered a lot of different options before making this decision…List some of those other options
Ultimately I ended up deciding to go this route for several reasons. First, I wanted confidence in my brakes. I've wasted too many track sessions letting up on my brakes or worrying that they weren't going to be there when I needed them most. I'm excited to see how much I can improve my consistency and lap times when my brakes feel and react the same way all day.
Second, I wanted something with lower long-term running costs. With the OEM brakes I was only getting a couple days out of pads, cracking discs quickly, and I destroyed at least one of my front calipers, which would cost $700 to replace (and the same thing would happen again in the future if I keep tracking my car). Even though the Essex kits seem expensive at first, I've read a number of posts on other forums about people getting multiple seasons out of one pair of discs, and huge increases in pad wear vs. stock (Corvette forum, M3 post, etc…here's a cool cost/benefit analysis from the BRZ forum written by one of the partners at Chin Motorsports). When I sell my car I'll also be able to pull these brakes off and sell them used for at least 50% of what I paid for them, whereas my OEM brakes are nearly worthless now.
Third, I wanted to go with someone I trust. AP Racing is obviously one of the most famous names in brakes, and Essex has a huge amount of experience implementing their products in both pro racing and the aftermarket. It's what they do all day, every day. I wanted to know that I had both the best product and the best customer support going forward.
What I'm possibly looking forward to most however, is hanging out and relaxing between track sessions rather than scrambling around trying to bleed brakes, change pads, etc. I want to enjoy my time at the track and drive, not wrench and worry about brake issues. I'm confident that this setup will allow me to do that, and I can't wait to get my car back with the new brakes!

Pictures to follow later!!

[gajagfan]

"Approximately 12lbs. of unsprung weight reduction from the nose of the car vs. the OEM SS 1LE six piston brakes"........

I think we only have 4 piston brakes stock on the 1LE, but I could be wrong.

[summit1le]

correct!! However I upgraded to the 6 piston CTS-V brakes

[gajagfan]

Originally Posted by summit1le

correct!! However I upgraded to the 6 piston CTS-V brakes

That's what I assumed, its just worded as if the 6 pistons are the OEM on a 1LE. I will say that you are the first person i have read about that had issue with the brakes after making that upgrade.

[summit1le]

need to edit that!!

[markgws6]

Summit, I don't see any brake cooling ducts on your sig. I think those are mandatory for any serious track driven Camaro and driver above a novice level, even with the upgraded hardware. Do you have them and they are just not listed in your sig? Looking forward to your on-track review of this kit and of course pics!

[summit1le]

I have quantum brake cooling ducts, they do help!! ran out of room in my signature

[markgws6]

Okay I just read the Essex blog and I'm amazed that even though you had ducts you still managed to cook the 6 piston CTS-V brakes!

[summit1le]

Combination of late brake and agressive race pads

[X25]

My 2 cents:
The big pro for AP-Racing calipers: I love the 25mm option AP racing kits have! Besides lasting longer, they will also insulate the heat much better.
The con: I don't like the fact that they don't have dust boot, though. It would always be in my mind when I drive through rain or muddy roads with my car. True, the dust boots melt down and crack; it did happen on my 4 piston Brembo OEM calipers, but the dust boots are still intact on my BBK, so upgraded calipers' dust boots might survive the vigors of track duty

In CTS-V calipers' defense, I presume the calipers in those pics were painted/powder-coated red with an aftermarket paint, so someone else's calipers that were subject to similar temps could 'look' better if the paint used was more resistant to high temps, or the OEM CTS-V paint was left on it.

Have fun with your new brakes!!!!

[SASQUATCHelvis]

So uhhh, are there any "beta" sets out there that need testing?

[summit1le]

I agree on the paint, as I'm assuming they started off life as Silver or Yellow Calipers, however it was the inconsistent performance that I was concerned with.

[summit1le]

Originally Posted by SASQUATCHelvis

So uhhh, are there any "beta" sets out there that need testing?

I am the Beta!!

[summit1le]

btw I have exactly two track days on those crusty High Temp Dust Boots!!