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We have miles of wheel clearance on the rear as well...
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'09 Carrera 2S, '08 Boxster LE (orange), '91 Acura NSX, Tesla Model 3 Performance, Fiesta ST
Jeff Ritter
Mgr. High Performance Division, Essex Parts Services Essex Designed AP Racing Radi-CAL Competition Brake Kits & 2-piece J Hook Discs Ferodo Racing Brake Pads Spiegler Stainless Steel Brake Lines
704-824-6030 jeff.ritter@essexparts.com
Below are some pics comparing the OEM calipers to the AP Racing Radi-CAL calipers we are using in our kit. We'll be posting up some comparative disc pics and other details early next week.
Our front six piston is considerably smaller, and weighs 6.1 lbs. vs. 9.3 lbs. for the OEM unit.
Our caliper isn't nearly as tall, allowing it to hug the disc more tightly, and offering fewer issues with debris in the wheel barrel/across the top of the caliper. Also note that the fluid paths in the AP Racing Radi-CAL are internal. There is no external cross-over pipe/tube from one side of the caliper to the other. Internal fluid pathways reduce the risk of the crossover tube being damaged by track debris, or by knocking a wheel against it when pulling the wheel off or putting it back on. The bleed screws on the front AP Racing calipers are also protected from those situations to a much greater extent.
The front AP Racing caliper only requires the removal of two 6mm bridge bolts for a pad change:
Our customer has about 6,000 miles total on his car, of which about 3800 are track miles, and he already has a cracked ceramic piston cap and dust boot:
Here is the rear caliper comparison. Our rear caliper is 4.85 lbs. vs. 7.5 lbs. for the OEM unit:
Pad changes on the rear AP caliper are even easier...just one bolt.
Will production hats be anodized black? Or even better, perhaps the same gray as the AP caliper?
Yes, the production hats will be hard anodized black, with a laser-etched logo and part number. The hats in the pic are just engineering prototypes, and the production bits will be much prettier! Here are some examples...these are our PCCB replacement discs. The hard anodizing has a satin sheen to it.
Our 981 GT4 kit with 5 lug hats will be launching at the same time as our GT3 kit. We are still trying to get our hands on a base or S 991 to take measurements. If that would be of interest to you, please shoot me a PM.
We have already released complete front and rear kits for the Boxster and Cayman 987, 981, and 718:
How do do the AP caliper selections differ for the regular 981 Catman kits, or are they the same?
Originally Posted by JRitt@essex
Thanks!
Our 981 GT4 kit with 5 lug hats will be launching at the same time as our GT3 kit. We are still trying to get our hands on a base or S 991 to take measurements. If that would be of interest to you, please shoot me a PM.
We have already released complete front and rear kits for the Boxster and Cayman 987, 981, and 718:
How do do the AP caliper selections differ for the regular 981 Catman kits, or are they the same?
Compared to the non-GT4 981, the front calipers will have a different clearance cut in them for the 991, and we're automatically including our billet pad tension bridge kit (virtually eliminates pad movement in caliper). On the rear, the piston sizes are completely different on the two chassis. The disc sizes are different on both ends of the car as well. The 981 uses our standard production discs that we buy in bulk from AP, whereas the GT3 uses a custom, smaller quantity disc. The caliper bracket designs are dramatically different between the two cars (including the material). The GT3 kit essentially looks like 'a larger version of the same thing' from its outward appearance, but there are a whole bunch of differences between the two. Also note that the pricing for the GT3 already takes into account our March 1st 2018 price increase, and the GT3 kit pricing will not change for the foreseeable future. The price of the 987/981/718 kits will increase by several hundred dollars per axle on March 1st.
Essex BBK installed on the front of customer Gary Forlenza's 987S. Now he can hardly wait to get to the track.
Nice!
Pads
I had a customer ask me about pads via email. Pads are not included with our kit. Many of our competitors include a set of junk/cheap street pads with their brake kit. We don’t bother doing that, as it’s ultimately a disservice to the customer. Instead, we offer a heavily subsidized first set of Ferodo pads with our kits. Our recommendation for track use would be the Ferodo DS1.11. The fronts would be $200 for the set, and the rears $150. Needless to say, that is a steal for a fantastic set of pads that many owners here are already enjoying in their stock calipers.
I just finished gathering the final numbers on unsprung weight savings, and it looks like our team was able to just about match the weight of the OEM PCCB brake system! Here they are from lightest to heaviest, and all weights below are in pounds...drum roll please:
Front OEM PCCB
Caliper= 9.3
Pads= 7.7
Discs= 15.2 Total brake corner weight= 32.2
Essex/AP Racing Radi-CAL BBK
CP9661 caliper= 6.1
Caliper bracket= 1.0
Pads= 5.2
Assembled discs= 21.5 Total brake corner weight= 33.8
OEM Iron
Caliper= 9.3
Pads= 7.7
Discs= 24.2 Total brake corner weight= 41.2
Essex/AP Racing Radi-CAL BBK
CP9449 caliper= 4.85
Caliper bracket= 0.7
Pads= 3.85
Assembled discs= 19.1 Total brake corner weight= 28.5
OEM Iron
Caliper= 7.5
Pads= 6.1
Discs= 24.0 Total brake corner weight= 37.6
The primary benefit of carbon ceramic discs vs. iron is unsprung weight savings. If you're tracking your car, that is pretty much the only tangible benefit. Our system provides the primary benefit of carbon ceramic discs, without all of the pitfalls, compromises, etc. Our system strips approximately 33 pounds of unsprung weight from the car vs. the OEM iron system, and is within 1.5 lbs. per corner of the OEM PCCB system weights.
Last edited by JRitt@essex; 02-21-2018 at 01:05 PM.
Another item I haven't spent too much time on in this thread...service. We offer lifetime service support on our brake kits, which includes caliper rebuilds. If and when the time comes to rebuild your AP Racing calipers, we operate the only authorized AP Racing caliper re-certification center in North America. You send us your tired and abused calipers, and we send them back to you fresh as a daisy. They are disassembled, take a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner, reassembled, and pressure tested. You barely have to get your hands dirty! Here's a shot of the master cylinder and caliper rebuild mayhem leading up to the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the Daytona 500. We had AP Radi-CALs hanging from the ceiling!
02-15-2018, 04:31 PM
