Posts: 579
Since: 26/7/2008
Status: offline
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Loz,
I looked into this alot over the past few years.
With upgrading the brakes I wanted serious stopping power but without adding massively to unsprung weight. So, I first looked at fitting better pads etc. Tried the EBC Red stuff's first. In a word, shocking. There are a number of grades of pad as original for the 3200 available from Maserati, and one of the better ones I tried later were nice, effective, but nothing special. Ferodo make a grade of pad which is a good alternative to stock, but nothing spectacular.
I then decided to go for bigger callipers and looked at a company called Hi-Spec brakes, as they make the brakes for Radical. They are a small independent company. I was seriously tempted but there were way too many negative stories about them on various forums reagrding fitmnent and durability, and I don't think their r&d/testing on a car specific project like this will be anymore than the owners feedback. Hence, I passed.
Next up came Tarox. Now it is common for competitors to not be complimentary about each other, however, repeated feedback I got from many, some neutral sources aswell, was that their 12/14/16/whatever callipers are just for razz-matazz, and are total overkill with more moving parts and the risk of failure. I had also read how Simon George of Evo magazine fitted a set of their Tarox discs to his Lambo Murci and found them not suitable for fast road or track work. Yes, Tarox are big in Alfa circles, but we're in the big leagues now  with near 400bhp as standard, before we start playing.
Alcon Brakes were not interested in such a small project and recommended I speak to a distributor of callipers who was very knowledgeable, but whose name escapes me. But, I always prefer to deal with a factory direct on such a project in case of issues, so I passed on that.
I got a circular a while back, from my Aston days, that the enginnering arm of Caparo (those who make the car) had developed a brake kit for the DB9. I was interested in one for the Aston, but found them more concerned with selling the bits, that actually telling me in detail what their kit does so well. So was weary come Maser time, but give them a buzz.
There is another company in Italy/Germany called Move-it I think or something like that, who make brake kits, but they are merely repackaged big-boy callipers off Porsches.
2 other names to look at are Willwood and Stop Tech in America, if memory serves.
Next up was AP Racing, over in Coventry I believe. I found them friendly enough but not particularly desperate to get my car in. They do make fast road kits for the f355 and the M3's etc so for sure they are worth a look. I did not get the feeling though that their development on the car would be particularly time consuming, which kinda worried me, so keep an eye on that.
Brembo (who actually own AP Racing) do make a Big Brake GT kit for these cars but no-one I really know of in the UK who I could speak to has purchased one. And their distributors here have no specific knowledge of the kit's effect on the car. The kit is expensive but was my choice as Brembo do the OE brake callipers for Ferrari/Maserati, if I am wrong please correct me, so testing the kits on cars would be very easy for them. And real world useage is just as important to me. But, I sold the 4200 so, over to you Loz  ...
A few things to look out for when doing such things is a) the weight of the callipers, if they weigh a tonne and only increase stopping power marginally, they will effect the cars steering/handling, while merely looking good through the wheel spokes, and b) make sure the car does not end up over-braked, whereby a prod of the pedal results in wheel lock-ups. Lethal in the wet. c) It is unlikely AP will custom make a calliper for the car, so they will make some kind of adapters some where in the kit to use some existing callipers. Their quality must be impeccable. d) wheel clearence issues with stock or aftermarket wheels.
Best of luck mate.
ps. Loz, you are based in the Milton Keynes yes? I have just noticed that Sb race engineering are a sponsor now, so maybe give them a bell and pick their brains.
< Message edited by tbody -- 22/1/2010 19:29:40 >
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Previous Masers: 3200GT, 4200 Coupe CC, GranSport (coming soon...)
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after 15 odd roundabouts at speed the fade is noticable .and i have to slow down as a result . Most average sports cars, with less horses under the bonnet have bigger brakes and have a greater capacity for stopping than the masser set up ,