Stop Tech or Brembo for the M5? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Lupo///M5 · 23rd April 2003, 23:16

Any advise on who to go with for brakes? I read many good things about Stop Tech... and of course we all know Brembo is tops, so what are the differences between these two products. Does one have advantages or the other?

BostonRocket · 23rd April 2003, 23:20

With the brembos, you may hvae clearance issues with the OEM wheels. I have heard that it requires a 5mm spacer in order for the Brembos to clear. The Stoptech brake kit fits the OEM wheels with no spacers.

'Rocket

TriflowM5+M3 · 23rd April 2003, 23:20

brembo certainly is the name to have in brakes but they are more expensive than the stoptechs.

Now what kind of kit are you talking about? A front or a 4 wheel? Im getting the stoptech 4 wheel because from some of the info i have seen it is a little more balanced than the brembo but i dont know about how the 4 wheel systems compare.

talk to Dave Zeckhausen (although he is a stoptech delaer) he is a toally honest guy and will give you the straight and narrow to the best of his ability.

973 764 5054

actually i just looked...dave is a dealer for both brembo and stoptech

atomic80 · 24th April 2003, 00:06

Lupo,

Now you're thinking of getting the big brake kit, eh? I'm a little bit biased but I say go for the Stoptech's. I originally chose them only because they could fit with the stock wheels without the use of spacers. But the more research I did on choosing between the two, the more Stoptech turned out to be the better choice. Apparently the overall caliper design is better rated for heavy braking conditions with less chance of "movement" because of a stiffer design than that offered by Brembo. There was a test between the different brake kits last year and Stoptech did very well. That was pretty much the clincher for me. Plus, having the lower price doesn't hurt either.

Either way, you will be amazed at the difference between the big brake kit and the stock brakes!

XrayMD · 24th April 2003, 00:48

Have to agree with TriFlow. Give Dave a call...he's great to talk to and will not BS you.

I think for the money, the Stoptech's can't be beat. THe big question is, is there any real advantage to putting them on all four wheels instead of saving some cash and just doing the fronts?

24th April 2003, 01:21

stop tec...........all the way

MT JTN · 24th April 2003, 01:24

Quote:

Originally posted by XrayMD
THe big question is, is there any real advantage to putting them on all four wheels instead of saving some cash and just doing the fronts?

I'm pretty sure that Dave posted regarding the newly available StopTech 4 wheel kit and said that the reason the company originally only had the front 2 wheel kit was that they were made to such specifications that with only the front two's, the kit would be balanced. The 2-wheel kit was balanced perfectly.

He went on to say that the only reason that now StopTech is offering a 4-wheel kit is so that they can stay competitive with Brembo and others who offer 4-wheel kits. Having a 4-wheel kit is superfluous when StopTech makes such a balanced, wonderful 2-wheel kit, however people are very much into seeing big calipers and rotors at all four corners and so StopTech reengineered their front 2 kit and added two more to the back for a four kit that's as balanced as the 2.

Bottom line: They are different kits with different specifications, and the 4-wheel kit is obviously more expensive, however the only difference is... AESTHETICS!

-Matthew

Hamann7 · 24th April 2003, 01:25

So who won the big brake shootout?

Was there a clear winner?

I wonder how the StopTechs compare to the Brembo 8-piston 15" setup...

TriflowM5+M3 · 24th April 2003, 01:29

Mt,

I have talked to dave alot about the brake kits and he states that the pedal modulation and the pedal feel is improved over even that of the regular (if you want to call it that) system.

You do make a very valid point though...the system for the most part is purely cosmetic unless you really plan on putting a M5 through the ringer, just talk to Beastpower about it. Daniel races that thing hard core...

I have fried all four of my rotors and my new axxis pads so instead of paying for the front kit and then 2 new rear rotors and then new pads...what the $ell, go big or go home!

Im going to have the axxis ultimate pads for my street driving and then switch over to pagid orange for my increasing love with racing events. Dave Zeckhausen swears to me that i can't get the rear pagids up to their temp limit of 1000F....i guess we will just have to wait and see

Bigtime007 · 24th April 2003, 03:04

Here are my pros and cons.

Pros:

Great aesthetics
Reduced brake fade under repeated stops
LOOKS AWESOME UNDER A BIG SET OF WHEELS

Cons:

Price
Daily Usefullness
Uncertainty as to how well it really works (Brembo vs. Stoptech vs. stock)

The M5 is by nature, not a track car. So the sole purpose for me to upgrade my brakes would be for looks. If that were the case, I would basically be throwing $5000 away on something where its full potential will never fe fully explored. I would rather take $5k and "try" to squeeze more power out of it that I can use every day. I mean really guys, stopping time and distance does really change if you were to upgrade to 15 inchers. And if stopping distance is a function of your tires, why bother getting these unless you truly track your car all the time? I think ill be sold if a brake company can show me that upgrading to their kit will stop the car 10 ft shorter than stock.

My fity cents.....