Spoolin

Hey guys,

Can anyone tell me what the difference between the 00-05 S2000 (83.429.4300.71) Stoptech Trophy big brake kit and the 06-09 (83.435.4300.71)? They have different part numbers for the different years. Will the 06-09 Trophy big brake kit fit an 02?

Thanks

afzan

The only difference are the braided brake lines - the connector on the brake hard lines are different for 00-05 vs 06+

Spoolin

Thanks man.

afzan

no problem - if you want to see a full breakdown of all the components in the different BBK kits - go to dev.stoptech.com

I'm not sure why they don't provide it on their newer main website anymore but their old site is still accessible through that link

BTW, in your original post you have the standard 00-05 BBK part number - 83.429.4300.71 but the Trophy 06-09 BBK part number 83.435.4300.71 you listed seems to be different than what the Stoptech website is showing (83.435.4300.R1)

Spoolin

Ahhh yeah, I did list that wrong. Good catch man. Did some checking and it looks like my Iforged Aero rims won't clear this big brake kit and possibly none of them. May have to get new wheels now that will support it but not sure what to go with. Need something that will be good for very big power on aggressive street driving and also half mile events. CCW's, True Forged, etc? Decisions......

gptoyz

uhhh stoptechs aren't going to stop you any faster than a stock caliper with the exact same brake pad - you can substitute the world's most expensive caliper/bbk, too

I would suggest a pad with good low temperature characteristics and good street tires that fit your use case

Spoolin

Really? So the stock brakes are pretty stellar with the right pads then? I had no clue and thought I would need to upgrade the whole front braking system to be safe in 1/2 mile events. What pads would work great for street/drag?

gptoyz

You will develop the best braking performance under the following conditions:
#1 Tires are at optimal temperature - cold tires are usually why Mustangs crash leaving cars and coffee. Overheated tires are what drifters do. Happy tires win races.
#2 Brake fluid doesn't boil. Boiled brake fluid won't be able to hold brake pressure.
#3 Brake lines don't expand.
#4 Maximum surface area for brake rotors, i.e. slotted and cross drilled = money wasted; cross drilled & slotted - horrible terrible no good idea
#5 Don't engage ABS, but also don't lock up your brakes
#6 Brake pads operate in the temperature range for maximum torque. No point in getting race pads that only develop maximum cF @ 1800 F, when your brakes only get to 200 F. I reference the following graph a lot, because honestly, the other manufacturers just don't share a lot of data or have really ambiguous looking graphs (cough cough Project mU cough cough)


Based on that graph my inclination would probably be the Hawk Black....but you should figure out what temperature your brakes can get up to throughout the run.

There are of course other factors:
suspension balance/setup
aero balance
weight distribution
alignment

Spoolin

Very interesting, thanks for the feedback. I'll have to do a bit more digging on the pad types.

DavidNJ

gptoyz is absolutely correct: the brake pad coefficient and engagement behavior (not really in the chart) determine the braking. A really good, stiff fixed piston caliper may have a little less hysteresis than the stock floating piston caliper, but it probably wouldn't be very noticeable on the S2000 with it is power brakes, anti-lock, and EBC on later models.

The larger, heavier rotor will have more heat capacitance. Enough of that can be gained by just swapping the front rotors for the Girodisc or special order PFC floating front rotors and using the Urge vented rear rotor. Brake cooling ducts to the front brakes are also helpful for the front brakes. For most cars near stock power levels and using DOT tires doing regular track day events pads, rotors, and ducting is all that is needed.

There are thread hear that argue the extra life gained from the larger pads and rotors make the big brake kits pay for themselves in a heavily tracked car. There are many who get them because they look good.

The big brake kits aren't a bad thing. Whether they are cost effective depends on what you do and what your budget is.