tut4u2

I recently installed this kit and since there are no reviews available, I thought I would take a swing at one. Let me know if you have any questions.

The ask:
I’m starting to track my S2K more regularly and I have grown tired of burning through pads and rotors. The Spoon calipers do a decent job, but I have to replace either my pads or rotor every 4-5 track days. Even though replacements are cheap, I was looking for a solution that would last me at least half a season before having to go through replacement parts. Also, I decided to sell my Spoon calipers so I needed a new caliper solution regardless since my OEM calipers had rusted pistons.

The solution:
My initial thought was to go for an Essex kit since that’s what I run on my STi and it solved my braking issues with that car. However, I don’t mind trying out new solutions and I have been meaning to run Wilwood calipers for a while to see how they compare to other brands I have used in the past.

After pricing out a DIY solution from Wilwood, I decided to go with an SBG solution for the following reasons:

1. Price was competitive to a DIY solution. Competitive does not mean it was the same or cheaper; it means the premium was worth piece of mind knowing that everything was going to fit/work. I didn’t have to worry about parts not fitting, because my measurements were off and then potentially have to buy things twice.
2. The rotor rings are interchangeable with the rings I run on my STi so if I’m in a bind, I know I have spares available.
3. Everyone runs AP Racing or Stoptech and wanted to try something else. I figured if the calipers were crap, I will eat the cost, sell them then get a pair of CP8350.

The kit:

• Package comes with rotors, lines, calipers, brackets, instructions, and pads if you choose that option. I ended up going with Hawk DTC30 forgetting that they are 43mm not 50mm so I’m just going to use them up, and then switch to Carbotech XP12s. Just be cognizant that you can get a taller pad, else you won’t be using the entire rotor and you will have a nice ridge along the inner circumference of the rotor.
• The included SBG rotors look great. There’s a directional arrow on the rotor if you aren’t sure which direction to install the rotor. The rotors come pre-assembled, but I would check the torque regardless; for what it’s worth, all of mine were torqued correctly from SBG.
• I choose the 41mm option, because I knew I was going to upgrade the rear at one point or another. I ended up going with the SBG RX8 kit which I will review separately.
• The kit has nice touches such as a bomb embossing on the bracket and SBG branding on the Techna-fit brakes lines.
• The directions are pretty standard and mimic the Essex kit more or less with the exception of a few typos here and there. Instructions call for you to trim the dust shield, but I elected to remove them and wrap my rubber boots in aluminum tape. If I ended up burning the boots, I will re-install the shields on when I replace my wheel bearings.
• Overall though, everything fit well and the necessary parts were included. If you have changed your rotors and bled your brakes before, you will be able to install this kit without any issues.

Things I didn’t like:

• The brake lines thread directly into the caliper via a ⅛ NPT fitting which I despise. This is a preference thing and nothing against SBG or their product offering; this is how Wilwood makes their calipers.
• The rotor hat fitment is VERY tight on the hub. After thoroughly cleaning the hub and lightly sanding the powder coating off the inside of the hat, it was still snug fit.

Initial impressions:
Please note that I installed this kit in conjunction with the SBG RX-8 rear caliper kit so your results might be different.

• Initial bite is phenomenal and the pedal feel is superb; the pedal is somewhat grabby, but there’s a lot of modulation available.
• If you aren't careful, you will engage ABS.
• The calipers work plain and simple. Braking is consistent, and I did not notice any fade throughout the day. After an initial test and tune session, I’m pleased; I found myself braking later and going deeper into the turns.
• I will update the thread as I get more miles on them.

Final Thoughts:

• Would I buy this kit again? Yes, no second thoughts. DIY solutions aside, I think the kit is priced fairly; if the kit included a set of pads it would be ideal, but the fact that you can choose your pad means that you can customize it for your purpose. Not everyone wants to run an aggressive pad and have their car sound like a train while running town.
• I found SBG to be very knowledgeable and friendly once I was able to get ahold of them. It was frustrating to reach them at times, but bear with them and you will get a response. They run a small shop and appear to be swamped with orders, but I trust that I’m in good hands.
• It took three weeks for my kit to arrive due to machine shop associated delays.
• Would I buy from SBG again? Yes. I plan on picking up a set of Ohlins from them next year once I wear out my KWs this year.

Other available options:
Luckily there are a number of options available for our platform. Some quick research yields the following. This is a list of options I went through and some quick bullets on each one.

• SBG Wilwood (325x32mm) $1595 LINK
  • Uses Wilwood Superlite calipers. You can choose between a 41mm or 35mm piston size caliper. Unlike the AP Racing caliper, these pistons are NOT staggered.
  • Kit comes with a 2 piece SBG fixed rotor, but you can swap out the rings to make it an AP Racing unit to it into a floating rotor.
  • Ring replacement is $249 a piece from AP Racing; not sure how much an SBG ring would cost.
  • Unlike the CP8350, this is not a radial mounted caliper.
• SBG AP Racing (325x32mm) $2795 LINK
  • Same braking solution as Urge/Essex, except with a larger diameter rotor.
  • Unlike the Urge solution, you can run a 50mm tall pad instead of a 43mm.
• Urge/Essex Racing (299x32mm) $2399 LINK
  • This is the tried and true solution. There are a number of reviews covering this kit so if you’re interested in them, please search for those threads.
  • I have used an AP Racing kit on my STi for a years and I’ve had no issues. Braking is consistent, support from Essex is top notch as they answer their phones immediately, and I have not had to rebuild the calipers yet.
  • The rotors are the same size as OEM, so ring replacements are the least expensive of the options listed here.
  • Pad options/availability is plentiful.
  • 2 piece floating rotors.
  • Rings are $179 a piece.
• Stoptech (328x28mm) $2155 LINK
  • Standard ST-40 calipers that’s used on other products they offer.
  • Ring/pad replacements are easily available.
  • Rotors can be assembled as either fixed or floating depending on direction of hardware.
  • Rings are $278 a piece.
    • Price vary widely online so search diligently.
• Stoptech (355x32mm) $2605 LINK
  • Same as above except with a bigger ring
  • Rings are $355 a piece
• Wilwood 6 pot BBK (328x28mm) $1787 LINK
  • I wasn’t a fan of this kit to because you need to shim the caliper bracket with washers in order to center it.
  • Kit does not come with lines, but comes with pads.
  • Pads are street oriented so if you’re looking to hit the track you will need to buy another set.
• Revolutionbrake Wilwood (325x32mm) $949 LINK
  • Uses the same caliper as the SBG; however, unlike SBG this kit comes with a one piece custom rotor. I’m sure you can go through the Centric parts catalogue and find a compatible rotor.
  • It is a comprehensive kit with rotors, pads, and lines. They will work with you and include a track oriented pad and upgrade to a 2 piece rotor if that’s what you need. At that point though, you might as well get the SBG kit.
  • I think the 2 piece rotor included in the SBG kit makes the price difference worth it. Additionally, given that you can purchase ring replacements through AP Racing or SBG, it means you aren’t dependent on one supplier.
• Fastbrakes Wilwood (322x32mm) $1350 LINK
  • I don’t think anyone use this guy, but he’s popular with the Civic crowd.
  • He will build you the kit whichever way you want; he’s very helpful and knowledgeable.
• Fastbrakes AP Racing (322x32mm) $1950 LINK
  • Same kit as above except comes with the AP Racing CP8350 caliper.
• Spoon Calipers (299x25mm) $1550 LINK
  • Advantages are that rotors are dirt cheap since they use OEM rotors.
  • Not a true BBK and wheel fitment is terrible.
  • I ran these for a while and while brake feel is improved, I didn’t find it worth the money.
  • Rebuild parts are costly.
• Racing Brake BBK (322x25mm) $1895 LINK
  • Complete kit with lines and pads.
  • Common pad shape so you have options.
  • Proprietary rotor replacement through RB

tut4u2

Whats included in the kit
SBG branded Techna-fit lines
Installed view
Rotor compare. I'm terrible with a camera
Significantly wider than the OEM rotor

Just incase you don't know which side to install the rotor

Bracket fitment is spot on
Opposite side of the bracket. Nice touch and made me chuckle
Pad difference
Finished product
If you don't go with a 50mm tall pad, you will end up with a similar looking rotor. Note the unused portion of the rotor right outside the hat

King Tut

Only thing I would add is I can get the Stoptech 328x28 rings for $225 a piece.

flanders

Thanks for the great review and those short comparisons at the end.
I've been wondering about the Fastbrake kits, wish there was some more info about them

Jtt

Thanks for the review, very knowledgeable. I may look into sb garages rear kit at some point
I have a set of the fastbrakes willwoods. I bought em used off a buddy, but my pair came from Tom Tiangs irene race car back in the day.
Fastbrakes guy is very knowledgeable and easy to get a hold of.
I can try to answer qs.

Jt

warmmilk

are there any pad knockback issues?

s2000ellier

2155$ for stoptech? you paid too much

s2000ellier

sorry adjusted for 3 years of inflation

Tougefactory

I was also wondering why the Stoptech Kit was so much in your review. Other then that nice review. Would love to hear your thoughts about it once you get on track.

ckowalc

I have a 328mm StopTech kit which I ordered before this kit came out but I'll contribute my observation/opinions in regard to a comparison between the two kits:

• The Wilwood pads are cheaper than StopTech pads. For Carbotechs, pads are only about ~5% cheaper but for some reason Hawk pads are ~40% cheaper for the Wilwood caliper. The pad area is larger for the StopTechs but the Wilwood pads are thicker (20 vs. 16.5mm) and I believe I did the math and the pad material volume is comparable.
• I believe Sakebomb said their fixed rotor ring replacements would be ~$125, they can verify that information though. StopTechs, as said before, can be had for ~$230 a piece if you Google around.
• The Wilwood calipers are much smaller and lighter. If you are concerned about unsprung weight I believe the Wilwood caliper is about 33% lighter (~2.5 lbs). Caliper replacements are also much cheaper. In my eyes the StopTech caliper looks better in the right color but that's just my personal opinion.
• As a side benefit of the calipers being smaller, I think the wheel fitment options should be better than the ST40 (require less backspacing). I'm not sure if Sakebomb has a wheel fitment template available?
• I believe the brake bias is a bit of a compromise for the SakeBomb kit if you are planning to keep the stock rear brakes because the 35mm piston will shift the brake bias to the rear and the 41mm kit will shift it to front compared to stock. I think I did the calculations at some point but I can't remember the percentage shift. The Stoptech a very slight shift to more front bias which I think good for people with square tire setups.
• The StopTech kit has floating rotors and radial mounted calipers where SB Wilwood kit does not have these features standard. The StopTech also comes with pads which I assume a crap for track use but I have not used them.They are nice to have just in case of emergency like running out of pad at a track da or to swap for street duty.
• My gut feeling is that the StopTech kit has more heat capacity than the Sakebomb Wilwood kit. With that being said, I think the SB kit could handle anything a NA S2000 w/ street tires (may even R-comps) could throw at it. The StopTech may be overkill depending your car setup and local tracks.
• I think if the SakeBomb kit was more in the neighborhood of $1300-1400 it would make the decision a lot tougher for people considering the 'proven' StopTechs primarily since consumables are cheaper for the SB Wilwood kit. If the wheel fitment is better than the StopTechs (able to use more wheels or require less spacer thickness) and a template is provided this could be a big selling point.

I've said this before but my friend with an FD got their equivalent 'Wilwood Track Day' kit at intro pricing (which for some reason was quite a bit cheaper than the S2000 intro pricing). His kit has been holding up fine in the 3 or so track days he's done and he has 300+ whp and is at NASA HPDE3 level (fairly experienced/fast). Road Atlanta is probably the most demanding track (brake-wise) he's been too so far. We'll be going to VIR later this month where he torched his stock brakes so I'm interested to see how well they hold up there.